Last month, I found it hard to write a report while watching the beautiful New Mexico scenery outside our VRBO at 8,000 feet in the middle of a cow pasture. Now, I’m easily distracted by the beautiful sunset at Lake Gaston while enjoying the company of our daughters and families plus 6 dogs. Fortunately, sandwiched between these two vacation trips, we have accomplished quite a bit around WUU!
Preparations for Rev. Laura’s sabbatical took a fair amount of time in July. Just for review, on May 10, 2017, our congregation voted to call Rev. Laura as our minister. I remember that day. After her sermon that morning, we called a congregational meeting and voted to call her as our minister. Several of the youth and I went outside to welcome Rev. Laura back into the sanctuary where both Rev. Laura and I signed her Letter of Agreement (LOA) in front of the congregation.
In the LOA was paragraph 3.8.1: “The Minister shall use sabbatical leave for study, education, writing, meditation, and other forms of professional and religious growth. Sabbatical leave accrues at the rate of one month per year of service, with leave to be taken after every five but before seven years of service. No more than six months of sabbatical leave may be used within any twelve-month period. The dates of the sabbatical plan must be approved by the WUU Board at least one year in advance.”
So our sabbatical planning began in 2017 by placing money each year into a reserve fund in preparation for this sabbatical and our work began in earnest a year ago when the Board approved Rev. Laura’s request for sabbatical plan. Last Friday, more than 75 came to the party to wish Rev. Laura well on her journey. It is our journey as well since we will be experimenting with new activities, welcoming our new choir director, etc. We are working on a post-sabbatical plan where Rev. Laura tells about her sabbatical story and we tell Rev. Laura our sabbatical story. Together we will weave a new path of ministry.
The Board also addressed one of the LOA sentences at its July meeting. Based upon a proposal from the Executive Committee and with the support of Rev. Laura, we deleted paragraph 3.8.5: “The Minister agrees not to resign from full-time service to the Congregation for a minimum of one year following the end of each sabbatical leave.” Personnel Chair Franz Gross provided the rationale:
- “The Board and the Minister negotiate the LOA, and any change in the LOA can be made by
mutual agreement. Rev. Laura did not initiate this change but is open to it because she agrees
more freedom and less coercion is always good in our congregations. - A sabbatical leave is earned; a clause requiring service after return from a sabbatical is coercive.”
Other Board activities included:
- Vice President Katrina Landon and I participated in a conference call with other UU Presidents in our Tidewater Cluster. Sharing our experiences is so important as we navigate our paths of rebuilding after COVID.
- Rev. Laura and I participated with many of you in an “open-mic” café conversation. The conversation ranged from definitions and names for adult religious education (even a straw vote) to discussions about the 8th Principle and the Article II Study Commission (search at the UUA.org site). I look forward to future “open-mic” conversations during and after the sabbatical.
- I am waiting to sign the new Church of God contract for their use of our facility primarily on Saturday. There will be a sign outside the sanctuary during the times that they are meeting. For now, enjoy a hot August and spend some time reviewing our plans for the Fall!
Respectfully submitted:
Les Solomon, Board President
August 1, 2022