Teams and Committees
Teams and Committees fill many vital functions of the church and are made up of dedicated members, volunteers and staff. Click on the group names below to see information about the team or committee, including the group leader/ contact. A list of members for each group can be found in the Breeze database under “Tags” (if you have questions about using the Breeze database, please email office@uuithaca.org). Many teams are looking for volunteers. Visit our Volunteer Page to learn more.
Ministry Teams function to support the Society’s ministry and programming, to implement policies, and to provide overall support for the Society’s operations.
Operations Administration Team
Social Justice Leadership Team
Committees
Committees, both standing and ad hoc, function to inform and support the work of governing the Society. Standing Committees shall exist through the years and provide continuity and means for fulfilling the mission of the Society. Chairpersons of these committees shall be empowered by the President of the Board and then confirmed by the Board as soon after the Annual Meeting as is practical. Chairpersons of Standing Committees shall be members of the Society and shall submit reports for the monthly meeting of the Board. Where appropriate, trustees shall be appointed as liaisons to standing committees. Special Committees are more transient in function and shall be empowered at any time at the discretion of the President and with approval of the Board. The Board shall, when necessary, take actions to fill vacancies in committee chairs and /or provide direction to committees to ensure Board policies are implemented and program areas are being adequately supported.
Communication Policy Committee
Team Descriptions
Adult RE Team
The Adult Religious Exploration (ARE) has a long history of adding to UUs’ search for intellectual, spiritual and
practical meanings among a variety of topics. Relevant discussion and lecture-based programs are planned by the ARE Team and reflective of congregational interests. We will soon be in the process of preparing our first offerings for the remainder of this celebration year. Presenting these programs will help the Society grow back from what it was before the pandemic closed us off from one another.
Contact: Preston Wilson, presbev1@gmail.com
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Aesthetics Team
The Aesthetics Team is responsible for changing displays in the sanctuary, designed to reflect seasonal themes as well as the monthly themes around which the services are created. We are always interested in new members and new ideas! We don’t have formal meetings but communicate by email and occasionally meet after service on Sunday to work on displays. Contact Magdalen Lindeberg if you are interested in contributing.
Contact: Magdalen Lindeberg, ML16@cornell.edu
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Anti-Racism Ministry Team
The Antiracism Ministry Team strives for equity, inclusion and justice in our work within the congregation and beyond. We aim to help First Unitarian of Ithaca evolve into a truly anti-racist community, welcoming for people of all races, ethnicities and cultures, and actively engaged in work for racial justice. We welcome all who are committed to these goals to join us. We meet approximately monthly with rotating meeting leadership. We also have smaller working groups engaged in specific efforts, including but not limited to Living the Pledge to End Racism workshops, antiracism book and film series, discernment around the proposed 8th UU Principle, and support for local antiracist organizations.
Contact: joAnn kowalski, jmkowalski10@gmail.com
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Babies First
Babies First provides tangible help to babies, young children, and their families in need from all parts of Tompkins County by offering free baby equipment. Referrals are received directly from individuals or from 18 plus non-profit public agencies throughout the county. More Information.
Contacts: Walt Peck and Sue Rakow, babiesfirst@uuithaca.org, 607-269-5385
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Building & Grounds Team
The Buildings and Grounds Team is responsible for the care, preservation, and protection of all real property of the Society. We work to provide our congregation with an attractive and well-cared for environment. Working together to achieve that goal builds fellowship and community.
We are a loose group of volunteers, with a small core that shows up to meetings, and a larger group that helps with specific jobs and work days. We perform all the maintenance and repairs not done by the sexton. When we can’t do a job ourselves, the chair works with the administrator to hire an appropriate contractor.
Contact: Sara Catterall, team chair, sarafmc@hotmail.com
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Care Team
The Care Team acts on behalf of the congregation, and by the congregation, to provide pastoral care, and support for members and friends of the congregation who are going through challenging times.
