News: March 27, 2026
Dear Beloved Community,
March in Houston is never boring. The rodeo is roaring, spring break kicks off the race to the school year finish line, bluebonnets blanket the bayou, azaleas burst all at once, and we are solidly back into air conditioning season. We’ve had plenty going on at First Church, too. Here are the updates, changes and new beginnings from the Board.
Board Updates
In January and February, the Board put out a call for volunteers to serve on existing and newly formed committees. Many of you responded enthusiastically! Yay and thank you. As a result, the Living Our Mission Committee and the Outreach Committee are being initiated with wonderfully talented and diverse people who will help us implement several critical parts of our newly adopted Strategic Plan.
The Living Our Mission committee will be responsible for coordinating the efforts of implementing the Strategic Plan across different groups (teams and committees) in the church. The Outreach committee will begin working on ways to get our message out to the Houston community, bring new people into the church, and find ways for folks who attend services and events virtually to feel connected to the community. Outreach will also be investigating ways we can develop and strengthen relationships with other organizations whose work is part of Widening Love’s Circle in the community.
And, for additional excitement, several members and friends also volunteered to serve on the existing standing committees of Finance, Personnel, and Governance. Yay again to volunteers! These new committee members will bring fresh perspectives and ideas to established groups. That also means that we can begin a long-desired rotation of committee members, without losing precious institutional memory.
Board Changes
To develop diversity in lay leadership, the board is seeking changes to our By-Laws and Principles of Governance that will structure terms on standing committees to a set duration and enable a planned system of succession. Intentionally developing new leaders is part of living into our congregational covenant and fresh eyes and experiences can propel us forward while honoring previous work. Additionally, planned rotations provide much-needed breaks to members who can begin to feel stuck in their roles. It takes all of us to keep First UU working!
A few other things that the board has asked the Governance committee to revise in our By-Laws and Principles of Governance include:
1. Establishing that the Personnel and Governance committees are standing committees of the board, and identifying their responsibilities
2. Requiring that standing committees keep minutes of their meetings.
3. Establishing terms for duration and succession of committee members (as discussed above).
Changes to the By-Laws can be made by majority vote of the board, while changes to Principles of Governance require congregational approval. The exact text of the proposed changes to the Principles of Governance will be included in April newsletter, to allow plenty of time for members to become familiar with them, ask questions, or submit comments before the June 7 annual meeting.
For those of you who are really detail oriented….
The difference between a standing committee and a regular (or ad-hoc) committee is the scope of work. Ad hoc committees are created to address a specific, finite task and are chartered for a limited period of time. An example of a current Ad hoc committee is the Renew and Rebuild Committee, which was tasked with identifying, planning, overseeing, and implementing the building repair and remodeling work laid out in the Capital Campaign. Standing Committees of the Board exist to advise and support the board in ongoing matters of governance. Membership on these committees requires some degree of specific knowledge, experience and/or expertise. While they may produce specific work products regularly (such as the annual budget), their work is never done. It is precisely because of this combination of necessary knowledge/expertise and the ongoing work that standing committees are never dissolved.
Prior to this change, Finance was the only standing committee of the board. However, both Personnel and Governance were acting as standing committees and the board felt it important to establish them as such.
If you are interested in discussing any of this further, joining committees, or just learning more about what is going on with the Board, you can email board@firstuu.org, or call the office and leave a message for me or Carolyn Cleary. Questions and comments are welcomed!
New Beginnings
One of the perks of being board president is that I sometimes get to provide the official signature on significant documents related to wonderful and exciting things. One of those moments occurred at the March board meeting. After an enthusiastic and unanimous vote of the board, I signed the Statement of Congregational Sponsorship for Rebecca “Artie” Throop to begin the next step in their journey towards becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, congregations provide the recommendation or sponsorship for individuals who are seeking to join the ministry. Likewise, ministers are ordained by their congregations, rather than by some person in position of authority or power in the organization. This practice hearkens back our roots as a congregational faith of covenantal communities.
Artie has been a member of our congregation for the past four years while they have been attending Rice University. During that time, many of you have gotten to know them through their committed involvement in our community which has included organizing the young adult ministry, planning and leading solstice services, helping to write First UU’s Mission and Vision statements, guest preaching – and much more. It will come as no surprise that they have been accepted at both Harvard Divinity School and Union Theological Seminary. they will make a decision after visiting each one in the next few weeks.
The Board was delighted to give Artie our heart-felt and sincere endorsement on behalf of the congregation, and we look forward to the exciting years that lay ahead.
It is easy to get caught in the busy-ness of March, to focus on what is coming next amid the constant reminders of newness in nature. My hope for all of us is that we also take time to be still and wonder, to look underneath the milkweed leaves for monarch caterpillars, and to breathe deeply before we rush on to the next thing. Those bluebonnets won’t be back for another whole year…..
