This email provides updates from your UUSS volunteer leaders. This month includes information from the Board of Trustees.

Board of Trustees
The Board is proud to have finished out the 2025-2026 fiscal year. We welcome new board of trustees: Ted Scott-Femenella, Vice President, and Members at Large Lue Bishop and Karen Smith. The board deepest thanks outgoing members Dawn Huebner, Carl Crain, and Vice President Janet Lopes for all their many contributions.

We extend immense gratitude to all those who contributed to a hugely successful presentation and discussion of the Pulse Survey Results. In particular, Karen Gunderson and the Justice and Equity (JET) team for leading the effort and coordinating many moving pieces, Mat Espinosa-Castro for a lively and engaging presentation of the data and the comment readers who brought life to respondents’ words, Emily Moran-Vogt for designing a beautiful Survey Results Summary handout, all taskforce and committee members who gave input on the process, and all breakout group facilitators for ensuring participants’ reflections and ideas on next steps were shared. Through these combined efforts, the congregation’s voices were heard, helping us build the Beloved Community we aim to be.

Budget revision for 2026-2027
Pledges for FY 2026-2027 came in even higher than anticipated in the budget that was approved in May for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The Board is authorized to approve revisions to the approved budget up to 2% of the total expenditures, which for 26-27 is $18,800.  The UUSS Board of Trustees approved a small revision to the budget to increase staff’s Cost Of Living Adjustment from 2.8% to 3.8%,  and contributions to the minister’s discretionary fund from $500 to $1000, and sabbatical fund from $1000 to $2000.

Board Goals
The Board reflected on progress towards last year’s board goals and celebrates the following accomplishments:

• RFP in progress to contract a vendor to build us a new website
• Re-established the Safety Committee
• Successful Fall and Spring Congregational Meetings
• Staff Planning Taskforce convened and made recommendations to the board
• Recruiting a new Newcomer and Member Engagement Coordinator

How to get in touch with your volunteer leaders:Your elected Board of Trustees meets monthly. Our next meeting will be Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 6:30 PM, on Zoom (by accessing the same Zoom link as the Sunday morning services) and in-person in the library. You are welcome to join us! The Board’s role is to oversee issues of UUSS finances, facilities, personnel and long-range planning; it makes decisions on policies rather than management decisions. You can find more information about the Board and read the minutes and Treasurer’s report here:  http://www.uuss.org/board/. To contact the Board, email board@uuss.org.

UUSS 2026/2027 Board of Trustees: Andy Cramer – President, Ted Scott-Femenella – Vice President, Victoria Owens – Treasurer, Fred Pannek – Secretary, Members-at-Large: Emily Moran-Vogt, Karen Smith, Lue Bishop, Mathew Espinosa-Castro, Patty Innes. Also, our Co-Ministers are ex-officio members (without a vote) of the Board, Program Council and most committees.

The Program Council will meet via Zoom on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm, though it will reschedule the July meeting so more members can attend. Persons interested in attending a meeting or contacting the Program Council can email programcouncil@uuss.org

Your 2026/2027 Program Council members are: Sean Fountain, Danielle Vickers, Joyce Ownbey, Maria Espinosa-Castro, Michael Feliciano, Dave Paul.