The Care Team goal is to provide various kinds of short term or infrequent support. When volunteers are available we will provide meals, food shopping, rides to appointments, rides to church, friendly phone calls, cards and visits for those that are isolated, ill or needing support. For those who need referrals for health care, mental health or eldercare, we have lists of resources and members with some experiences with these Community resources.
If you or any member or close friend of FUSIT need some assistance, please contact Kathy Hopkins at 607-592-3025 or Kathy1122@gmail.com.
As a congregation, we covenant to promote and affirm compassion and acceptance of one another. We seek to create and sustain a community of caring, in which we come together to do the work of kindness. To this end, we ask for your help in providing care and support to each other in times of illness, bereavement, and other life challenges.
This can happen! We have so much good, collective help when we work together. Whether you have time for an occasional task or long-term commitment, please contact Kathy to volunteer!
Nancy Dolge, ndolge@gmail.com and Rita Barber, barber.rita@gmail.com, co-chair a team of volunteers who coordinate Memorial Service Receptions for FUSIT members. Contact them to bake or help with staffing receptions when available.
Contact: Kathy Hopkins at 607-582-3025 or Kathy1122@gmail.com.
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Celebrations Team
Sunday Celebrations are the time when we as a congregation join together for mutual support and inspiration. Carefully planned Celebrations are essential to the wellbeing of our community and support the many other activities that are an important part of our congregational life.
Celebration Associates work with the minister and director of music to design Sunday services. Together we consider how we can produce services that are stimulating, inspiring, and spiritually uplifting. Each Sunday one Associate assists in delivering the service, typically opening with announcements and a chalice lighting, doing a reading, and sometimes sharing a personal reflection.
Contact: Magdalen Lindeberg ml16@cornell.edu
To contact the entire team: celebrations@uuithaca.org
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Engagement and Outreach Team
The Engagement & Outreach team (formerly known as the Membership Team), works to welcome newcomers and guide them through the path to membership, engages our members to strengthen our community connection, and supports all other ministry teams with volunteer recruitment and coordination.
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Hazel’s Backyard
Hazel’s Back Yard is a place of natural beauty owned by The First Unitarian Society of Ithaca. It was deeded to us by Hazel M. Hauck in 1964, an active member in the Society. The Back Yard is a sacred trust and there are certain policies in place to maintain it as a natural area. Members and friends of The First Unitarian Society of Ithaca can visit this site as a place of quiet contemplation and we can have our own cremated remains, and those of our loved ones, placed at this spot. The Hazel’s Back Yard Committee is in charge of maintaining the property and reporting any concerns to the Board of Trustees. This team is currently looking for additional members. More Information.
Contact: Andy Turner, ast4@cornell.edu
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Healthy Congregations Team
The Healthy Congregations Team (HCT) was chartered by the Board of Trustees in 2021 “to facilitate the well-being of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca by fostering harmonious relations and mediating conflicts within the membership and to be a listening ear.” The HCT consists of four members appointed by the ministry of the church in consultation with the Board of Trustees. Congregants should contact us if they have a concern regarding a relationship within our community that the HCT may be able to help through mediation and with compassionate concern.
Contact: Walt Peck, wgp8@aol.com
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Hospitality Team
Hospitality Teams make the Sunday morning services run smoothly and effortlessly, providing a pleasant experience for all attendees — and they also set out the snacks, wash the coffee cups, clean up the kitchen, and straighten the pews.
Hospitality Teams started about eight years ago, developing into four teams, each serving for four weeks on and 12 weeks off. They are charged with doing the jobs that need doing every Sunday. And, happily, we find that many other good things happen. Teams provide an inter-generational activity; they connect people through team building and fellowship; they provide a glide path for newcomers to get involved with a good experience; and they allow a guilt-free 12 weeks of time off. Team members sign up for one specific, easy and well-defined task: A greeter, an usher, a coffee prep maven, setting the snack tables, coffee server, or clean up. Want to join up? Find out more by contacting the Hospitality Team Coordinator.
