Emily's Post

Dear Friends,

In gratitude, I sit down to write this final Prologue column.  Our time together, however short or long it has been with each of you, has been a joy and an honor. I am so glad we could share life together for a while.

When we first learned in April that my position was being eliminated, I invited you to join me in leaning in to the remaining days of my ministry, and to live them fully with me. We have shared so much in the past 10 weeks. Thank you to everyone who made this time all it has been able to be. Thank you for the walks, conversations, support, justice work, services and last gatherings. And thank you to all who made my last Sunday with you a community-affirming, memorable, moving, heartwarming day. A particular thank you to the EGG (Emily’s Good Goodbye) Group -- Carol McCord, Jason Michalek, Mary Craig, Melinda Swenson, Anabel Watson, and Stephanie Kimball, who spent countless hours meeting with me, making plans, and coordinating the endless details. Their work made it possible for me to fully inhabit these days and to enjoy my time with all of you.

Here are a few words I offered at the end of our time together on Sunday, a final benediction for you:

Today is a day of ending, and also a day of a new beginning.

Each of you carry with you a piece of your shared future: 

the future of this congregation that we have loved and served together through many years.

May you build something strong and beautiful together.

Through days of joy and days of challenge,

May you remember that you are entrusted with this precious thing.

And may you know the sweetness that is found through coming together in love.

Sending my love and blessings to you,

Emily

Reverend Emily Manvel Leite

Minister of Story and Ritual 

leite@uubloomington.org

812-333-9822

From Our Board of Directors

In a recent Prologue column, our President, Abby Gitlitz, identified opportunities for UUCB members and friends to become more involved in the operations and decision-making of the church. One of those is the Personnel Committee. As the Board representative to the committee, I encourage you to join us!

The charge of the Personnel Committee includes:

• Work with the Lead Minister as Head of Staff to develop and review personnel policies and practices.
• In accordance with the budget cycle, analyze the costs of maintaining staff with fair and appropriate salaries and benefits, based on UUA guidelines, local cost-of-living, and other best practices
• Serve as advisors to the Lead Minister, as Head of Staff, in resolving staff grievances
• Serve as the Investigation Committee for cases of alleged discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct, and
• Provide consultative support to the Lead Minister in the management and utilization of staff as well as in benefits administration.

The committee will have at least three members, appointed by the Board for staggered three-year terms. At least one committee member should be a member of the Board (that’s me!); the Lead Minister serves as an ex officio member of the committee.

In the coming year, the committee will review the health care benefits we provide staff and the compensation for our new Lead Minister. Our current health care benefits are not consistent with UUA recommendations because of cost. This disappoints many of us who aspire to align church practices with our values. The Personnel Committee will advise the Board on health care benefit options and other compensation.

This committee will also be available to consult with the Lead Minister on more general staffing decisions. In her role as Interim Lead Minister and Head of Staff, Rev. Grant has spent considerable time reconsidering the staff structure of UUCB. For example, she upgraded the administrator position to Director of Administration, added a full-time technology coordinator, and increased the hours of other office staff. Even before the pandemic, Board members knew that our senior minister spent time on

administrative work, technology, and other tasks that could have been completed by staff. The changes to our staff structure will allow the Lead Minister (now and in the future) to devote more of her time to ministerial work. Rev. Grant also identified staff responsibilities that volunteers typically fulfill in other churches and is working with the Board to make these opportunities more widely known.

Board members also are aware that we are a smaller church than we were before the pandemic. We are not alone: church membership in the US has declined significantly since the 1990s, a trend that accelerated during the first years of the pandemic. As we learn more about how the needs of our church are changing, the Personnel Committee will be available to discuss the implications of these changes for staffing with Rev. Grant and, after we have a new settled minister, with them.

Personnel matters may not sound exciting but I hope you can see how important they are. The Personnel Committee will provide a valuable connection between members, the Board, and the Interim Lead Minister as UUCB welcomes a new settled minister. If you are interested in serving on the Personnel Committee, please feel free to contact me directly at jmcleod@indiana.edu.

Jane McLeod

Vice President