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Membership and Young Adult Manager Emma Wakeling zoomed in at the start of the November Board meeting to update Trustees on actions and plans in those areas. She reported continued good engagement of potential adult members and discussed planned surveys designed to discover the activities and actions that most appeal to potential new members.
Emma reported that young adult involvement in Society events continues strong. Monthly lunches have become potlucks because the average 10 participants would overwhelm most restaurants. The Young Adult Spiritual Group is zooming together twice a month, and there is a monthly special activity such as a game night, museum visit, or service event.
Emma’s final spotlight was shone on a planned young adult retreat at Pescadero during Martin Luther King weekend.
Trustees unanimously voted to provide three extra paid days off during the holidays to full-time employees and prorated extra vacation days for staff who work at least 10 hours a week. The additional time off honors the hard work of people who create and support our worship, program, and facilities.
Board members and the ministers talked about ways to improve the invitation section of worship services. Discussion explored ways to encourage engagement in highlighted activities. Rev. Southern suggested that we try an experiment and for a while only have the designated Trustee extend invitations and not have others come up for a specific event. The group agreed to try this approach.
Trustees appreciated detailed and positive reports on activities from the Senior Minister, Minister of Congregational Life, Director of Operations, and Board Treasurer. Laura Ludwig went into some detail on monthly financials and pointed out areas she is watching. She reported that the October auction results, including the donations to Fund a Need, were outstanding.
The Society’s overall financial situation is stable, although the lack of income from the space previously rented to the Montessori House of Children is requiring use of operational reserves. Treasurer Diane Allen said that she and Laura Ludwig will work with the Finance Committee to do more extensive mid-year monitoring.
Trustee Carl Cade reported on the progress of finding a replacement tenant for the preschool space. The broker has conducted several tours, and we expect to begin reviewing the first round of proposals from multiple potential school tenants shortly. The expectation is that the framework of a new lease will be in place in time for the Director of Operations and Treasurer to include expected income amounts in the budget for the year starting July 1, 2026.