Contact: Fred Balfour, fred.balfour@gmail.com
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Library Team
Our library contains books in many subject areas pertinent to UU history and values. Subjects include: UU history and authors; World religions; philosophy: death and dying; meditation; social issues, particularly strong in anti-racism, environmental and other current social issues. Many of the books in the library are published by the UUA’s Beacon Press and members and friends donate books as well. The congregation is encouraged to use the collection by browsing or signing books out. The library can be accessed anytime the office is open. Email office@uuithaca.org to check the schedule. The library is located on the second floor of the Parish House, at the top of the front stairs. A book group, led by the Library Committee, is devoted to reading the UUA’s, ”Common Read”, a title chosen each year for all UU’s to read.
Contact: Marie Benedetti, marieben@twcny.rr.com and joAnn kowalski, jmkowalski10@gmail.com
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Ministry Visioning Team
This team will guide and coordinate the work of the ministry and serve as governance partners with the Board to implement the goals articulated in the annual Vision of Ministry. This team will also regularly report back to the Board the progress in its implementation of the Vision of Ministry. It will guide the Team Leader Council and ensure coordinated efforts across all of FUSIT’s ministry teams.
Members (4): 1 Board member, 2 Board appointees made in consultation with the Team Leader Council; staff representation from the Minister or a Ministry-focused staff member.
Charge:
● Authority to guide and to make independent decisions regarding the implementation of the Vision of Ministry in coordination with the work of staff and Teams.
● Report the results of the Ministry work to the Board by having one MVT member present at each Board business meeting and submitting a ministry report to the Board each month.
● Create intentional communication with the Organization and Administration Team.
● To propose annual budget expenditures to support the ministry work.
● Partner with the Board in Vision of Ministry and Open Question development
Term of Service: 2 years, with 1 possible reappointment. After the first year of implementation, members will rotate off in alternate years to ensure a degree of continuity from year to year.
Contact: mvt@uuithaca.org
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Music Team
The mission of the Music Team is to provide a variety of high quality music for Sunday Celebrations and to encourage and facilitate musical participation from the church community. At our Sunday morning services, congregational singing is accompanied by the organ, piano, or even djembe or ukulele. Guest musicians are frequent and include everything from solo cello, flute choirs, and recorder ensembles to singer-songwriters in the folk tradition, jazz a capella groups and rock bands. Our adult choir practices weekly to present music at one Sunday celebration a month. A larger choir is also formed for the Community Christmas Eve Service.
Beyond Sunday services, there are other opportunities to make music for and with each other. The Music Team collaborates with the Religious Education Team to sponsor regular Coffee House/Open Mic nights. The Unitarian Universalist Ukulele Union (UUUU) practices sporadically, but joins together for community events like the annual Ithaca Festival Parade and PorchFest. More Information
Contact: Stephanie Ortolano-Music Director, music@uuithaca.org
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Operations Administration Team
This 4-person team works to oversee the administration of the church operations and serve as governance partners with the Board to manage operations. It serves as a supervisor to the paid staff members and reviews their work annually. It is also responsible for recommending the hiring and firing of paid staff members, should the need arise. It will also oversee spending and make budget recommendations.
Members (4): The Board Treasurer or designee, 2 Board appointees; staff representation from the Minister and/or the Congregational Administrator.
Charge:
- Guide and coordinate the work of the paid staff
- Coordinate searches for new staff members
- Recommend hiring and firing of staff members to the Board
- Provide input to annual budgets and compensation recommendations for salary and benefits made in consultation with Finance and Personnel Committees
- Evaluate the paid staff’s work, and report those reviews to the Board at least annually
- Provide a monthly written report to the Board summarizing staff activities and the Organization and Operation Team’s focus areas
- Create intentional communication with the Ministry Visioning Team
Term of Service: 2 years, with 1 possible reappointment. After the first year of implementation, members will rotate off in alternate years to ensure a degree of continuity from year to year.
