This will be a space for updates about the work of the Board. Future updates may include messages from other church leaders, all with the purpose of letting you understand congregational decision – what they are and why they were made.

First a quick introduction: My name is Maddie Kulpa, and I am newly elected to the role of Board President here at TVUUC. I have been a member since 2018, and have volunteered mostly within our wonderful Religious Education program before joining the Board in the summer of 2023.

Since joining the Board, I have been on a crash course of reading, talking, learning, and thinking about what the role of a church’s board ought to be. Fortunately, the UUA has many resources to guide congregations in this work. One article lays out the basic levels of governance, which is defined as “all of the different ways that a congregation makes decisions together.”

• Level 1: The Congregational Meeting
• This would include all decisions made at our annual meetings, and the work of committees created by the congregation (Endowment Fund Committee and the Leadership Development Committee.)

• Level 2: The Congregational Board
• This would also include committees created by the Board (Finance, Stewardship, Personnel, Building & Grounds, and Strategic Planning Committees.)

• Level 3: The Operations and/or Ministry
• This would include worship planning, Religious Education classes, event organizing, program offerings, etc.

The Board sits at the intersection of the congregation and the ministry. This means that the task of the Board is to take the intentions of the congregation – purpose, mission, values – and set the structures and systems in place to allow the congregation to live up to those intentions.

The beginning of a new church year is a good time to make sure our policies and procedures allow our talented staff, members, leaders, and volunteers to do their work in the church and the world. We also need to make sure that we fully understand the will of the congregation, and I look forward to spending this year with our board members and other leaders and staff to do this work.