When Jonipher Kwong, a member of the Congregation Life Staff of the Pacific Western Region, spoke here on Jan. 24, we discussed sharing the timetable of ministerial transition with you. With transparency uppermost in our minds, the Board of Trustees want to share that timeline with those who would like to see it. Anyone who calls or emails our Office Administrator can request a copy. It will also be mailed to all members of the Council of Chairs, and a copy will be posted to the bulletin board. One note: the costs mentioned in the document are approximate and subject to change. Also, they do not have to be paid all at once, since this is at minimum a two year process. For more information, contact Maribel Dana.
Author: George Yenoki
Married to Reverend Maggie Yenoki.
Joined Pomona Valley Unitarian Society in 1985.
Current member of Throop UU Church (aka, The First Universalist Parish of Pasadena)
Docent/Naturalist at Eaton Canyon Nature Center.
Volunteer TCE Tax preparer for AARP
Bookworm for LA Times Festival of Books
Retired medical software developer.
RE flections – by Amy Randall
“Imagine a world where the holidays were about people again, where door busters referred to loved ones pouring through the front door, and the four letter word that defined the season was L-O-V-E and not S-A-L-E.”
Nice sentiment, even if it is actually the beginning of a commercial for TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods (all part of The TJX Companies, Inc.).
Regardless of who coined this, the season should be about love, not presents. In my extended family, which consists of my parents, 6 siblings, 2 in-laws, 2 nieces, plus my husband and 2 sons, we pick names. Then many of us specify a charity near and dear to our hearts. But to make it a fun holiday, we fill stockings with little items. We also eat, do skits, play games, go for walks, and just enjoy family. So our main focus is L-O-V-E!
Everyone makes their own traditions. And the holiday season is a great time for family to do things together. Here are some of my favorite ideas for holiday family time:
- Bake – share a family recipe or try a new one
- Decorate – let your kids decorate their rooms too
- Craft – make your own tree ornaments, wall hangings, or gingerbread houses
- Hike – you can walk in your own neighborhood, nearby park, or mountains
- Bicycle – take a ride and enjoy the fall/winter weather
- Play games – find those dusty board games or play a family video game
- Watch movies – have each family member choose their holiday favorite
- Attend a show – many cities have productions of The Christmas Carol or The Nutcracker
- Drive around looking at Christmas lights – there are many places where whole neighborhoods are decked out with elaborate decorations
- Read – find a favorite classic or new series and take turns reading out loud
Whatever you do, enjoy some quality time together and “put more value on what really matters”.
Happy Holidays!
Amy Randall
Director of Religious Exploration
Open Office Administrator Position
As background, we recruited a new office administrator by means of an ad on Craigslist. She was scheduled to begin work on November 5. That very day, she accepted a full-time position elsewhere, and we were back to Square One. At its November Board meeting, the Board discussed a range of options. The Board decided to widen the search for an office administrator in two ways. An ad will run in the Claremont Courier for two weeks. Also, as an exception to the congregation’s current policy (which bars members as employees), both members and non-members may apply for the office administrator position during this recruitment period only. Please email resumes to officeadmin@montevistauu.org by December 6. The Personnel Committee will review applications in consultation with Rev. Ann.
You may wonder why the Board made an exception to its policy. I believe it was a combination of three primary factors: 1) disappointment in the overall quality of the candidate pool from Craigslist since there was only one viable prospective employee out of over 45 applicants, 2) Director of Religious Exploration, Amy Randall, was grandfathered (grandmothered?) in as a member employee when the policy was adopted several years ago, and there have been no difficulties, and 3) all three current volunteer member office administrators have done exceptional work and have demonstrated thoughtful, good judgement in working with our members. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Maribel Dana, Board President
BOARD BRIEFS for OCTOBER 2015 – Maribel Dana, Board President
This year, the Board hopes to use this column to share information about WHO serves on the Board and WHAT we are doing and planning with YOUR help and input, of course. We are also publishing a summary of the Board actions from the most recent meeting, which was October 17, 2015. The approved October minutes will be on the bulletin board in the foyer after the November meeting. For those of you who did not attend the Annual Meeting Part 2 on November 18, copies of the 4 handouts, which include the adopted 2015-2016 Budget, will be on the large green table on the east wall of the sanctuary this coming Sunday and beyond.
This month, we share some short biographies with members–more to follow.
Laura Mulroy
I am a native Californian and grew up first in Santa Barbara and then the San Francisco Bay Area. I became a Unitarian Universalist when I joined the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco in about 1990. I have been a member of MVUUC since I, my husband Sean Gallagher and our two daughters moved here 13 years ago from Arizona, where we were active in the UU Congregation of Phoenix. I am currently in my second year as a member of MVUUC’s Board of Trustees. In addition to serving on the Board, I have taught RE for many years, been a member and chair of the RE Council, participated in a Strategic Planning Task Force, and served on the Nominating Committee and Committee on Ministry. My past professional experience includes project management for BofA as well as data analysis and software application consulting. I now work as a forensic accountant in Claremont.
Maribel Dana
I am a California girl, and the only time I lived elsewhere was 1975, teaching in Melbourne, Australia. I worked for the Chaffey high school district from 1976 through 2009 as a Reading Specialist and also taught English and civics. My kids, Willie and Ashleen, continue to make me feel proud and older, as they hit 30 and 27 this year. Retired, many paths beckon that compliment lifelong loves of reading, art, travel, poetry and animals. I have been with MVVUC for over 19 years now, and I am very pleased to serve as your Board President this year.
Jeanne Coats
I am a native Californian and have lived here all my life. I am a retired Science and ESL teacher (49 years). I have two children, a son and a daughter. I am a pagan and member of our CUUPS group. I have been a member of the MVUUC “family” for about 20 years, over ten of them as a member. I find my life almost as busy in retirement as when I was working.
October Board Meeting Summary–October 17, 2015
• Polished and approved the final version of the 2015-2016 Budget
• Approved Merri Wise as the new Treasurer
• Expressed gratitude to Joanne Greene for her hard work as Treasurer since June
• Approved repainting the sanctuary
• Approved replacements for Safe Congregations Pool: Jill Raiguel, Doug McLaughlin, and Kristin Conway Gomez.
Many thanks to the new volunteers and all of you who give so much support to MVUUC.