Annual Congregational Meeting: 2020

At the meeting, the Congregation

1. Elected new officers of the Board (all for two-year terms);

• President-elect: Bob Stimson joined UUC in 2002, the year that he and his wife, Polly, moved from New Hampshire to Blacksburg. Since joining UUC, Bob has been active as an At-large Board member and member of the Finance Committee, Ministerial Search Committee (which lead to the hiring of Rev. Pam), the Committee on Ministries, and has been a long-time greeter. Prior to retiring, Bob worked as a high school teacher and middle school principal mostly in NH but also several years in VA. Bob and Polly recently “moved into town” and enjoy the out-of-doors, spending time with their daughter and her family, and of course, with their two dogs. Bob’s interests include hiking, biking, golf, and casual bridge.

  Bob will seve as President Elect for 2020–2021, and than as President for 2021–2022.

• Treasurer: Meredith Hundley began attending UUC regularly in August 2017 and has since become an active member of the congregation as a monthly song leader, singing in the choir, and serving on the Finance and Stewardship Committees for the last two years. Meredith is Chief Program Officer for Valleys Innovation Council, a nonprofit organization in the region. Her BA is from the University of Richmond, and she has a Master of Public Administration degree (concentration: Nonprofit Management) from VCU. Originally from Smithfield, VA, she moved to the NRV in 2010 for her PhD in Public Administration, which she completed at Virginia Tech in 2017. She and her now-husband, Jason Cooper, married here at UUC in November 2019, and they live in Christiansburg with their two cats. Buying a house last year means there are always things to keep her busy, and she’s looking forward to starting a garden this spring.

• Member-at-large: Mindy & Paul Quigley (sharing 1 position) have been attending UUC since moving to the area from Edinburgh, Scotland in 2013. They've taught just about every grade of RE, and Paul previously served on the Stewardship Committee. Mindy is a regular yogi at the Wednesday night yoga group. Paul directs the Civil War Center at Virginia Tech, while Mindy runs veterinary clinical trials at VT's Vet School. Mindy also does social justice volunteer work and writes fiction, including a series of murder mysteries featuring a UU hospital chaplain. Paul hails from Manchester, England; Mindy grew up in the Midwest. They live in Blacksburg with their wonderful kids, Alice (14) and Patrick (3).

• Member-at-large: Brandie Lemmon has been a member of UUC since 2018. She has served in the role of RE teacher for the preschool and K-1 classes and enjoys working with young people. Brandie graduated Radford University in 2010 and works for a local land planner and real estate appraisal company. She enjoys taking her young daughters on all sorts of outdoor adventures, playing board games, and gardening.

Continuing Board members are Wayne Neu (who will transition from President Elect to President), Nancy Bodenhorn (Secretary), and David Hundley (Member-at-large)

2. Elected a Trustee (to replace Arthur Cennamo):

   Jim Kern started attending the UUC with his wife, Carol, in 1999. Their two children, Sarah and Jason, attended Religious Education (RE) activities at the UUC throughout their K-12 education. Jim has served as an RE Teacher, Middle School Advisor, and as an Advisor on Young Religious Unitarian Universalist (YRUU) trips to Boston and “The Mountain” in North Carolina. Additionally, he has served as co-President of the UUC with Carol, as a Steward for fundraising, as a member of the Sound Committee, as a Worship Associate, and as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. He is currently employed at Virginia Tech, as a Professor of Practice, after spending 17 years working in Blacksburg doing environmental consulting/engineering. He enjoys the outdoors, particularly hiking and backpacking, as well as playing guitar and singing.

   Continuing Trustees are Judy Snoke and Dan Brown.
   Information about UUC Trustees

3. Voted to approve the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020–2021;

Podcast of the meeting | Transcribed Minutes.

UUC Committee/Task-Force Reports 2019–2020

UUC 2019–2020 Committee/Tasks Highlights.

• Anti-Racism Sunday Group
• Art Committee
• Auction Committee
• Electronic Communications & Newsletter
• Community Service Team
• Connection Committee
• Environmental Justice Team
• Endowment Committee
• 50+ Singles Group
• Greeting Committee
• Grounds Committee
• Lay Pastoral Care Ministry
• Leadership Development
• Lifespan Faith Development
• Memorial Committee
• UUC Men's Group
• Committee on Ministries
• Second-Sunday Potluck Team
• Sound Team
• Stewardship
• Worship Team

The Informational Meeting was held after the service on May 17. The Podcast from the meeting includes discussion of:

• The Proposed Budget;
• The UUC Building Closure Status;
• The new Congregational Public Witness Policy.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27, 2020, aimed to relieve some of the financial consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak. UUC was granted a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan through that legislation, which must be used for payroll (75% of loan), mortgage interest, health insurance, and utilities over a two month period. If conditions are met, the loan will be forgiven. President-Elect Wayne Neu has written an explanation (written on May 18) as to how the PPP loan and other recent events within UUC affect our finances.

Updated June 9, 2020

Web page for the UUC Annual Congregational Meeting: 2019.