The congregational meeting will be held from noon to 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 23, by Zoom teleconferencing. The meeting ID is 892-5579-7618 and the password is church.

According to the DDUUC bylaws, in order to conduct business, we must have a quorum of 50 percent of membership, in attendance at the Zoom meeting. The Board of Trustees has been informed that ballots already cast by members should be discarded if the members who cast them do not attend the Zoom meeting.

The Board of Trustees understands the Corona Virus Pandemic is putting extra strain on everyone and hopes to resolve these issues in the fairest, less stressful way while observing state requirements for social distancing.

Thank you for your participation.

As this church year comes to a close, I would like to thank the congregation for allowing me to serve as the president of the Board of Trustees. It has been an honor and a privilege.
We are a very small congregation that accomplishes a great deal. I thank the board of trustees for bringing their best selves to the table in person and on Zoom.
We started the year with Vice President Mary Watterson, Secretary Mary Ann Kiefer, Chairwoman of Sunday Services Joan Spengler, Treasurer Jennifer Chaiken, Chairwoman of Social Action Kara DeRose and Chairwoman Religious Education Patricia Concannon.
Mary Ann Kiefer had to drop out due to health problems. Mary Watterson stepped up to take the meeting minutes, and agreed to represent us at the annual UUA General Assembly. She will have some insights to share with us about that.
We need to give a big shout out to Patricia Concannon for purchasing – at her own expense — a subscription to Zoom video conferencing. Thanks Trish.
Thanks go to Cathy Ann Vandegrift for sending out group emails and handling the church phone and for sending out cards via the Caring Committee. She is going to continue as such, even though we know she has had a challenging year.
Thanks to Warren and Joan Spengler for starting the coffee on Sundays and greeting everyone. Thanks to Ish Chawla for initiating post-service cleanup and dish washing. Thanks also to Joan for coordinating our Spirit Circle. I particularly enjoyed our solstice and our harvest gatherings this past year.
Thanks to all the folks who provided coffee hour snacks!
In September, Joan Spengler and I attended a workshop about shootings at houses of worship, a terrible thing. I appreciate Joan and Roger Long for arranging for the Bordentown police to tour building, a first step toward greater security. We will do more.
Heartfelt thanks to Warren for coordinating our Interfaith Dialog in October, which brought out meaningful engagement on the topic: how should faith communities respond to the rise of intolerance?
Also in the fall, we said goodbye to Ruth Cristy, who returned to her native Virginia to be close to family. Joan and Bea Chawla coordinated a beautiful tribute to Ruth who gave so much to this community. Ruth’s dear friend, Elly Leonard, was well enough to attend.
We also said good-bye to Tom Reilly who passed away Oct. 17. We had a nice memorial service back when we could meet in person. During the summer, I had visited Tom and Prim Reeves and they gave me a gavel for my presidency along with words of encouragement.
Thanks goes to Pete Costanza for doing a beautiful job on the pulse. The monthly newsletter of DDUUC goes out by email, but if you missed one, they are posted on our website, DDUUC.ORG. I would like to thank Gail Costanza for serving on the Sunday Service Committee and doing a lovely flower communion service, despite a year filled with challenges.
My deepest appreciation goes to Trish Concannon, Betsy Young and Kara DeRose for running our children’s religious education program. The religious education students put UU values into practice by pitching in on the motel meals program. Raquel Parker’s Girl Scouts have contributed generously as well.
I wish to thank Kelly Hansen for coordinating another edition of “Building Your Own Theology,” a religious education program for adults. I have taken it twice. Kelly does a wonderful job.
I would like to thank Kara for keeping the motel meals program alive despite Covid-19 lockdown. She very compassionately told the senior members of the crew they could stay home since they were at greatest risk from the virus. The program has continued to distribute prepackaged foods to minimize contamination.
The motel meals crew included Roger, Betsy, Mary Watterson, Sandra Lebeau and Christine Wright and the whole DeRose family.
I would also like to thank the board members who have agreed to serve in the same roles next year, pending the outcome of the annual election. New to the slate of candidates will be Jennifer Steffee as secretary and John DeMasi as treasurer. Thanks to the board and the nominating committee of Mae Carter, Mike Skelly and John DeMasi for getting the slate of candidates together.
Thanks also to our finance committee of Cathy Ann Vandegrift and Gail Costanza for working on the budget and the auction. Perhaps a new fund raiser can be created around fashion face coverings, adorable latex gloves and designer fragrance hand sanitizer.
I also wish thank Lois Long for playing the piano way back when. Thanks also to John DeMasi for his musical contributions, some of which he composed.
On a very different musical note, I must thank to Barbara Kotch for hosting our karaoke sessions. She hosted in costume as Lola the showgirl in the Barry Manilow song, Copacabana. Every church needs comic relief, and we have ours from Lola. Barbara also coordinates the cookie exchange, a favorite of mine. Also thanks to Gail Costanza and Joan Spengler for keeping the mitten tree tradition alive.
Thanks to Roger Long and Walter Kaden for their work on the buildings and grounds committee. I visited the church recently and found Walter trimming the gardens and mowing the lawn. Thanks also to roger for coordinating the book sale.
I would like to thank Andy Maskell for coordinating our chalice circle meetings, which I have continued on Zoom. I would like to thank all of the committee members, including the committee to restructure the committees and the bylaws committee.
I would also like to thank someone for a fine presentation on Fairvote.org, an organization that works for election reform, with ranked- choice voting. Someone wanted to do an evening information program on this, but the pandemic intervened. (The person asked to remain anonymous and I have complied with this request.)
The annual election will take place when the budget is complete, so please send in your pledge forms – an email to Jen Chaiken will suffice. You can a paper pledge to Jen or to the church, 39 Park St., Bordentown, NJ 08505. Contributions may be made with the PayPal button at DDUUC.ORG.

