Join us on Zoom: viuf.org/sunday
If prompted to use a password, it is: 2020
All members are asked to join us for our Annual Meeting where we will vote on the budget and the new board members.
Here is a message from Robbie, our President, about the meeting:
We are fast approaching VIUF’s Annual Meeting, May 23rd. It will take place right after a short zoom Sunday service. If you have not already done so, please let us know ASAP if you will able to participate on the zoom call OR via proxy. It is really important that all members do one or the other in order for us to carry out our required votes on Board officers and at-large members, and our 2021-22 Budget. It is so easy to do this – please take a moment to do it now! Thank you.
Reflections as we prepare to welcome a new board
Over the course of my two years as President, I have grown increasingly proud of VIUF, both as an entity and as a community of individuals. Many of us are indeed proud of the work of our Sunday Service Teams and the model created to wholistically approach Services, encouraging diversity of content and approach. And I am proud of the work done by our Board, Committees and ‘pop-up’ groups. The needs of VIUF, even in this challenging time, have largely been met.
In many ways, I actually prefer this model of a lay-led congregation to that of pastor-led, as it is so personalized and intimate. But/and I am also aware of the amount and kind of participation of input and work that is needed! I can think of VIUF as a well-tended garden, one that requires much dedicated work and attention. In a community as small as we are, it can be a challenge to find enough people with the passion, time and skills to share the work reasonably.
Our Council of Elders has looked long and hard at this challenge and this year’s Nominations Report reflects of the outcomes. With some ideas in mind, we met with individuals who have agreed to be on our Board next year for discussion. Having mapped out the responsibilities that have fallen to the role of president in recent years, we proposed having the President and Vice President share those responsibilities. The functions of signing legal documents will go to the President and all other specific tasks will be delegated to one or the other, based on skills and interest. The second outcome is that other Board members will, as appropriate, assist with tasks that don’t need to fall into the Pres/V.Pres roles. Our group of incoming and continuing board members agreed with this concept of shared leadership and will be using this model in the 2021-22 year. Our past presidents and Rev. Hart will be available to the Board and Board leadership for support and consultation.
This seems to me to be a smart, organic next step in assuring that VIUF remains vibrant and evolving to meet changing needs and opportunities. It addresses our needs both as an entity with a sound structure, and as a community of compassionate, intelligent, moral people- bonded together to belong to and be VIUF.