Your Board of Trustees started the church year with an August retreat with warmth and depth and ambitious wishes for the months ahead. We’re finalizing our goals for the year at our October 8 meeting and are already hard at work toward several.

The Board’s Communications Committee is responsible for communicating with the congregation on behalf of the Board, and we are recruiting congregant members to help! We could use assistance taking minutes at Board meetings. We’ll also be updating the Board’s webpages. If you’re interested in learning more about either effort, please email us here.

As Vice Moderator and chair of the Board’s Communications Committee, an important area of focus for me is planning our congregational forums. Generally, they’re scheduled around our budget approval process. Here’s a quick overview:

• Fall Forum (November): Rev. Alison and Treasurer Bob Bonner will present an update on congregational life and priorities for the 2026-2027 budget.

• Budget Forum (March): Rev. Alison and Treasurer Bob Bonner will present an overview of the proposed budget and hear input from the congregation.

• End-of-Year Forum (May): The Board will count and announce the results of our election. We’ll hear highlights from the Annual Report as well as thoughts from Rev. Alison and Board members.

On a personal note, I’m so thankful to be in community with you. The Social Justice retreat last weekend was especially moving. In these troubled and troubling days, our shared commitment to building a better world gives me hope and purpose.

~ Julia Lee Griffiths, Vice Moderator