<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"times new roman",serif;font-size:large"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:12pt;text-align:justify">CORRECTION</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Dialogue Sessions will NOT be official FUUSM congregational
meetings. I thought we had met the
requirements for special congregational meetings. But it has been pointed out that the FUUSM
bylaws requirement of a specific purpose is not satisfied by <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"times new roman",serif;font-size:large">the</span> statement of “for
feedback and dialogue on the minister’s performance”. Rather, that requirement
means a description of all the particular motions which will be considered …
which of course we don’t know. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">So the Dialogue Sessions will not be official FUUSM
congregational meetings. And any resulting
motions passed will not compel the Board to act on them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">UNOFFICIAL BUT POWERFUL</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">But, although unofficial, the Dialogue Sessions will still
be powerful. After information sharing and
dialogue amongst ourselves, the participants could still consider and pass motions
representing the sense of the group and also specific recommendations to the
Board. And if we have significant
numbers of participants, these would be very useful guidance to the Board as they
consider how to act on behalf of the congregation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This may seem like a minor technical detail, and perhaps, in
the larger scheme of things, it is. But
we need to abide by our FUUSM bylaws … they’re there to keep us out of trouble. I apologize for any confusion caused by my
misinterpretation of the bylaw requirements.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">But our message is the same … attend the Dialogue Sessions,
both of them. Share, dialogue, consider,
and decide. It is the democratic process
of our FUUSM Affirmation in action.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Darryl Ting</p>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"times new roman",serif;font-size:large"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:12pt;text-align:justify"> </span></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jun 1, 2023 at 5:22 PM Darryl Ting <<a href="mailto:darrting1@gmail.com">darrting1@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"times new roman",serif;font-size:large"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dear FUUSM Community,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We have completed our plans for FUUSM Congregational
Feedback Meetings. For the background
leading up to these meetings, please see the attachment. A very important development since then is
that the minister has reconsidered and is voluntarily excluding herself from
these meetings. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We invite you, the entire FUUSM Community (members and
friends), excluding the minister, to participate in Dialogue Sessions … congregational
meetings for feedback and dialogue on the minister’s performance. We welcome and encourage all feedback
(positive and negative). We have planned
two 1-1/2 hr. sessions. Please attend
both sessions so you can give/hear the feedback and then participate in discussion
and help to decide What Next. These are
official FUUSM congregational meetings. And
if quorum requirements are met, motions can be passed to express the will of
the congregation. So it is important
that you attend. For more details,
please read on. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">WHY</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We are holding these Dialogue Sessions to provide the FUUSM Community
the opportunity to share their views on the minister’s performance. Right now, there is significant frustration
because those views are fragmented and isolated. Our goal is that through sharing each of us
can have a more informed view, and then the congregation can have an open,
informed dialogue on this subject. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">WHO</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Members of course, but also our non-member friends are
included in this invitation. Friends are
an integral part of our FUUSM community, and we include them in everything with
just a few specific exceptions (certain FUUSM offices and voting). So yes, attend and participate. If we have the need to vote, we will ask our non-member
friends to abstain.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">WHERE and WHEN</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The two sessions will be held in the FUUSM church sanctuary
on July 26 and August 23 from 7-8:30pm. We are limiting the Dialogue Sessions to
1-1/2 hrs. so people will still be attentive and not worn out. We have
selected the dates so that we will not conflict with other regularly scheduled meetings
(e.g., Women’s & Men’s Groups). And
we have tried to set convenient starting (7pm, after dinner) and ending
(8:30pm, still enough light out for driving) times.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">WHAT </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Our first Dialogue Session will be for prepared statements
on the minister’s performance.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">These statements (3 minute maximum) should include your name,
how long you have been a member/friend of FUUSM, any areas of significant
exposure to the minister and be limited to first hand experiences. Extensions to the 3 min. maximum need to be
approved ahead of the session. We
suggest you practice and time yourself so you stay within the time limit. Following each prepared statement, there will
be a Q&A period (2 minute maximum) for listeners to ask questions of the
speaker for clarification.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In our second Dialogue Session, we will complete the round
of prepared statements, hear a summary of the minister’s evaluation (from the
Board’s evaluation process), and have time for discussion and decisions about
What Next. If quorum requirements are
met, motions can be passed to express the will of the congregation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We plan to communicate to the FUUSM community any motions
passed. But, we won’t be issuing a
summary report of these Dialogue Sessions.
We don’t want to interpret what others say. So attend and hear for yourself. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">FOR YOU TO DO</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Mark your calendars and attend the Dialogue Sessions! Participate through statements or as a
listener (we need both). Participate in
deciding What Next … for a better FUUSM!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Please contact Nancy Luthy (<a href="mailto:nancy.luthy@gmail.com" style="color:rgb(95,95,95)" target="_blank">nancy.luthy@gmail.com</a> or 740-525-6532)
to sign-up for making a statement (and requesting time extensions) so she can
coordinate the available time.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thank you for reading to the end. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> And remember … Attend
the Dialogue Sessions!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Your Dialogue Sessions Steering Team,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-align:justify;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Karen Binkley, Nancy Luthy, Darryl Ting</p></div></div>
</blockquote></div>