UNITY OF CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS
COMMUNITY MEETING
Sun., October 31, 2021
Minutes
Meeting Called to Order: June House
Opening Prayer: Arlene Dorischild, LUT
Closing Prayer: Pat Sarty
ATTENDING: June House, Pat Sarty, Patti Rossi, Arlene Dorischild LUT
ZOOM: Dimitri Sinkel, Jen Snay, Rev. Marylou Palmer
ABSENT: Bob Babine, Carmen Scaffidi, LUT
Dimitri – Financial Report
-Budget is based on congregational pledges for the year; Rent was negotiated from $1300 to
$1100 for the year Question: did ultra violet light in HVAC come out of our budget?
Answer: Last year, every tenant paid $200
June
-Rev. Marylou Palmer was hired as our Transitional Consultant
-Duties: consulting with June, Arlene and Carmen for educational material
-attending Board meetings and some Community meetings
-workshops to help us through this transition
-Arlene is going to be our Interim Spiritual Leader Duties: coordinating services
-Rev. Pat Bessey, Eastern Regional Consultant is working with June, Arlene and Rev. Marylou
-BOT has Transitional meetings every 2 weeks
-BOT is coordinating everything and communicating with group with total transparency
Rev. Marylou - Explains Transitional Consulting
-UCM has to ask questions and give feedback to get to know us
-Her job is not to be the Transitional Minister of the church, she’s here to support us
-Bring up issues that need addressing & just have conversations – together we’ll get
through this by not cancelling each other out Question: Would it be you and Rev. Pat Bessey
working with the Board discussing qualities and strengths you think we need? Answer: I’ll be
working with the Board on that and the Board will be talking with the community about the issues
and what we need.
-Clarity of who we are as a spiritual community, what are the needs of the spiritual community
and where do we see ourselves going; the more clarity we have the easier it is to look for that
new minister.
June
-Revise our Mission and Vision statements; we want the new minister to be going in the same direction we are; we will give feedback to community before any decisions are made
-Rev. Marylou & June - transparency not only of the what but where we are in the process
Arlene – Interim Spiritual Leader
-Duties: We applied for a grant from UWM’s “Loaves and Fishes” Fund asking for $2,000 – to pay
Rev. Marylou Palmer consulting fees and transitional workshops for the whole community.
-Leadership training; reading: “Making Peace with our Past”
1 of 2
2 of 2
Arlene – Interim Spiritual Leader – (con’t)
-Classes: “Finding Yourself in Transition”
-In January, Carmen will teach using the book, “I of the Storm”
-Supporting us not necessarily leadership role, does not want to be seen in ministerial role
-Available for prayer and any spiritual needs people may have
-Plan services for special events through Advent and re-energize the Prayer Chaplain Program
Pat – Duties
-Books and sends out list of guest speakers
-Office Computer needed repair – her grandson fixed it, didn’t charge us; we will get a free
new computer when one becomes available; does UCM QuickBooks, sends out year-end, pledges and re-join UCM letters; pays our bills, speaks with landlord, does scheduling
Patti - Duties
-Putting together a chart for Sunday’s “Opportunities to Serve” teams: Bookstore, Counters,
Open/Close, Platform Assistant, Speakers, PowerPoint and Usher Teams
-Records/transcribes minutes for Board of Trustee, Community and Transitional meetings
-Proofreads Constant Contact; Usher Team Leader – Team: Linda Lloyd, Elisa Pearmain,
Kerensa Ransom; needs 2 more people
Jen - Duties
-PowerPoint Team Leader, Team: Sky and Kerensa; Advancing Slides: Pat & Bob
-Needs 1 person as backup; Book Nook Manager for 15 years – Team: Marguerite & Patti;
needs 2 more people; Carla Cataldo volunteered to help Jen inventory the bookstore in 2022
Question: does the bookstore pay sales tax? Answer: Yes; quarterly reporting
Arlene
-Sky Lloyd is Music Coordinator; Team: Carla Cataldo is now on team as Song Leader
Rev. Marylou
-Conversation on people and spirituality; who we are and what do we want to hear?
grow the church: what is it that we’re offering, how do we meet people where they are? And
wherever you are on your spiritual path, you are welcome here.
Bob
-Coordinates Wednesday night meditations, posts on Meetup for us, planning committee
June - stated, we are going to offer coffee, tea and prepackaged cookies after Sunday service,
if people are open to it. Conversation continued.
Adjourned at 12:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Rossi