Candidate Statement

I am grateful that the UUA Nominating Committee has asked me to continue on the UUA Board of Trustees for a second three-year term. During my first term I have had the privilege to be part of a dedicated and talented group of UUs, trustees and staff who have undertaken much important work for our Association and its member congregations. Our UUA mission is to equip congregations for vital ministry, to support and train lay and professional leaders, and to advance UU values in the world. The Board of Trustees also has fiduciary responsibility for the well-being of the Association, and I am proud to be part of that, too. Much transformative work is underway, and I am committed to being part of that over the next three years – these includes continuing implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on Institutional Change; updating and simplifying UUA governance; supporting well our member congregations in their rapidly evolving needs; and, assuring the future financial health and sustainability of our Association. I like this work and it has become an important part of my commitment to our faith movement.

 

I am also seeking re-election to the UUA Board of Trustees because the world is changing, and so is Unitarian Universalism. Part of what makes our faith so powerfully life-affirming is our commitment to transformation and growth – individually, in community, and institutionally. When we are called to meet a moment, we are at our best when we give each other hope and courage. True transformation takes time. Our faith has been at a threshold of transformation before in our long history. Sometimes we have crossed that threshold, and sometimes we have turned back. I am seeking re-election because I believe strongly that this is a time to keep moving forward, especially since so much tangible progress has started.

 

In addition to being a Fellowshipped and ordained UU Minister, I am a trained and certified spiritual director. Accompanying and encouraging people who are making meaning from life and life’s changes is my vocation. Where is the spirit, the understanding, moving in our experiences? I bring that approach into my work for justice -- What is Love calling us to do? And with the Board – How do Love, and Compassion, and Justice show up in policies and structures, and in the ways we exercise our fiduciary responsibilities?

 

Before coming onto the Board, I had leadership experience in Unitarian Universalism at the national level. I served on the Accountability Group for Justice GA 2012 in Phoenix. I am a facilitator in the Beyond Categorical Thinking Program for congregations in ministerial search. I was in national leadership when I was a young adult. And I have been in the leadership of EqUUal Access for many years and base my community ministry there. I’ve been active at the regional, district, and local levels, and served on numerous congregational committees, from Religious Education to Finance and many more. Over my lifetime, I’ve been fortunate to be part of UU congregations in four of our five regions – from a very small, lay-led fellowship to a large, multi-minister church, and several mid-size congregations. I have a wide breadth of experience with the joys and struggles of our congregations and communities.

 

When I filled out the forms for the nominating committee before I was elected to the Board three years ago, I closed by saying: “I am well-suited to serve because I have practice in living in the both/and. I have faith that we can get there even when the way is not clear. And I believe in the saving power of Unitarian Universalism, and in its power to save itself.” After three years of service on the Board, I still believe it.