Special Announcement from the Church Board President
Dear Church Members and Friends,
We are pleased to announce that the congregation of The First Unitarian Church of Omaha has called a settled minister!
During the 151st Annual Meeting, held May 3rd, the congregation voted to call Rev. Shari Woodbury to join us as our new settled minister. Rev. Shari will join us in August of this year. Rev. Shari brings us a wealth of experience in leadership, organizational skills, theological learning, and many other critical assets.
Many of us had the opportunity to meet Shari during Candidating Week and were delighted to get to know her. If you did not have the opportunity, you can read more about her here:
www.shariwoodbury.com/omaha.html
Many thanks to exceptional Search Team and the countless hours they devoted to bringing us this match. We are forever grateful. And equal thanks to all that worked so hard to enable the technology that let us experience our Annual Meeting in such a fine manner.
We have much to look forward to in the coming year. We have shown what we can conquer as a congregation and the depth of our caring for each other. We hope to soon spend Sunday mornings together in our beautiful sanctuary, but know we will remain connected through technology and shared dreams until that day.
Good things await us!
In gratitude,
Sharon Piehler, President Board of Trustees
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING: MAY 3, 2020
The 151st Annual Congregational Meeting of First Unitarian Church of Omaha will be held
on Sunday, May 3, immediately following the 10:30am Sunday service.
Due to the Governor of Nebraska’s Directive Health Measure, prohibiting public gatherings of more than ten people until at least May 4, 2020, this year the Annual Meeting will be held online, over Zoom, a web-based audio-visual platform.
Zoom Meeting Event Link:
Meeting ID: 994 8692 9188
On the Agenda will be:
-adoption of an operating budget for the 2020-2021 church year;
-election of a President-elect, members of the Board of Trustees, a Trustee of the Trust Fund, Right Relations Committee members, and Nominating Committee members (see bottom of this page);
-a vote to renew our Covenant of Right Relations;
-select reports from church leaders; and
-a vote to call the Search Committee’s candidate to be our next settled minister. Click here for more info about the candidate.
Who Can Attend? We encourage all church members to attend this important church event.
How Do I Attend? In church communications you receive by email, there will be a Zoom meeting link for the May 3 Sunday Service. Just click on the link!
Who Can Vote? To vote, (1) you must attend by using the Zoom meeting link and (2) your name must appear on the enclosed list of members eligible to vote*. Click here to see the voters list. If you think a mistake has been made, and your name should be on the list, please contact the church office no later than April 22, 2020. You can expect to receive a call or email response from the church within three days. Email the church office: admin@firstuuomaha.org
Voting-Limit of Two People Per Device: The vote to call the Minister, and any other vote by secret ballot, will be done using the anonymous Zoom polling feature. Up to two eligible voters may vote from the same device. If you want to attend the Annual Meeting, but don’t have access to a device, or to the Internet, please call the church office or email the MTC at mtc@firstuuomaha.org no later than April 22, 2020. You can expect to receive a call or email response from the church within three days.
Please try to use your proper name on Zoom: The meeting will go faster if we can identify as many participants as possible by their proper name. If you are joining a Zoom call from your phone or tablet, first you need to go to the "Participants" icon at the bottom (or top) of your screen. Then, you will click on your name and select "Rename".
If you are joining a Zoom call from your computer, go to your video square and click. From the menu that appears, select "Rename".
To make permanent changes to how your name is displayed, you will need to login to your account at zoom.us and edit your profile settings.
Need help with Zoom? Email our volunteer team: zoomhelp@firstuuomaha.org
*Individuals are eligible to vote who have been members of the church for at least three months and have made a financial contribution in their name to the church between April 3, 2019 and April 3, 2020.
PROPOSED LEADERSHIP SLATE FOR THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING
Board of Trustees:
Nellie Chenoweth (3 years)
Bruce Godfrey (3 years)
President Elect:
Catherine Plumlee
Right Relations:
Della Bynum (2 years)
Deb McAtee (2 years
Nominating Committee:
Mary Kay Peters (1 year)
Katrina Schmidt (3 years)
Sara Switzer (3 years)
Capital Trust:
Daniel Byrd (3 years)
Slate Presented by the Nominating Committee:
Nellie Chenoweth, Mike McAtee, Carolyn McNamara, Kathi Oliver, Maria Wallace (convener)