News: June 26, 2026
Dear Beloved Community,
June is a busy month for board presidents. We have the annual meeting on the first Sunday, where we discuss the annual budget and elect new board members. Two weeks later at the board meeting, we officially pass the budget, welcome our new members, elect officers for the next year, and pass the torch to our successor. Then we write our final newsletter article.
I leave the Board in good hands. Our three newly elected members, Jon Naylor, Paige Powell, and Emma Valentine each bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the board, and I am looking forward to working with them next year. (Remember, I still have a year remaining on the Board, but I will no longer be president.) I am also delighted to welcome Charles Johnson, who has agreed to serve for one year.
Following some confusion regarding the length of time remaining for the positions left open by two resignations last year, it was determined that not one, but both positions had two years of service remaining. One of those positions was filled by me in October 2026, but the Board did not seek to fill the remaining position, as it was thought that the term would expire in June 2026. When the mistake was discovered, the Nominating Committee was asked to provide a suitable candidate to serve a single year, but was unable to do so prior to the deadline for the slate to be posted far enough in advance of the annual meeting. Thus, in accordance with the by-laws, the board voted at the June meeting to appoint Charles to serve for one year. Charles is a long-time member of First Church, has served on countless committees and teams, and is one of the most hard-working, sincere, and thoroughly decent people you will ever meet. He is going to be a terrific addition to the board.
Carolyn Cleary was elected to be the next president, and I am certain she will do an outstanding job. After stepping up to be vice president, she has truly been my right hand this year. I cannot imagine how I would have managed without her. She is remarkably suited for this job at this time, and I do not have enough positive adjectives to describe her. She is going to knock your socks off.
Carolyn’s right hand will be Albert Pucio who was elected vice president. Many of you know Albert from serving on any number of committees or teams with him. In the last year alone, he has served on the Sanctuary Modernization Team, Facilities Team, Nominating Committee, and Stewardship Team all while also serving on the Board. Albert almost knows enough about this church to run the whole thing by himself! He is deeply committed to First Church, and I am grateful that he will be stepping into this role. One thing I’ve noticed about Board leadership over the years is that people seem to arrive on the Board just at the time that their knowledge and skill set is exactly what is needed. That has also been true of Board presidents. I can’t explain how it happens, but I know it does. It reminds me of one of my favorite moments from the movie Shakespeare In Love:
Philip Henslowe (played by Geoffrey Rush): Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theater business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Hugh Fennyman (played by Tom Wilkinson): So what do we do?
Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well. How? I don’t know. It’s a mystery. It’s a miracle.
What I have left to say to you dear people is thank you. Thank you for the many ways you supported the Board and me through what I have dubbed the Pineapple Upside Down year. Thank you for being patient while I was getting reoriented to board work. Thank you for the many votes of confidence, spoken and written. Thank you for continuing to assume best intentions, despite my blunders. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for attending workshops and volunteering for committees. Thank you for sending me files from four years ago when I emailed you at 11:30 on a Tuesday night. Thank you for taking time to introduce yourself and your delightful children. Thank you for saying yes when I asked for help. Thank you for giving me grace. Thank you staff, for answering calls, emails, and texts; for catching my typos and printing out things at the last minute; for making me laugh; for all you do. I couldn’t have done it without each of you, and that’s as it should be, because that’s how community works: we do what we can and support each other.
Amen and blessed be.
Ruth Hoffman-Lach
June is a busy month for board presidents. We have the annual meeting on the first Sunday, where we discuss the annual budget and elect new board members. Two weeks later at the board meeting, we officially pass the budget, welcome our new members, elect officers for the next year, and pass the torch to our successor. Then we write our final newsletter article.
I leave the Board in good hands. Our three newly elected members, Jon Naylor, Paige Powell, and Emma Valentine each bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the board, and I am looking forward to working with them next year. (Remember, I still have a year remaining on the Board, but I will no longer be president.) I am also delighted to welcome Charles Johnson, who has agreed to serve for one year.
Following some confusion regarding the length of time remaining for the positions left open by two resignations last year, it was determined that not one, but both positions had two years of service remaining. One of those positions was filled by me in October 2026, but the Board did not seek to fill the remaining position, as it was thought that the term would expire in June 2026. When the mistake was discovered, the Nominating Committee was asked to provide a suitable candidate to serve a single year, but was unable to do so prior to the deadline for the slate to be posted far enough in advance of the annual meeting. Thus, in accordance with the by-laws, the board voted at the June meeting to appoint Charles to serve for one year. Charles is a long-time member of First Church, has served on countless committees and teams, and is one of the most hard-working, sincere, and thoroughly decent people you will ever meet. He is going to be a terrific addition to the board.
Carolyn Cleary was elected to be the next president, and I am certain she will do an outstanding job. After stepping up to be vice president, she has truly been my right hand this year. I cannot imagine how I would have managed without her. She is remarkably suited for this job at this time, and I do not have enough positive adjectives to describe her. She is going to knock your socks off.
Carolyn’s right hand will be Albert Pucio who was elected vice president. Many of you know Albert from serving on any number of committees or teams with him. In the last year alone, he has served on the Sanctuary Modernization Team, Facilities Team, Nominating Committee, and Stewardship Team all while also serving on the Board. Albert almost knows enough about this church to run the whole thing by himself! He is deeply committed to First Church, and I am grateful that he will be stepping into this role. One thing I’ve noticed about Board leadership over the years is that people seem to arrive on the Board just at the time that their knowledge and skill set is exactly what is needed. That has also been true of Board presidents. I can’t explain how it happens, but I know it does. It reminds me of one of my favorite moments from the movie Shakespeare In Love:
Philip Henslowe (played by Geoffrey Rush): Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theater business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Hugh Fennyman (played by Tom Wilkinson): So what do we do?
Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well. How? I don’t know. It’s a mystery. It’s a miracle.
What I have left to say to you dear people is thank you. Thank you for the many ways you supported the Board and me through what I have dubbed the Pineapple Upside Down year. Thank you for being patient while I was getting reoriented to board work. Thank you for the many votes of confidence, spoken and written. Thank you for continuing to assume best intentions, despite my blunders. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for attending workshops and volunteering for committees. Thank you for sending me files from four years ago when I emailed you at 11:30 on a Tuesday night. Thank you for taking time to introduce yourself and your delightful children. Thank you for saying yes when I asked for help. Thank you for giving me grace. Thank you staff, for answering calls, emails, and texts; for catching my typos and printing out things at the last minute; for making me laugh; for all you do. I couldn’t have done it without each of you, and that’s as it should be, because that’s how community works: we do what we can and support each other.
Amen and blessed be.
Ruth Hoffman-Lach
