Annual Report 2019-2020

Fiscal Year July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020

Governing Board The Fellowship’s Governing Board operates under a model called policy governance. Under this model, the Board is accountable to the Congregation. The Board defines the Ends, which explain the human needs that are to be met, for whom, and at what cost. The Board also sets Executive Limitations, which limit the means by which Ends shall be achieved by the Executive Team and staff. The role of the Board is primarily to set policy and provide fiduciary, strategic, and generative oversight. Operational authority is delegated to the Fellowship’s ministers and staff.

The following Ends statements were adopted by the Board in 2018:

Rooted in our Unitarian Universalist identity, the people of the Fellowship embrace our collective responsibility to live our values within and beyond our walls. Across the lifespan, we:

Love each other in times of joy, sorrow, and transition; Live a life of purpose, rooted in spiritual practice, service, and wonder; Create a culture of radical hospitality and compassion; Form deep and authentic relationships across differences; Are a visible presence and resource, courageously challenging injustice and inequity; Work to end discrimination and systemic racism within ourselves, our congregation, and the

world around us; and Generously share our time, talent, and treasure, in a spirit of joy and abundance.

In the 2019-2020 program year, we have continued to develop our methods for monitoring progress toward these Ends by reviewing both quantitative and qualitative measures. We reviewed and updated several board policies. We worked with consultant Mark Ewert to re-imagine our strategies around stewardship and planned giving.

We administered our second annual congregational survey, and are excited about the insight we will gain for our Ends monitoring process by building longitudinal data. Please complete the survey next February!

While we consider all of the Ends above to be important, the Board felt it was necessary to put special emphasis on the first part of End 6, “Work to end discrimination and systemic racism within ourselves.” We set aside time at each meeting to review and discuss the Characteristics & Antidotes of White Supremacy Culture. The Board will continue our anti-racism education in the 2020-2021 program year.

Three months ago, the Board’s work took an unexpected turn as the Fellowship closed its doors due to the pandemic. As we hold our first (and hopefully last) online Annual Meeting, we face a challenging new year ahead. While our short-term plans are changing, our long-term Ends have not.

It has been an honor and a joy to serve on the Fellowship Governing Board for the past four years. If you are motivated to “form deep and authentic relationships across differences,” I encourage you to consider taking on a leadership role in the Fellowship, whether in governance, generosity ministries, leadership development, or one of our small groups. Thank you for the opportunity to serve this beloved community.

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Respectfully submitted, Bradley Shipps, Governing Board President

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The Fellowship Executive Team (or X-Team or XT) is comprised of the Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, the Rev. Leah Ongiri, and director of finance and operations Phyllis L. Schmitt. It is the leadership group that makes decisions about how things happen by creating, interpreting, and implementing operational policies, and delegate to the staff team. The XT is monitored by and reports to the Governing Board, which is elected by vote of the congregation’s membership and articulates the Fellowship’s vision.

Operational Update on our Fellowship Mission from the Executive Team

602 current members 129 members for 20+ years 10 members for 40+ years

From July 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020

Membership

The first memorable highlight of the 2019-2020 year was celebrating our minister emeritus the Rev. Roger Bertschausen, which we marked with festivities and the establishment of the Bertschausen Teaching Ministry Fund. In honor of the Fellowship’s legacy of being a healthy and nurturing environment for ministry to develop, funds collected will support our teaching ministry. Due to the generosity of many, we have hired our first full time intern minister, Ali Peters, who will begin their student ministry with us in the coming year.

Our later winter pivot to virtual operations reinforced both the consequences of being chronically under re-sourced (especially in areas related to technology and staffing) and the absolute necessity of what we do. We discovered that spiritual hunger, emotional support, and community connection still bring people to the Fel-lowship, and we are learning as we go about how to address all the additional demands and needs of the pan-demic, economic distress, and political uprising.

Heartfelt thanks to your incredibly collaborative and creative staff team of Marie Luna, Kim Hartman, Eve Rosera, Steve Sieck, Cyndi Polakowski, and especially our online Zoom worship tech specialist extraordinaire Adam Robinson. We extend deep gratitude to continuing Fellowship president Bradley Shipps, and bid an ap-preciative farewell to outgoing Governing Board members Jenny Bush, Terry Dawson, and Linda Grishaber.

Lastly, but certainly not least of all, we sincerely thank each member and friend of the Fellowship for your care, stewardship, participation, and simply for offering this community the gift of your presence. On to the next year together!

Respectfully submitted, The Executive Team Rev. Christina, Rev. Leah, and Phyllis

For more info on our mission, vision, and ends visit:

www.fvuuf.org/about-us-2/governance

Welcoming Everyone

“I feel loved at the Fellowship

when others ask me about my experiences, and let me learn

from theirs.”

--Adrian Sieck

“I feel loved when I am

accepted for my authentic self.”

-- Chris Wales

Growing in Mind and Spirit

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"I was welcomed at the door on my

first time attending a service and felt like I belonged. I feel like it's

where I belong."

