Congregational Meeting

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UUCDC’s annual Congregational Meeting will occur Sunday, January 28th, 2024, at 6 p.m. following an all church potluck at 5:15 p.m. It will be held in-person and online via Zoom and will be accessible by both phone and online. Childcare will be available during the meeting.

Why are we meeting?
UUCDC’s bylaws (Article V, Section 1) require our Society to conduct a General Business Meeting each year within the month of January, to review the financial status of the Society; and to act on such other matters as may appear on the Call to Congregational Meeting

IMPORTANT:  Please register for the meeting online here and indicate if you are attending in person or on Zoom.

When registering, if you have multiple eligible voting members in your household, please enter both names e.g., Fred & Wilma Flintstone. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about attending in person or joining the meeting on Zoom.

You will find the meeting agenda and important information for the meeting below.
Conducting the Meeting–In Person Attendance
Registering for the meeting constitutes an electronic signature and will take the place of signing in.  If you are participating in person and do not pre-register, you will sign in on paper.
For questions and comments during the meeting, there will be a microphone passed so you may speak.
Conducting the Meeting–Virtual (Zoom) Attendance

Registering for the meeting constitutes an electronic signature and will take the place of signing in. Please note, if there are two eligible voting members in your household who will be attending, please change your display name to indicate who is in attendance (example: Fred & Wilma Flintstone). That way we’ll be able to count both toward the quorum. There will be a moment at the beginning of the meeting for those who are joining by phone to let us know who they are and be counted.

We will be using the chat box in the meeting to conduct business. Please reserve it for that purpose.
For questions and comments during the meeting, we are asking that people use the chat box and say something to the effect of “I have a question” or “I have a comment.” You will then be acknowledged and can make your comment or ask your question. People joining by phone will be given opportunities to speak.

When the time comes to vote, there will be a call for you to indicate your vote—aye or nay in the chat box. If there are two eligible voting members in the household, type in both votes (for example, in the Flintstone household referenced above, you would type Fred—aye, Wilma—aye). If Fred and Wilma have different votes, express them when requested.

Meeting Recording
This meeting will be recorded to support the accuracy of the minutes.

Agenda for Congregational Meeting
January 28th, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.

