First Unitarian Church of Omaha strives to be a diverse, liberal religious community with a tradition of open-mindedness and tolerance. We promote spiritual growth, social justice, and service to those in need in order to effect positive change in our society and in ourselves.

(Board minutes can be found at the bottom of this webpage.)

 

Vision of Ministry

In 2011-12, implementing the new governance structure, the vision of ministry is:

Building and nurturing an inclusive, embracing community in the congregation through the fostering of small groups and programs.

Increasing awareness of our church and Unitarian Universalist values through community events and opportunities for social justice and outreach to others.

• Revised Articles of Incorporation
• Reason for Being
• By-Laws
• Board Policies

Various church entities may define policies, practices, or procedures to help implement and organize their work (e.g. Board Policies/Guidelines), but these secondary governing documents must not conflict with the Congregation's primary governing documents. The Board of Trustees has appointed a Governance Task Force to review these documents.

To become a member of our congregation, individuals must be at least sixteen years old, agree to our Bond of Union, and sign our Membership Book. To be eligible to vote at a congregational meeting, individuals must have been members of the church for three months immediately preceding any meeting and must have made an identifiable contribution to the church during a period of a year closing thirty days prior to the meeting.

Our Annual Congregational Meeting is held each May, generally on the third Sunday. The business to be conducted includes the approval of the budget for the coming church year, the election of members to serve as President Elect, on the Board of Trustees, the Nominating Committee, and the Capital Trust, and presentations of annual reports. A highlight of this meeting is the presentation of the Unitarian of the Year award.

Special Congregational Meetings may be called as needed throughout the year. The requirements for calling and publicizing congregational meetings are set forth in our By-Laws.

 

There are eight voting members of our Board of Trustees. In addition to the President and President-Elect. There are six elected members of the Board of Trustees - two are elected each year to serve three-year terms.

In addition, Rev. Kate Rohde, our minister, serves as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board.

 

The Board meets the Second Tuesday of every month. Visitors and members welcome to these meetings. Please contact the office so that we can make space for you on the agenda.

The voting members of the Board consist of the officers of the church, the elected board members, and the chairs of the Board Committees. The Minister is also an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board.

The Board has adopted a Vision and a set of Board Policies/Guidelines to guide its work. Recently, the Board has also created a Governance Task Force to investigate our governance structure and make recommendations for improvements.

There are three elected trustees of the Capital Trust - one is elected each year to serve a three-year term.

Tim Duggan (2013), Jack Heidel (2012), Kenneth Deffenbacher (2014)

There are six elected members of the Nominating Committee - two are elected each year to serve three-year terms.