Contact: oat@uuithaca.org
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Religious Exploration
Religious Exploration for children and youth is a cooperative venture involving both children and adults in the church community. In a liberal religious tradition such as Unitarian Universalism, religious learning, spiritual growth, and faith development are viewed as a lifelong journey each person takes. More Information.
Contact: Emily Richards-Director of Religious Exploration, dre@uuithaca.org
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Safety Team
The Safety Team was created at the request of the Operations Administrative Team to develop plans, procedures, and guidelines to promote the safety and security of the congregants, programs, buildings, and resources of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca. The Safety Team is leaderful with John Gaines as the contact person.
Contact: John Gaines, jagivjagiv@gmail.com. The full safety team can be reached at safety@uuithaca.org.
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Small Group Ministry Facilitators
The Small Group Ministry Facilitators’ Team meets every other month with the minister (currently, in 2022, meeting without a minister). Our meetings serve as a time for facilitators to experience SGM without the responsibility of leading, to bond as facilitators, and to observe the minister’s (currently each other’s) methods of facilitation. Also, time is set aside to talk about any issues in any of our small groups, about the state of SGM at FUSIT, and about how we can support and grow the program. If you are interested in becoming a facilitator for SGM, contact Marsha Kardon.
Contact: Marsha Kardon, mfkardon@gmail.com
Social Justice Council
The Social Justice Council (SJC) exists to inform the congregation about important social and humanitarian needs and issues and to provide avenues for constructive service and action. The group meets monthly primarily to select each month’s Sharing Sundays recipient and get reports or proposals from SJC Action Teams (SJC Action Teams are formed by a person or group of people who identify a social justice topic on which they want to focus). New members are welcome! More Information.
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Social Justice Leadership Team
The Social Justice Leadership Team is tasked with: 1). Support and communicate information about the projects and opportunities for SJ work already being done at FUSIT. 2). Identify one or two congregation wide projects each year. 3). Encourage and support those who want to initiate a project or activities on a particular SJ issue. 4). Collecting and
distributing a list of local organizations doing Social Justice work and ways to support them. Plus the team will continue to re-imagine SJ work at FUSIT looking at issues such as charity versus long term relational involvement, looking at partnering with other community organizations outside FUSIT, looking at where the need is greatest in our community, and looking at our issue of privilege as we continue SJ work and embark on new efforts.
Contact: SJLT@uuithaca.org
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Tech Team
The Tech Team members support the congregation by running the AV and tech on Sundays and live streaming each service so that those who cannot make it to the church can still participate.
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Transition Team
Transition team members are selected by the board of trustees to assist the Ministry Team in navigating the new structure and learning about the congregational community. This may include meeting to answer questions, providing resources, and assisting in solving any challenges that may arise. The transition team will report to the board at
least monthly. The transition team will not be involved with evaluation of the Ministry Team.
Contacts: Betsy East ere2@cornell.edu and Sue Rakow sue.rakow@gmail.com
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Way Forward Team
The Way Forward Team’s purpose is to develop guidelines for a phased re-opening of the FUSIT campus (after COVID-19 necessitated closing in 2020), based on current local, county & state health orders and Unitarian Universalist Association Guidelines for Gathering. When creating these guidelines we will do so with care for the most vulnerable among us, while seeking to develop guidelines to reduce the risk of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca (FUSIT) community to transmit or contract COVID-19 when either on the FUSIT property or when staff, church clergy, or church groups, are in official functions in the wider community.
Contact: Emily Richards, dre@uuithaca.org
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Committee Descriptions
Communication Policy Committee
The Ad Hoc Communications Policy Committee works to develop a set of policy recommendations for fostering open, constructive, and meaningful communication at all levels on an ongoing basis at FUSIT, and to advise the Board of Trustees on communication issues. Its scope includes communication in all directions among the congregation, teams, committees, staff, the Board, and the minister. (Communication between FUSIT and the wider Ithaca community is covered by the Engagement and Outreach Team.) The CPC includes two Board members, two staff members, and a member of the Engagement and Outreach Team. They will serve for one year or until the Committee has accomplished its goals, whichever comes first.
