Hallie Bowie, President of the Board of Trustees (she/her)

“If you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself. Something to repair tears in your community. Something to
make life a little better for people less fortunate than you. That’s what I think a meaningful life is- living not for oneself, but for one’s
community.” –Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

This year has certainly been filled with more bad news than any other in my life, and it can be easy to feel discouraged. But this morning I
woke up and read the quote from Justice Ginsburg. It reminded me how glad I am to be part of the UU Church of Akron, where we are
already doing the work of repairing the tears in our community and making life a little better for others.
In September, the Board of Trustees had our annual retreat. Our monthly meetings tend to deal with day to day business, like appointing
members for committees, approving contracts, and deciding how to keep our members safe at church events during a pandemic. The
retreat gives us a chance to step back and think about the church’s broader vision: what we have accomplished, what still needs to be done,
and what in the plan needs to be changed. It also gives us a chance to get to know one other better. Strengthening our relationships
improves our ability to work together creatively and prepares us to use times of conflict to grow. We also developed a Working Agreement
to guide us in our work together, based on the Covenant of the UUA Board of Trustees. We haven’t finalized it yet, but the current version
is:
We promise to:
~Show up with our best selves, intent on listening with openness and willingness to the voices in the room and those that are not.
~Speak with an authentic voice, grounded in our lived experience, mindful of differing cultural interpretations and realities that are
present.
~Honor our duty to do the work of the board and to place anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multicultural accountability at the center
of that work.
~Recognize that each of us is fully human, with hurts and vulnerability, and the need to laugh and sing!
~Make decisions based on the consent of all of the Board members.
~Request the input of the UUCA Right Relations team if we need assistance in living up to the promises of the church Covenant.
~Respect the time of others, doing our best to arrive on time and end meetings on time.
~Work together joyfully to build and maintain the beloved community of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron.
Taking the time to think about how we are in relationship provides the foundation for making the most of the gifts of each member
of our diverse community. There is much work to do in the world, and UUCA will continue to provide each of us with the support
we need to do something to repair the tears in our community and make life a little better for others, joyfully.