On the 19th of July, your board came together for a much needed retreat. The 2008-2009 board began it's term on June 1, but we've had a rocky start. A number of us have been out of town for extended periods of time. For the retreat, board member Kelsey Atherton joined us via his home computer in New Mexico. Robert Demarais Sullivan was also going to join us from the way up in Vermont, but as technology will do, his computer would not cooperate.
Our intention was to come together to explore how we will be together as a board, and how we will work together to further the mission and vision of First Church. Here is the board's covenant:
We so covenant that we are here:
• To serve the mission and pursue the vision of the Church
• To treat each other with respect
• To bring in many voices; agree to speak our minds and hearts and listen actively to each other; and speak out with one voice
• To be fully present and prepared
• To consciously create an environment of trust and openness
• To be mindful of process
Make it so!
A big topic of discussion was First Church’s need for better communication, beginning with how we talk to one another, to getting out the word about our great programs, plus seeing that our congregation is kept in the loop on church happenings. We do have a communications team. Mary Holt does a great job of running our blog, and editing our newsletter. If there is anyone out there who would be willing to work on our publicity, we need you! There are many things that happen here which are worthy of press coverage.
Back to the retreat… This year the board will meet on the second Friday of each month at 6 PM. Board meetings are open to all. For the month of August we will meet at my home (1643 Josephine St., #225) so that Kelsey can be with us via computer; subsequent meetings will be held at the church.
The board decided to continue the information sharing meetings we’ve been having on the last Sunday of the month after the coffee hour. There’s been a lot of positive feedback on these, and it’s another great communication tool.
If you have questions about the work of the board, please talk to one of our members:
Cherie LeBlanc, President
Kathleen Hubbell, Secretary
Jeanne Barnard, Member at Large
Kelsey Atherton, Member at Large
Robert Demarais Sullivan, Member at Large
Veronica Young, Treasurer
Yvelyne McCarthy, Member at Large
It may not look like it, but we HAVE come a long way... and from where I stand, I can see just how far we have come, and we did it all with love.
Stumbling Along With Love,
Cherie
