June 2026 Board Meeting
June 23, 2026 Board Meeting:
The ad hoc Board Governance Committee continues its review of church policies not updated in the last 5 years. The Board reaffirmed updated versions of five policies (Virtual meetings and voting by email; Interior Design; Memorial Garden; Investments; and Use of Spendable Allocation from Endowment Income). These and the policies still under review will be placed on the website. For future review, the Building Usage and Safe Church policies are of particular importance given the extensive sharing by RDC, SCK, UU Lansing, and other users of the building and grounds. Security changes and concerns regarding the unhoused encampment have enhanced focus on the need for well-defined guidance.
The Housing for All (HFA) ministry team co-leaders, Lynn Scott and Michael Daeschlein, joined the June board meeting to provide input to the Board in formation of a Board position statement related to the encampment on church property. The Board position statement, not yet finalized, has three starting points: (a) camping or overnight presence on church property is prohibited; (b) in dealing with the multifaceted problems and populations associated with unhoused persons currently camping on church property, our actions must be compassionate and consistent with UU values; (c) as part of our mission to make a difference in the community and live our values, the church has taken on partnerships with the Refugee Development Center (RDC) and the Southside Community Kitchen (SCK), that serve disadvantaged populations, and has commitments to provide a safe environment for children and adults in those programs. The HFA team is actively looking for additional congregants to volunteer in the work of reaching out to members of the encampment in order to help them find paths to housing in other locations in the near future. Team members are also needed to assist in mitigation and management of threats to safety and property. A special meeting of the Board has been called for Saturday June 27, 11:00am, on Zoom, to continue discussion of the Board Position Statement.
The Board has typically cancelled the July meeting, but this year the board has decided to hold a meeting on zoom on July 21 at 6:00pm (third Tuesday instead of usual fourth Tuesday). With respect to communication with the congregation, the Second Sunday information meetings will continue into the summer on July 12, and a Board representative will be available at a table in the Social Hall during coffee hours for the foreseeable future.