In community,
Ruth
March in Houston is never boring. The rodeo is roaring, spring break kicks off the race to the school year finish line, bluebonnets blanket the bayou, azaleas burst all at once, and we are solidly back into air conditioning season. We’ve had plenty going on at First Church, too. Here are the updates, changes and new beginnings from the Board.
Board Updates
In January and February, the Board put out a call for volunteers to serve on existing and newly formed committees. Many of you responded enthusiastically! Yay and thank you. As a result, the Living Our Mission Committee and the Outreach Committee are being initiated with wonderfully talented and diverse people who will help us implement several critical parts of our newly adopted Strategic Plan.
The Living Our Mission committee will be responsible for coordinating the efforts of implementing the Strategic Plan across different groups (teams and committees) in the church. The Outreach committee will begin working on ways to get our message out to the Houston community, bring new people into the church, and find ways for folks who attend services and events virtually to feel connected to the community. Outreach will also be investigating ways we can develop and strengthen relationships with other organizations whose work is part of Widening Love’s Circle in the community.
And, for additional excitement, several members and friends also volunteered to serve on the existing standing committees of Finance, Personnel, and Governance. Yay again to volunteers! These new committee members will bring fresh perspectives and ideas to established groups. That also means that we can begin a long-desired rotation of committee members, without losing precious institutional memory.
Board Changes
To develop diversity in lay leadership, the board is seeking changes to our By-Laws and Principles of Governance that will structure terms on standing committees to a set duration and enable a planned system of succession. Intentionally developing new leaders is part of living into our congregational covenant and fresh eyes and experiences can propel us forward while honoring previous work. Additionally, planned rotations provide much-needed breaks to members who can begin to feel stuck in their roles. It takes all of us to keep First UU working!
A few other things that the board has asked the Governance committee to revise in our By-Laws and Principles of Governance include:
1. Establishing that the Personnel and Governance committees are standing committees of the board, and identifying their responsibilities
2. Requiring that standing committees keep minutes of their meetings.
3. Establishing terms for duration and succession of committee members (as discussed above).
Changes to the By-Laws can be made by majority vote of the board, while changes to Principles of Governance require congregational approval. The exact text of the proposed changes to the Principles of Governance will be included in April newsletter, to allow plenty of time for members to become familiar with them, ask questions, or submit comments before the June 7 annual meeting.
For those of you who are really detail oriented….
The difference between a standing committee and a regular (or ad-hoc) committee is the scope of work. Ad hoc committees are created to address a specific, finite task and are chartered for a limited period of time. An example of a current Ad hoc committee is the Renew and Rebuild Committee, which was tasked with identifying, planning, overseeing, and implementing the building repair and remodeling work laid out in the Capital Campaign. Standing Committees of the Board exist to advise and support the board in ongoing matters of governance. Membership on these committees requires some degree of specific knowledge, experience and/or expertise. While they may produce specific work products regularly (such as the annual budget), their work is never done. It is precisely because of this combination of necessary knowledge/expertise and the ongoing work that standing committees are never dissolved.
Prior to this change, Finance was the only standing committee of the board. However, both Personnel and Governance were acting as standing committees and the board felt it important to establish them as such.
If you are interested in discussing any of this further, joining committees, or just learning more about what is going on with the Board, you can email board@firstuu.org, or call the office and leave a message for me or Carolyn Cleary. Questions and comments are welcomed!
New Beginnings
One of the perks of being board president is that I sometimes get to provide the official signature on significant documents related to wonderful and exciting things. One of those moments occurred at the March board meeting. After an enthusiastic and unanimous vote of the board, I signed the Statement of Congregational Sponsorship for Rebecca “Artie” Throop to begin the next step in their journey towards becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, congregations provide the recommendation or sponsorship for individuals who are seeking to join the ministry. Likewise, ministers are ordained by their congregations, rather than by some person in position of authority or power in the organization. This practice hearkens back our roots as a congregational faith of covenantal communities.
Artie has been a member of our congregation for the past four years while they have been attending Rice University. During that time, many of you have gotten to know them through their committed involvement in our community which has included organizing the young adult ministry, planning and leading solstice services, helping to write First UU’s Mission and Vision statements, guest preaching – and much more. It will come as no surprise that they have been accepted at both Harvard Divinity School and Union Theological Seminary. they will make a decision after visiting each one in the next few weeks.
The Board was delighted to give Artie our heart-felt and sincere endorsement on behalf of the congregation, and we look forward to the exciting years that lay ahead.
It is easy to get caught in the busy-ness of March, to focus on what is coming next amid the constant reminders of newness in nature. My hope for all of us is that we also take time to be still and wonder, to look underneath the milkweed leaves for monarch caterpillars, and to breathe deeply before we rush on to the next thing. Those bluebonnets won’t be back for another whole year…..
In community,
Ruth
