At the start of February, Clover Earl, who was in her last year of her second term on the Unity Church Board of Trustees, provided notice to the board that she was stepping away from being a trustee and tendered her resignation. Clover shared that she needs to create space in her life to tend to family and other matters in current need of her attention. Her term goes until the November 2024 annual meeting.

Clover shared that, “It has been an honor and a privilege to be of service.” The board will miss Clover and recognizes her many contributions during her time as a trustee. She has given so much time and energy to her work, regardless of the tasks at hand. She never missed a board meeting and willingly convened various committees over her five plus years of service, in addition to being chair in 2021. As part of the spiritual practices of being on the board, Clover has conscientiously applied Unity's Double-Helix model and antidotes to white dominant culture to board work that we, as trustees, have committed to implement as a governing body.

Clover has asked challenging questions to help us think about issues before us, offered valuable insights, and brought fun to our work together. She was instrumental in creating the Board Walk and Talk, which will continue as a valuable communication tool sharing the work of the board with members and friends of the congregation. She has helped onboard and mentor new trustees and welcomed them into the circle of board work. Clover is passionate about Unity Church and has assured us that she will continue to be a regular presence in a variety of ways. We know that Unity Church is her spiritual home together with her husband, Tom Zell.

At the board meeting on February 10, 2024, trustees took up the task of filling the vacancy for the remainder of Clover’s term. According to the Bylaws, Art. III (1), “the board may at its sole discretion elect a successor to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.” Due to the short period of this term, it made sense to ask someone who has prior experience with Policy Governance at Unity Church because that is an area that has a steep learning curve over several months. After discussion, a yes to the request, and a vote by the board, John Steiner-Manning will be finishing the term from now through November 2024. John previously served as a trustee, finishing his term in 2019. He and his wife, Andy Steiner-Manning, have raised two daughters at Unity Church, and John has been involved in many aspects of congregational life. We are grateful for his generous willingness to step in at this important time. His prior experience will allow him to hit the ground running and we look forward to working with him.

Many thanks for Clover Earl for her years of service on the board, and a warm welcome to John Steiner-Manning. We appreciate everyone’s gifts of time, service and leadership at Unity, no matter what you do. We are a community of people willing to step up and step in when needed. Thank you!

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