<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body>
Thank you, Darryl. <br><br><br><div class="yahoo-signature"><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_">Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone</a><br></div><br><p class="yahoo-quoted-begin" style="font-size: 15px; color: #715FFA; padding-top: 15px; margin-top: 0">On Monday, May 15, 2023, 11:06 AM, Darryl Ting via Fuusm-l <fuusm-l@fuusm.org> wrote:</p><blockquote class="iosymail"><div id="yiv4665384357"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:times new roman, serif;font-size:large;" class="yiv4665384357gmail_default"><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Dear FUUSM Community,</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">At the end of the annual congregational meeting in April,
(under “Other business for the Good of the Order”), I made a motion that there
be “congregational style” meetings for the purpose of congregational feedback
on the minister’s performance and specifically excluding the minister. After discussion, the motion was passed. </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">To learn more about why I made this motion, what I proposed,
and what has happened since … please read on. </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Why this motion …</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Prior to this, the method of congregational feedback was
through congregational surveys. I
pointed out that the survey approach had some significant flaws, notably that
the survey questions limited the scope of the feedback, that survey feedback is
one way and isolated (no dialogue for clarification and no benefit of hearing
other people’s feedback), and that everyone’s feedback counts the same
regardless of the amount of interaction they have. The cumulative impact is that despite the surveys, there is a significant level of frustration within the congregation from people
feeling they have not been heard.</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">What I proposed …</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Special congregational meetings to allow the congregation to
provide feedback. That approach would
provide better, clearer feedback by eliminating the above-mentioned flaws of
surveys. More importantly, it allows
people to express themselves directly … in their own voice, and
unfiltered. And it allows us to form a
more informed collective view through the sharing of our individual views. </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Why exclude the minister’s attendance? I wanted to encourage feedback, and it is not
uncommon for people to be reluctant to give or receive negative feedback. It is just an emotionally difficult thing to
do. The absence of the minister would
make it easier for people to speak up.</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Follow-up …</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">At the May 8th Board meeting, the Board determined that it
could not call a congregational meeting and exclude the minister. The minister declined to voluntarily exclude
herself. Therefore, the Board could not
implement the motion.</p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Following the Board decision, a steering group (Karen
Binkley, Nancy Luthy, and myself) was formed to develop a plan to implement the
motion. Our target for communicating the
details of that plan is the end of May.</p><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal"><br></p><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Thanks for reading to the end,</p><p style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;" class="yiv4665384357MsoNormal">Darryl Ting</p></div></div>
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