From Brian Crooks on behalf of the Board of Trustees
Our congregation is very lucky. We have a beautiful 100+ year old building that is staffed by a dedicated group of people who maintain it and manage all of our congregational administrative needs. Every week hundreds of people make use of our building and its related facilities. With all of these moving parts there are bound to be things that don’t go according to plan, and it is in these moments when we have the opportunity to live up to our principles. Imagine being a member of our staff. You might feel as if you answer to hundreds of different bosses if every member of the congregation felt that he or she could complain to you about something that had gone wrong. To help each other and our staff, please be mindful of this, and direct any concerns to the appropriate body. There are three ways you can do this:
- Speak with one of the Reverends. In addition to being our called ministers, Rev. Anya and Rev. Scott also manage our staff. And since last August, Rev. Scott has served as Director of Facilities Management. If your questions or concerns deal with our building or staff, go to them first.
- Talk to a Board Member. If you are not sure who to reach out to about your concern, you can always find a board member to help guide you to the appropriate place and person.
- The Council on Ministries (COM) can also hear your concerns. Their role is to be a liaison, facilitating conversation, between the board and the congregation at large. If your concern deals with the ministers or the board the COM would be the appropriate place to turn to. Current COM members you can speak to are Nina Cooke John (Chair), David Lewis, Sarah Scalet, Hal Strelnick and John Wodnick.
If you believe that your issue must be dealt with immediately, then please speak to the staff member as you would to a fellow member of the congregation. While staff members are not congregation members, we can all agree that they are equally deserving of our care and respect.