Report to the church from the UCC Board: March 2024

Julia Gaughan, chair of the United Church of Christ Board, has issued the following report on the board’s recent meeting. She is an authorized minister serving Peace United Church of Christ in Alma, Kansas, and a member-in-discernment with Plymouth Congregational UCC in Lawrence, Kansas.

Greetings, siblings and friends in Christ,

The United Church of Christ Board of Directors (UCCB) gathered for its spring meeting over March 1-3, 2024, in Cleveland. We began our work together on Friday morning with a joint session with the Council of Conference Ministers (CCM). Over the years, these joint sessions have helped strengthen relationships across these leadership bodies. During the joint session, the groups worshipped, prayed, and reflected on some of the challenges and wonderments each group experiences in their bodies of work. The group also explored two primary topics: What does it look like to live out our faith across the UCC? And how can we connect across the diversities of experience in the UCC? Friday’s shared session helped deepen relationships, understandings, and appreciation between the UCCB and the CCM. 

The UCCB officially called its meeting to order on Friday afternoon. After welcoming remarks and a few matters of housekeeping, the UCCB welcomed the Rev. Dr. Velda Love, minister for racial justice in the National Setting, to engage the UCCB in a cultural-immersion and community-building workshop. This workshop occurred in two parts, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and was designed to engage the UCCB in sacred storytelling. Rev. Dr. Love writes, “Sharing stories about our lived experiences are steps towards understanding our blind spots — stereotypes, biases, assumptions, and work toward broadening our perspectives. We are also called to examine internalized, systemic, and institutional racism, and xenophobia. Acknowledging colonialism’s creation of ‘whiteness’ and ideologies of skin color (pigmentation) supremacy is the work of love and justice for all.” The UCCB’s time in this workshop was invaluable, and the UCCB extends its sincerest appreciation to Rev. Dr. Love for her work, her wisdom, and her presence. To learn more about the work led by Rev. Dr. Love, please visit the Join the Movement website and join the movement!

In addition to receiving oral reports from the General Synod Program and Planning Committee, the Finance and Budget Committee, the Governance Committee, the Ministry Committee, and the Marketing Committee, the UCCB also received reports from the General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, and the Acting Associate General Minister and Co-Executive for Global Ministries, Rev. Shari Prestemon. Rev. Dr. Thompson offered the UCCB insight into her first eight months in office and into the one-staff model at the National Setting that took effect at the beginning of 2024. The one-staff model is designed to help bridge the remaining silos between ministries in further alignment with the unified governance model adopted in the 2010s. In connection with this model, the UCCB anticipates receiving a one-budget proposal for 2025 in the fall of 2024 that continues this work of alignment. For Rev. Prestemon, this meeting represented her first UCCB meeting in her new capacity as the Acting AGM. Rev. Prestemon shared with the UCCB her experiences settling into her new role and offered insight into how the Love of Neighbor staff view their work and calling. We are blessed as a denomination to experience Rev. Dr. Thompson’s and Rev. Prestemon’s leadership! Thank you!

As chair, I provided the UCCB with an update regarding our search processes for elected officer positions. The UCCB is tasked with nominating candidates for election by General Synod 35 for the offices of Associate General Minister for Love of Church and Associate General Minister for Love of Neighbor. Rev. Jasmine Coleman Quinerly, vice chair of the UCCB, will chair the search committee for the search for the next AGM for Love of Church, and Joyce Bathke, chair of the Common Global Ministries Committee and co-chair of the Common Global Ministries Board, will chair the search committee for the search for the next AGM for Love of Neighbor. More details about these search processes will be released in the coming months, with the search processes to begin in earnest over the summer.

The UCCB engaged in generative discussion around UCCB member terms. During General Synod 34, concerns were raised about the length of these terms with the change in the frequency of General Synod. The UCCB continues to wrestle with how to best address those concerns and the needs for the UCCB and the Nominating Committee. A task force will next take up the results from this generative discussion to move toward a proposal for the UCCB to review in the fall. The UCCB also received a report from Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson and General Counsel Heather Kimmel about other places within the UCC governing documents that deviate from the unified governance model adopted in the 2010s. The UCCB anticipates a proposal from the Governance Committee concerning these issues later this year. 

The UCCB welcomed a presentation from the Pension Boards about their work and the soon-to-open Generations United Federal Credit Union. Thank you, PBUCC, for sponsoring our Saturday luncheon and for sharing with us all of the ways that you support our ministries! The UCCB welcomed a presentation from United Church Funds about its work on behalf of the National Setting and on behalf of so many settings within the UCC. Thank you, UCF, for your leadership in responsible investing that honors UCC values while stewarding UCC funds!

The UCCB meeting concluded on Sunday with the adoption of a covenant for the UCCB. This covenant grew out of work led by Rev. Dr. Velda Love and is meant to help ground our continued work and strengthen our relationships, thereby strengthening our leadership and service. 

We humbly request your prayers and offer our service to the Divine through our beloved UCC with the fullness of our hearts. 

Grace and peace,
Julia Gaughan
Chair, UCC Board

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