-- Dave Velguth

Religious Education

207 children and youth

enrolled in RE program

Expanded OWLS Program

Children’s Chapel

Kid’s & Youth Connections

Circus Camp Winter Camp

Sunday Worship

Average Attendance:

299 In person Sept 1 thru Feb 29

206 Zoom logins March 22 thru May 24

(might be more than one person per login)

“The Fellowship has been a safe place for me to find my way in my own time frame and a helpful community to

be a part of while I search for my

truths.”

--Stephanie Tankersley

Adult Faith Formation Wellspring Adult Connections

19 Small Groups

Leading in Social Justice

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The Fellowship’s Audit Team has good news and not so good news. Our team is excited to report that we

added a new member this year. Melanie Hunt has joined our team and brings us an expertise in

compliance. It is always a good thing to bring a new perspective to our review of Fellowship financial

transactions. Welcome and thank you, Mel! Our not so good news is that the Stay-At-Home order has not

allowed the audit team to do the review of 3rd quarter activity we’d normally do in April. We can’t meet in

the building and don’t wish to remove financial records from the premises. Leadership is aware of this as

they evaluate reopening the building. We did, of course, review the year-end financial statements in

August of last year and did audits of the first 2 quarters of this year, with no major concerns noted. We

also receive copies of the monthly bank statement reconciliations when completed so are able to review all

activity being transacted through the Fellowship bank accounts. Again, no concerns have been identified

during these reviews.

Your current audit team includes Liz Prior, chair; Jenny Heal, Melanie Hunt & Theresa Hannah

Audit

Outside our Walls

$23,306 collected in Special Collections to be given away to

organizations beyond our walls - July 1, 2019 - May 31, 2020 (including $10,678 for Greater Good noted below)

1,065 individuals participated in 49 events offered by our

Justice Action Ministries (from Feb 2019 - Feb 2020)

68 kids voted for our Greater Good recipient.

We raised $10,428 for their choice:

the UU Service Committee’s immigration program and $250

for a stipend to B.A.B.E.S. Inc for their participation

”I feel loved when our members continue to work on the

challenging issues such as fair treatment of immigrants even when successes are few and far between.”

-- Penny Robinson

Treasurer

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In her sermon on May 24 Rev. Christina discussed all the uncertainty concerning our next fiscal year. In light of this uncertain and ever-changing world it feels like it would be meaningless to generate a full-year budget based on complete guesses, both about possible donations and expenses.

Due to our By-law restrictions about how the Executive Team can spend Fellowship funds, we need some kind of budget approval mechanism. Without it every expense would require board approval and the executive team would be unable to do their job of running our Fellowship. Under our proposed system of monthly budget approval, the board will review projections of revenues and spending for the next 3 months, then will vote to approve projected spending in the next month based upon the numbers presented. Any spending significantly over those amounts (based on the by-law restrictions) will require board approval.

We plan to look 3 months ahead to allow us to keep a close eye on our financial status while making current spend-ing decisions. To begin the year, we plan to continue to pay all staff at 2019-2020 rates, continue UUA dues payments at the lower rate we used in 2019-2020, and continue to hold all variable costs as low as possible. For example, as the building continues to be unused there are reductions in utilities and maintenance and cleaning costs.

I’d like to recognize and thank Phyllis Schmitt, our Director of Finance & Administration, who has worked very hard

this spring to stay up to date on an ever-shifting landscape of government programs to assist small business, includ-

ing churches. Thanks to Phyllis’ efforts the Fellowship received a Payroll Protection Program loan that will help

relieve some of our financial distress. Phyllis continues to monitor the requirements for forgiveness of some, or all,

of those loan proceeds. Please join me in saying thanks Phyllis for representing us in this, sometimes stress filled,

process!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the weekend in December with our stewardship consultant.

A meeting of our staff and lay leadership early this year resulted in a vote to move forward with combining the

Planned Giving (endowment) Committee and the Generosity Ministries (Stewardship) Team in the next fiscal

year. It makes sense to have all of the folks who are asking you to financially support the Fellowship do so

with a common plan and with a unified voice. The Planned Giving portion of that team plans to host another

informational session around end-of-life decisions and planning next year. We’re also planning to survey all

congregants, but especially Acorn Society Members (folks who have pledged or contribute to, our

endowment) about their wishes for how those funds get used. Please do share your thoughts about how

endowment funds can best be used to support our mission.

Planned Giving Committee Members this year include Sam Zinth, chair; Marty Arnold, Pat McQuillan,

Tiffany Suttner and Theresa Hannah, Ex-Officio

Respectfully Submitted,

Theresa Hannah, Treasurer

Planned Giving

By the Numbers

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Beginning Balance May 1, 2019 $257,324 Additions 6,000 Investment Income 2,807 Unrealized gain/(loss) (9,500) Investment/Admin fees (2,830) Ending Balance April 30, 2020 $253,801

Summary of Endowment

Activity Since the Last Annual Meeting