Sincerely, Christina L. Sturgis,

President Board of Trustees, DDUUC

Due to the global pandemic of Covid-19, the annual election is going to be different this year. The duties of secretary are posted for those who have inquired. More information will be provided. To download a .pdf of job descriptions at DDUUC, click on the button below.

The secretary is posted here because the duties have been amended out of necessity and the changes are noted at #11 below.

SECRETARY

Purpose:

The Secretary ensures effective communication is maintained among the Board, minister, and congregation by recording and keeping an accurate record of all official Board and congregational meetings. The Secretary maintains and ensures the security of the historical and legal records of DDUUC. The Secretary serves as an executive member of the Board as defined by the Bylaws of DDUUC.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Record and maintain the minutes of all meetings of the congregation, the Board of Trustees, and other official meetings.

2. Maintain a record of policies and procedures adopted by the Board and ensure a copy of the current Bylaws is available at each meeting.

3. Act in the official capacity of Board member when attending any function authorized by the Board.

4. Serve as the Board liaison to the Public Relations Committee and represent their concerns to the Board if requested. May attend committee meetings in a non-voting, advisory capacity.

5. Attend DDUUC Board and congregational meetings.

6. Ensure the minutes of the previous Board meetings are available at the next Board meeting. Forward a summary of monthly Board meetings to the editor of the newsletter for inclusion.

7. Maintain a list of all Members and Friends. Work with the Membership Chairperson to ensure that the list is updated as required by the Bylaws of DDUUC. Submit the membership numbers to the UUA as required.

8. Provide DDUUC members with written notice of congregational meetings in accordance with the Bylaws.

9. Review and distribute incoming mail. Note: This can be delegated to someone else, but the Secretary is responsible for ensuring that it is done.

10. Sign, along with the President, all legal documents. Be the signatory on DDUUC checks in the absence of, or conflict of interest with, the Treasurer.

11. Send out official correspondence for the Board. Cathy Ann Vandegrift is not the elected secretary, but she has been assisting the secretary as follows: # 7. She has been keeping a general roster, checking messages left on the DDUUC cell telephone, and returning calls. She notes that the secretary is supposed to keep an inventory of who has keys to the building. She has been running the DDUUC email account as well.

Please visit our video tab to hear the Tuunitarians sing!

We practice the principles of Unitarian Universalism first with each other. We cheer each other on as we face the joys and disappointments of life.

We excel in what the Unitarian Universalist Association calls Small Group Ministry. We have Spirit Circle to explore pagan traditions. We have a Humanist Forum for folks inclined that way. We deliver hot food to homeless people living in emergency shelter at local motels. We socialize together on Movie Nights, Storytelling Events, Karaoke Parties, and Game Nights.

We eat together and write together and make art together. We raise money and write letters together about the issues of the day. We share our concerns for social justice and the environment. We host Girl Scout meetings and welcome the community into our Meeting Hall on historical days, yard sales and whenever the people of Bordentown are out and about.

Check out the tabs on this website for more specifics, but more importantly, check us out! We hold services 10 a.m. Sundays from September through June. We would love to welcome you!

Church Services, 10 a.m.

Jan. 19 – The Rev. Carol Haag – No matter what you call it – sestercentennial, semiquincentennial, bicentennial, bicenquinquagenary, quatrimillennium or just plain 250^th – 202 is a big year for Universalism. It will be the 250^th anniversary of John Murray’s famous 1770 sermon in Thomas Potter’s chapel in Good Luck Jan. 30, New Jersey. John Murray’s preaching of God is Love has been evolving over the decades – from personal salvation to social salvation – from afterlife to here and now – from love of persons to love of planet and the Web of Life. Let’s explore its meaning to us now.

Jan. 26 – Joan Spengler, Roger Long, Pete Costanza and Jen Chaiken will be tackling the concept of Spirituality: what it is, where it can be found, and why we look for it.

Upcoming Events

Jan. 20 – Spirit Circle 7 p.m.

Jan. 30 – Board of Trustees Meeting 6:30 p.m.

Chalice Circles – Beginning in January we will be hosting Chalice Circles as a joint ministry with member of the UU Congregation of Princeton. Chalice Circles are small groups of six to twelve people who meet regularly to share life experiences and thoughts around a spiritual theme. The expectation is that Chalice Circle members will commit to regular monthly participation for a full year. We will hold two sessions as trial runs on Jan. 13 and Feb. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. and will continue with a committed group on the second Monday of the month thereafter.

All events are at DDUUC, 39 Park St. Bordentown, NJ, 08505, unless otherwise noted.

Chalice Circles and Fundraising Auction! The January 2020 edition of The Pulse is available at the Newsletter Page. Enjoy.

Save the date!

DDUUC will be staffing an informational table at the Bordentown Green Fair, 10 a.m. 3 p.m. Saturday, June 13, 2020. The event is at the Carslake Community Center, 207 Crosswicks St. Bordentown, N.J. 08505.

DDUUC is so thankful to our panelists for sharing their faith-informed views on our question: How should faith communities respond to the rise of intolerance? We had 2.5 times as many audience members and their thoughtful comments and questions added depth to an already meaningful discourse.