Contact: Margaret Nichols, mnr1@cornell.edu
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Endowment Committee
The Endowment Committee manages the FUSIT endowment funds, discusses investment strategies, makes investments, and discusses support of operating. We work to ensure the preservation of endowment principal for future use of the society. We invest in socially responsible investments without jeopardizing return and monitor our investment with the UU Common Endowment Fund.
Contact: Rich Dolge, rdolge@yahoo.com.
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Finance Committee
The Finance Committee assists the board in its oversight of the congregation’s finances, ensures that routine financial reports are clear and helpful, and coordinates the annual audit. From time to time, holds educational sessions to ensure that board members have adequate understanding of the congregation’s financial status and goals. The committee has no management authority and does not participate in day-to-day financial decision making.
Contact: Nathan Fawcett, nf11@cornell.edu
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Governance Committee
The Shared Partnership Governance Committee (GovCo) is a standing committee advisory to the Board charged with monitoring all aspects of partnership governance and making recommendations to the Board to improve our society’s governance, as appropriate. Specific areas of GovCo focus include FUSIT Constitution and Bylaws, the Board Policy Book, and other topics as requested by the Board. GovCo members and Chair are appointed by the Board.
Contact: Laura Free
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Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee (NomCom) is elected each year by the full congregation at the annual meeting.
Traditionally the Committee took its mission from the Bylaws’ charge: “The Committee shall work throughout the year to identify and assess members whose interests, abilities and talents would provide leadership on the Board of Trustees.” Recently NomCom began to consider the second Bylaws charge that hinted at a broader role: “The purpose of the Nominating Committee is to assure that the Society has effective and diverse leadership to guide the future operations of the Society.”
NomCom will be reviewing the range of leadership skills needed and preparing a proposal for long term success of the Society. The proposal will consider any necessary funding, staffing, and management of such a program.
Contact: Fred Balfour, fred.balfour@gmail.com
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Open Question Committee
On September 15, 2021 the Board of Trustees created the ad hoc Open Questions Committee and at a subsequent meeting named all Trustees to the Committee. The charge to the Committee is that it will:
- provide education for the entire congregation and staff on Open Questions and their role in planning for the future of the Society;
- provide for an Open Question process that is broadly inclusive of the entire congregation and its staff to include congregational conversations, discussions with committees and ministry teams, small group ministry gatherings, staff meetings, individual communications, and other modes;
- record and collect responses and information from each forum;
- compile information gathered and present results to the Board.
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Personnel Committee
The Personnel committee shall oversee and review compensation and benefit matters for employees and make recommendations on these to the Board for all FUSIT staff. The Personnel Committee assists the board in developing personnel policies, ensuring compliance with applicable state and federal laws and statutes, and carrying out the staff-grievance process as defined by these policies. The Committee has no staff management authority and does not participate in supervision or personnel decision-making. The committee shall serve as liaison to the Board and to other committees and staff regarding personnel matters. This committee’s membership must be confirmed annually by the Board and at least one member of this committee shall be a member of the Board.
Contact: Jenna Rosenberg, rosenberg.jenna@gmail.com. To email the entire group: personnel@uuithaca.org.
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Stewardship Committee
The Stewardship Committee is dedicated to ensuring the financial health of the congregation. We devise and develop out the annual pledge drive. During the pledge season we meet regularly, often once a week, to create the various documents and events used to solicit and collect pledges.
We work with other teams to establish the pledge goal for the year; create a theme for the pledge drive; generate the written and graphic materials that are sent out to our members to solicit their pledges; organize an event or events during the pledge season to celebrate our community’s generosity; analyze pledge data and trends.
Contact: Matt Hare, stewardship@uuithaca.org
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