2007 Annual Meeting Review

Annual Meeting Review
May 20, 2007

I thought it was a pretty good annual meeting, with a good turn out. We held the annual meeting in place of the 2nd service on Sunday May 20. It felt a little odd to only preach once on a Sunday, but the idea was that we would have 2 RE programs as we normally do. That way parents of children could attend the 9:30 service and the 11:00 am meeting, while their children went to RE classes twice, with 2 different sets of teachers, etc. I don't have hard numbers, but just from looking, I'd say attendance at this year's annual meeting was a little better than last year.

Outgoing President Mary Quinn kept things moving and honored some staff and committee chairs. After some important discussion, the Asset Management Task Force proposal passed easily,.

I heard comments of concern about several key areas: financial transparency, loss of old members, membership numbers, and the Pet Blessing service on Memorial Day weekend.

Transparency about the budget.

It was pointed out that what was shown to the congregation was a summary, and not an in depth report that would show, for example, what we're paying for building or health insurance, and salaries for individual employees.

Another issue was seeing exactly what was spent on say– building and grounds in the last year. Although this wasn't brought up at the meeting, saying what was spent on building and grounds in a particular time period isn't as straightforward as it sounds because we have line items for utilities, contract labor, building repair, and so forth, any one of which, a portion could be considered for buildings and grounds. The "contractor" line item not only pays for building contractors but for our musical accompanists.

It was clear to me that the sense of the meeting is– and was at the last Town Hall meeting– that we need a financial reporting system that better serves what people want than the current system. So, as I understand it, the Congregational Treasurer and the Business Administrator, perhaps along with the Finance Committee, will take some time in the coming program year to develop more financial reporting transparency, and perhaps a "dashboard" which would contain a half dozen to 10 key metrics as to spending and budgeting.

The board of trustees already hears from the Business Administrator as to the monthly budget variances (if any), and while most people in the congregation aren't interested in monthly financial reports, that information should be available to congregational members and to committees who have an interest in a particular budget area.

It was also pointed out that (1) there used to be a budget "hearing" in advance of the annual meeting, so people could ask more in depth questions there rather than at the annual meeting, and (2) such meetings were so poorly attended that it was decided to stop having them. Nevertheless, it seems that bringing back such a meeting will be a good idea. So, I for one, will plan on it, probably a week or so before the annual meeting in May.

There was some confusion as to committee budgets– most committees don't make budget requests anymore (a few do), and the budget has been relatively static. There was some question as to whether committees get monthly budget reports or not. I'll ask our Business Administrator to make sure these get sent monthly.

Loss of old members.

A couple people pointed out that some members of Eliot have left over the last several years. It was also noted that over 50 new members were listed in the Sunday bulletin, but what about the old folks who used to be here?

Rev. John Robinson, the minister who retired before I got here told me that something like 1/3 of the congregation turned over during his first couple of years at Eliot. His personality and style were substantially different from his predecessor, Rev. Webster Kitchell. My personality and style is probably as different from Rev. Robinson's as his was to Rev. Kitchell's.

I've also read that on average about half of a UU congregation will turn over every 8 years, with the number being slightly smaller for larger congregations like ours.

Bonnie and I have been here 5 years now. When one prominent lay person told me she was leaving to go to 1st Church, I asked her if there was anything I could do to change her mind. She told me no, she preferred the minister over there, and that people's personalities are who they are.

I and our Membership Coordinator have made some inquiries, and heard good stories. People mostly make up their minds as to their satisfaction and commitment to church on their own. And we will continue to reach out, but in a more coordinated effort in this coming year. This is something new, it hasn't been done before, and it is an effort to reach out to long time members and to those in their first year of membership to make sure we are doing what we can to help folks fit in and find a place at Eliot.

Of course, if someone is on the verge of leaving because they are upset about something– perhaps they have an issue with a minister or staff member or church program, it is wonderful if they would tell someone. We can't read minds. It's great to approach someone directly, but there is always the Lead Minister's Relations Committee (LMRC) which is composed of Luis Ortiz, Julie Triplett, Rich Vaughn, Kathleen Mead, and Kim Fitzgerald.

With our LMRC and membership coordinator, plus any tips I get at coffee hour, I plan on phone calls and visits and emails to try and keep in touch. If you or someone you know would like to chat over lunch or over the phone or at church, please let me know.

Membership numbers.

Someone wondered aloud if Eliot had not shrunk in membership in the last few years. They recalled hearing a figure of 770 members.

From 1984 to 1994, the number of adults ranged from 402 to 458, and the number of kids from 183 to 295. From 1996 on the number of adults has hovered in the 550 range. Right before Rev. Robinson retired, the membership rolls were scrubbed to remove people who had died, left town, that sort of thing. In February 2002, just before we arrived, the reported membership was 576. In February 2007, the reported membership was 522. As of the annual meeting, membership was at 548.

You can also look at congregational commitment in terms of total expenditures. Other than a blip in 2002, there has been a steady upward progression.

1999 $443,600
2000 $474,820
2001 $488,200
2002 $527,000
2003 $497,000
2004 $497,000
2005 $499,000
2006 $516,500.

Memorial Day Service.

Several people balked at the notion of a Pet Blessing Sunday being held on Memorial Day. That has been the tradition since before I got here. It's probably one of those Sundays– like Easter– where some people come and love it, and others stay away. I have heard it is very meaningful for the people who come. It is also a Bergfried weekend, so it doesn't fit the "regular" Sunday format.

We do pay extra attention to our veterans during the Sunday closest to Veteran's Day, and to our own Eliot folks who have passed on at our Circle of Life service the first Sunday of the calendar year.

I appreciate the thoughtfulness of people at the annual meeting. I especially appreciate the hard work of our board of trustees and lay leaders. Everyone is trying their best to be earnest, authentic, and to do what's best for the congregation's future.

It is a blessing to be together. –Daniel.