Annual Meeting - May 18th, 2025 (Sanctuary and online) [1]

Notice of Annual Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis will take place on Sunday May 18, 2025 at 5007 Waterman Blvd., St. Louis, MO 11:30 am.

The Annual Meeting shall be conducted in person and using the electronic meeting platform Zoom which will be hosted within the boundaries of the City of St. Louis.

General Business before the congregation will include:

To receive and consider the Annual Report, current financial, budget reports & Endowment draw, and to consider for election the persons presented by the Nominating Committee.

To consider passage a By-Law change as described below:  

Proposed Change and Explanation to the By-laws of First Unitarian Church of St. Louis

Explanation:

It is considered a valuable exercise for institutions to periodically examine and re-commit to a statement of the vision of the institution. Having a common sense of shared vision is vital for long-range planning, setting clear annual goals, and helping all levels of leadership make decisions among which of the multiple worthy possibilities will be pursued at a particular time.  Shared vision increases the capacity for trust within and between the levels of leadership and provides points of connection between newer and established members of the congregation. It was uncovered during the ministerial transition process that the congregation did not at that time have a clear sense of vision. During the 2024/2025 program year the congregation engaged in a variety of exercises to discern a shared vision. The intention is to add this agreed upon vision to the By-laws (along with the Mission Statement and Values already in the By-laws) to assist the congregation in  moving forward with long-range planning, goal setting, and program evaluation.

Proposed addition:

Article I

Section 3: Vision.

First Unitarian Church of St. Louis envisions a vital, spiritual

congregation fostering an active and relevant presence in the community.

Adoption of this addition would make the existing Section 3, Section 4; the existing Section 4, Section 5; the existing Section 5, Section 6; the existing Section 6, Section 7; the existing Section 7, Section 8. 

Presentation of the William W. Ross Award and the Melanie and Anthony Fathman  Award.

Final agenda and Nominating Committee report will be published no later than May 9, 2025.

A voting member of the congregation (as defined in the By-laws Article III, Section 5) is a:. . . . Member who is present at a Congregational Meeting at the time of any vote and who has been a Voting Member for thirty days prior to that Meeting is eligible to vote, except as provided in Section 2 of Article VIII of these Bylaws..