UUCM BOARD UPDATE ON COVID-19 RESPONSE
At the Zoom Board meeting held April 19, 2020, the Board voted unanimously to
extend UUCM’s closure through June 30, 2020. Following the lead of our District Board and other District congregations, we also voted unanimously to postpone our Congregational Annual Meeting, originally scheduled for June 7, 2020.
This was not an easy decision, but a necessary action, in order to keep our staff and congregation safe and healthy. We did not feel comfortable attempting to hold our Annual Meeting on Zoom, as some members are still having difficulty accessing Zoom and all the features necessary for equal participation in such a meeting. The new date for the Annual Meeting will be determined as we continue to assess the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic in NH and throughout the country. We will keep you informed in the coming weeks, as we learn more. Once we are sure it is safe for us all to gather together in person, we will set the date.
All current Board members are willing to remain on the Board beyond June 30, until the Annual Meeting when a new Board will be voted on. The Finance Committee and Board will be discussing next year’s budget in the coming weeks. In order to facilitate closing the books for this church year, and starting the new financial church year July 1, the Board will approve a PROVISIONAL Budget for 2020-2021, that will be presented to members of the congregation at the Annual Meeting, where it will be open for discussion by members of the congregation as usual, followed by a congregational vote.
We appreciate your patience as we navigate these strange, difficult waters. If you have any questions or concerns to share with the Board, please feel free to contact Marti Kennedy
president@uucm.org.
UUCM FINANCIAL UPDATE
The Board, the Finance Committee and the Trustees are all in support of a conservative, even austere, approach to our finances over the next year. We are taking a number of actions to secure our future by not using our endowment unnecessarily.
Our Trustees voted unanimously to take our dividends in cash rather than reinvesting, so we will have enough cash to get us through the coming church year. Our investments took a financial hit and it may be a while before they recover. We do not want to sell stock while the market is down.
We are asking our committees and groups to only spend money on essential items for the remainder of this church year. In addition, we will not be paying the last $1,000 to the Maintenance Reserve and the $4,000 in the budget to the UUA/NNED (we will send them the $4,200 from the Holiday Appeal as well as earmarked plate money). Our Minister has advised us that we can save about $4,500 in expenses she will not need. We will continue to pay our staff, make necessary repairs to the building, and fully support our virtual Sunday services and other ways to reach out to people. This conservative approach to our finances will be reflected in our budget for next year as well. The Board will approve a provisional budget which will be ratified by the congregation when we can all get together face-to-face.
We have asked those who can to pay their pledge for this year and to provide us with a pledge for next year. We do anticipate that some congregants will be unable to do this. Some may need to reduce their pledge. We understand.
In the next few weeks, a member of the Board or the Finance Committee will be calling you if we have not received a pledge for next year. All we are asking is that those who can, pledge what they can. To help us, just send an email to Jamie, our church administrator (
office@uucm.org) specifying the amount of the pledge you are making for next year and put Pledge in the Subject of the email. Even if you cannot pledge at this time, please send Jamie an email stating that.
We realize that the future is unknown. We are doing our best to plan ahead, knowing that as circumstances change, we will respond. Our emphasis has to be on keeping our congregation and staff safe, providing inspiring virtual Sunday services and provide other opportunities to keep us connected, and continuing to live our values in these tough times.
If you have any financial questions or concerns, please contact Sandy Frades, Finance Chair (
sandyfrades@comcast.net or 673-2955).
