Attendance

John Burnham, Dave Banister, Coles Mallory, Linda Beall, Lissa Fernandez, Barbara Russell-Willett, Chris Ariel, Marsha Francis, Mary Alice Smith, Rev. Amy Bowden Freedman, Jake Smith, Anna Smith, Holly Grosvenor, David Pedrick,

Guest in attendance; Betsy Dees, Wendy Jones

Minutes from the August 9, 2005 meeting

Chris Ariel moved that we accept the minutes. The motion was seconded by Marsha Francis. The motion passed.

President's Report

The focus of the August Board retreat was to develop a Board Covenant and review and revise the strategic plan. The strategic plan revisions will be discussed at the October board meeting. David Pedrick agreed to unify the format for that meeting.

Fire code violations exist in the Parish Hall which will need to be rectified if a nursery school program is to be housed in the building. It needs to be determined if the Church will make the upgrades or give Sea Rangers notice that their lease will not be renewed. The report of the fire department will be summarized for the Board at the October meeting and our options will be discussed. Holly Grosvenor agreed to do the summary.

Endorsement of Wendy Jones as Unitarian Universalist Community Minister

The following resolution was passed by the governing board.

On September 13, 2005 the Governing Board of Channing Memorial Church provides with pleasure official endorsement to Wendy Jones as a community minister representing Unitarian Universalist values and principles in the larger Newport community, more specifically, the John Clarke Retirement Center, while being actively involved in and supporting the spiritual life of Channing Memorial Church.

Board Covenant

The Board Covenant, which was developed at the August retreat, was reviewed, discussed and amended. The covenant is included at the bottom of this report.

Minister's Report

In addition to the items outlined in her written report, Amy informed the Board that she was contacted about our financial situation by a reporter from the Newport Daily News. She discussed how she had answered his questions, emphasizing the fact that we are a vibrant, caring church community.

Committee Reports

Fellowship added members to its committee at the ingathering service. Jake and Anna will make the initial coffee purchase to get the fellowship fund started.

Membership reports that three new members signed the membership book on Sunday. They are Dennis and Connie Greene who live in Newport and Denise Twining from Jamestown.

There was no Program Committee report.

Religious Education held an excellent visioning meeting. Their tasks were to determine the vision for religious education, the steps to achieve the vision, and to identify volunteers to accomplish all of this.

Treasurer's Report

Dave Banister presented an update of our financial status. There is currently $2.482 available to pay bills and approximately $12,700 in unpaid liabilities. There was a discussion as to whether or not we should avail ourselves of the short term, interest free line of credit that has been anonymously offered to the church to help out with cash flow challenges. David Pedrick moved that, "the Governing Board of Channing Church expresses extreme gratitude for the generosity of these donors at this time of financial need." Marsha Francis seconded the motion. The motion passed with one abstention.

A conversation ensued as to whether or not it would be appropriate for the church to send a letter to members suggesting the option of prepaying pledges if possible. The original motion by Anna Smith was amended to read, "A notation will be made at the bottom of the next quarterly pledge statement that members consider the option of prepaying their pledges if possible." The motion, which was seconded by Chris Ariel, passed.

Dave also outlined the new financial procedures and safeguards that have been put into place since our last meeting.

Management Committee Report

The management committee will meet on Monday night. Richard Webb has joined the committee. An accountant with forensic experience has been located. This person will attend the meeting and offer advice to the committee. A list of management tasks will be developed. Betsy Dees asked if the management committee was going to be permanent (yes) and if church members could review financial records at any time (yes).

Channing Memorial Church v. Peter Schoenbucher

Our case is scheduled to go to trial on Friday, September 16. While several boxes of materials have been delivered, much has yet to be returned. There is a possibility that the court date may be postponed. Peter's attorney says that it is not a convenient date for him to appear.

Dave and Terry Gavan will attend the court hearing and it is hoped that other members from the church will also attend. We will be asking for a list of all accounts that were opened in the name of the church, bank statements and canceled checks that are missing, records of where specific funds were deposited and redeposited, and information regarding the specific whereabouts of the church's money.

Our attorney is working with BankNewport to expedite their response to our situation.

Mary Alice has spoken with a representative from our UUA district seeking advice as to the correct course of action for the church. Bill Zelasny has been in contact with John and has offered to put us in touch with other churches that have faced this situation.

Other Business

John stated that it is his intention to discuss our feelings of grief and emphasize that ours is a vital church community if questioned about our situation by those outside of the church community. If specific details are requested, John will refer the questioner to our attorneys. John asked if there was consensus on the board that this approach was appropriate. There was consensus for John's approach to handling questions regarding our situation.

The meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Lissa Fernandez, Clerk

Covenant of the 2005 - 2006 Governing Board

We will start and end on time, understanding that there will be occasional exceptions.

We will begin each meeting with spiritual grounding and a brief check-in.

We will have food at every meeting.

We will have a Process Observer at every meeting.

We will maintain accountability by being prepared, completing commitments, and respecting confidentiality.

We will stay focused on the Agenda. The Agenda will have reasonable time allocations for each item.

We will remind one another that if an Agenda item seems too large, "send it back to committee" is an option to consider.

We will debate ideas, not challenge individuals.

We will make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.

We will treat each other with respect, not interrupting nor speaking when we have not been recognized, listening to and respecting the recognized speaker, minimizing side conversations.

We will feel free to respectfully disagree.

We will not hesitate to bring difficult issues before the group.