  1. Call to Order
    1. Chalice Lighting
    2. Declaration of Quorum (25% for Bylaws)
    3. Meeting Covenant
  2. Approval of Minutes from May Congregational Meeting (Vote)
  3. Interim Minister Update
  4. Presentation of Covenant of Right Relations
  5. Proposed Bylaws (Vote)
  6. Elections for Leadership Positions (Vote)
  7. Update on Ministerial Search
  8. Reports
    1. Stewardship: Annual Fund Drive
    2. Stewardship: 2023-2024 Financials
    3. Update of Endowment
    4. Newcomer Coordinator
    5. Status of the Capital Campaign
    6. Nurturing Growth Brainstorming Team
    7. Date of Congregational Mtg (Sunday June 2)
  9. Denominational Affairs
    1. Article II Revisions
    2. Process for Selection of Delegates to General Assembly
  10. Other Business
  11. Closing Words
  12. Adjournment
An eligible voting member is someone who has signed the UUCDC membership book not less than 21 days prior to the meeting and has made a contribution of record against a pledge of at least $100 in the current or previous fiscal year (the amount set forth by the Board of Trustees in May 2013).  If you have questions about your eligibility, contact the church office at megan.grissom@uucdc.org.
Minutes from the May 2023 Congregational Meeting
Proposed Bylaws
Covenant of Right Relations
Leadership Positions (under New Bylaws)
Board President:
Marylin Huff (end June 30, 2024) affirming board appointment
Marylin joined UUCDC in 2006 with her husband, Rich Cairncross and daughters. She served as a Worship Associate, served on the Board of Trustees including a stint as VP and President, chaired the worship diversity and expansion committee, chaired two Sabbatical Planning Committees, and chaired Rev. Roger’s Transition Team. Marylin was a member of the Growth Through Service team until she joined the board in January. Marylin is also one of the core members of the AV Team. Outside of church, Marylin works at the University of Pennsylvania running the undergraduate laboratory in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Board Vice President:
Abby Houston (end June 30, 2024) affirming board appointment
Abby was dedicated to UUCDC as a toddler, and grew up within the Religious Education program. Since graduating college and returning to Southeast PA, she has taught RE and served as a member of the Pandemic Task Force during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Abby works at Altus Partners, Inc. as a Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance broker, and lives in Malvern, PA, where she enjoys playing music, reading and yoga.
Board Treasurer:
Mallory Breingan (end June 30, 2025) new role
Mallory and her family began attending UUCDC in January of 2020.  She lives in Upper Providence with her husband Gil and 3 young children, JJ, Will & Sam.  At UUCDC, she has taught RE for the past 2 years, was a UU the Vote District Co-Lead, and participates in the Young Families Soul Matters Group.  Prior to becoming a Stay-At-Home parent, Mallory was a high school mathematics teacher in Philadelphia.
Board Secretary:
Craig Harris (end June 30, 2025) new role (was Board at Large)
Craig and his wife Donna joined the church while the congregation was approving/renewing the interim ministries of Rev. Patricia Hart and Rev. Peter Newport for their second year. Since that time, he has been a webmaster (Jean Lenke and I started working on the design of the old website before I was a member), a member of the board from newbie to president, was a founding member of the Anti-Racism Coalition (Black Lives Matter back then), and have baked chocolate goodies for the Chili, Chocolate, Homebrew festivities. He is currently a member of the choir, co-editor of the Connections newsletter, and the convener of the Adults with Aging Parents group. He has also worked with RE, where his daughters Chelsea and Kayla studied, from the time they joined through to their bridging ceremonies from YUUCKIs. Outside of UUCDC, he once upon a time designed and wrote fundraising materials, edited a philanthropic newsletter, was a systems/business analyst, and was a star (OK, not really a star) on stage, screen and television. These days he tries to get work doing voice overs. (If anybody knows anyone…)
Board at Large:
Marge Caton (end June 30, 2025) new role
Marge and her husband Don became members in Oct 2003 having moved here from Cincinnati, Ohio. There the family was active at St. John’s UU Church for 18 yrs. At UUCDC she has served on multiple committees, taught in RE, led YUUCKIs, been elected to the Board, and coordinated the Adopt-A-Family program. Additionally she was adjunct staff for the JPD and co-leader of Youth programs for the District. This past summer she attended her fifth General Assembly in Pittsburgh. Prior to retiring she worked for Kenner Toys, Coleco, totes, Evenflo, Graco and others in designing, sourcing and purchasing products and components. She resides in Downingtown with Don, son Alex, and their cat Meadow, along with about 500+ cultivars of daffodils.
Board at Large:
John Davies (end June 30, 2024) new role (was ET-Social Justice)
John has been a member of UUCDC since 2012. He lives in Nether Providence with his wife Trish and their children Maggie and Jack. As an adjunct instructor at three area universities, John teaches courses in history and in the humanities. At UUCDC, he has served on the Board of Trustees, taught RE, been a worship associate and served in different roles in different fund drives; he currently participates in a Soul Matters group and the Anti-Racism Coalition.
Board Appointed Committees
Finance Chair:
Jing Wang (end June 30, 2025) new role (was ET-Expenses)
Jing began attending UUCDC in 2021 with her husband Vibhat and her two children. Although this is the first faith community Jing has joined, she has found a like-minded, loving and welcoming community in UUCDC, and is excited to contribute more actively. Professionally she is an executive working at the Vanguard Group for the last 13 years in various leadership roles, focusing on helping individual investors achieve their long term investment goals and success. Jing lives in Swarthmore with her husband Vibhat, her daughter Daksha and son Nandan.
Stewardship Chair:
Janet Boosz (end June 30, 2024) new role (was ET-Income)
Janet has been a member of UUCDC since 1987 along with her husband, Bryan. Their daughter, Katie, grew up in the religious education program from preschool through high school. Janet has held various roles at UUCDC. She was Director of Religious Education for three years, Lay leadership Chairperson, and taught various grades including YUCKI advisor in the RE program. Currently, she serves on the Growth Through Service team, a Hospitality Team, the Memorial Garden Committee, and on the Chili, Chocolate, Homebrew leadership team. She brings her past experience in her varied past roles, organizational skills, and love for the UUCDC community to the Executive Team.
Endowment Chair:
David Leaman (end June 30, 2024) new role (was member of Endowment Committee)
David has attended UUCDC since the summer of 2018 when he and his wife Marva Williams arrived in the area. He became a member of UUCDC in March 2019. Before that, he was a member at Second Unitarian of Chicago for more than twenty years where he served on the Board of Trustees and on multiple church committees. At UUCDC, David served on Growth Through Service for two years, co-organized two “Food for Thought and Action” Social Justice Sundays, participated on the “Widening the Circle” task force, and has been active with two UUtheVote campaigns. David is currently Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Widener University. He enjoys books, films, travel, and cooking. A lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, David has been an especially avid follower of the Philadelphia Union in recent years.
Building Chair:
Jennifer Gould (end June 30, 2025) newly elected role
Jennifer has attended UUCDC since 2016 when she moved into the area.  She has been a member since October of 2019.  Jennifer is currently co-facilitating a Monthly Discussions on Anti-racism and Allyship and since Summer of 2023 has been leading a Communications initiative focused on launching an updated and streamlined version of the website for easier more user-friendly access.  Professionally Jennifer is an executive/leadership coach working with leaders looking to develop themselves and their leadership teams. Jennifer loves being physically active and being outdoors, as well as quieter activities like yoga and mediation.  She is on a quest to find and explore all the great hiking trails in our area as well as inner peace. She lives in Wallingford with her two cats Doodle and Bug.
Grounds Chair:
Mark Yerger (end June 30, 2024) newly elected role
Mark began attending UUCDC in 2003. His wife, Michele, and their two children, started attending the church in 2001. Their children grew up in UUCDC and attended RE classes K-1 through high school. His family’s involvement prompted Mark’s initial interest but his love of the youth and the larger community, and the hiring of Reverend Peter, is what has kept him coming back. During his time with UUCDC, Mark has been a RE and OWL teacher for many of the classes as well as a Coming-of-Age mentor. One of most rewarding and longest standing roles, Mark served as an advisor for the YUUCKIs. Other contributions to the church included, managing and leading the Hunger Task Force, Executive Team member, and Depositing Treasurer. Mark manages regulatory compliance for three utility companies. His past includes work as an IT professional. He also has a culinary degree and was an Executive Chef for many years. He enjoys cooking, bike riding — both motorized and non-motorized versions – hiking and doing anything outdoors with his wife and family. Mark and family reside in Nether Providence.