Michèle Voillequé, past President, UUCB Board of Trustees

My mother’s water broke while she was chairing an AAUW meeting, so maybe you could say that I was born to facilitate. But when I was in my mid-twenties, new to Berkeley and UUCB, and Anne Greenwood asked me to run for the Board of Trustees, I was so surprised I was speechless. I didn’t see myself as a Trustee. Anne thought I was just right. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Something told me to trust her.

A couple of years went by, and, serving on the Board, I came to know that part of me that Anne already loved. When someone asked, “Would you be willing to serve as Board President while the ministers take their first sabbatical?” I wasn’t speechless. I said, “Yes.” A crazy, courageous “yes.”

And you backed me up. I may have been UUCB’s youngest Board President ever and you trusted me to lead.

I started to trust my yes, which is another way of saying, I started trusting my heart.

It is such a joy for me to serve UUCB now as a teacher and musician. Thank you for repeatedly helping me to find and leverage my strengths.

Susan Lankford, past President, UUCB Board of Trustees

Some friends of mine visited UUCB for a concert. Sarah explained to her 2-year-old, “Sam, this is Auntie Susie’e, uh, church.” I translated: “Sam, it’s Auntie Susie’s preschool. All my friends come here. We sing songs, we listen to stories. We practice no hitting and no biting. We practice sharing. We have quiet

I wasn’t thinking of church as glorified preschool when I agreed to serve on the board 13 years ago. I served 6 years, 2 as President. It stretched me. I learned much about our church’s history, about governance, about the differences between corporate bodies and democratic ones like this church. I learned that a church leader must lead, but only within an iterative conversation with the congregation. That includes seeking out the quiet, event silent voices, the ones who have left the room. Leadership is about helping us to collectively discern our passions, then how to attain them.

A board member with a young daughter was arguing passionately about the RE program. He tried to remain logical. But his jaw was quivering with emotion; he loved his daughter. Suddenly I understood that feeling underlies, motivates, every action we take – every action – for all that we dress it up with rationale. This is very close to the insights of non-violent communication: that every human act is either an act of love, or a cry for love.

I learned and grew from serving as President. The passion that motivated me was preserving this community. Is church a preschool for grown-ups? The work of preschoolers, of becoming human, is never complete. No hitting. No biting. More sharing. Amen.

Kay Fairwell, past-President, UUCB Board of Trustees

Being your Board President was my spiritual practice. One of the things that Barbara and Bill taught me was the concept of “administry”—and that work on the Board of Trustees could be a spiritual practice.

At the first Congregational Meeting I led, we proposed adding a second service. The process was rocky, but I think those of you who attend the 9:00 service will agree that we created something special.

Accomplishments during my term were the installation of solar panels and working with EBMUD and the El Cerrito Fire Department to connect water pipes to help protect our hill area community from fire.

As you may know, board meetings—any board meetings—can cause crankiness.

While I never thought of having us sing between agenda items, as Barbara and Bill suggested last Sunday, I strived to make our meetings welcoming and collegial.

We started each Board meeting with a chalice-lighting and a reading or prayer. We had a check-in, during which we could share joys or sorrows, or just something we needed to leave at the door. We closed each meeting with a blessing.

I wish for all of you that you experience the spiritual practice of leadership at UUCB. It feeds the soul.

Warren Zittel, past-President, UUCB Board of Trustees

I quote an email from Barbara concerning today’s sharing: “Maybe the question that would be right for you is: What touched your life so deeply at UUCB that you would say “Yes” to serving as a board trustee and then as board president?”  

The simple answer is:   someone asked; Margaret Gudmundson.   Actually, what she asked was if I would act as interim Treasurer. At that time I was on the standard path, having gone from observer, to participant, and then to active participant (I was teaching RE). Her question was the start of a different relationship between myself and the church. In effect, I was asked to start taking a leadership role in the church.

Well, there have been accomplishments and joy, and I have experienced personal growth. There has been spiritual growth and there has been cultural evolution. We are moving forward into this new century, and are adjusting our social patterns, our work habits, and most deeply, our thought patterns. I don’t know where we will be in 20, 50, 100 years. But I have a fundamental faith that we will still be making a difference.  

But, that only happens when, as a leader, you ask someone, personally, to join in leadership. And, if someone asks you, (You), to step into a new role, please give it your full consideration.

If you can, please say yes. That act of saying yes will make our loving community stronger. Thank you.

Stephanie Ann Blythe, past President, UUCB Board of Trustees

Some of the most spiritual moments I experienced as Board President were as gifts that came unexpectedly, often in the most difficult times. One came late one night, deep in the midst of the situation regarding a past minister’s professional misconduct. I was able to forgive him. This didn’t happen because he was asking for forgiveness. It didn’t happen because some of you wanted forgiveness for him. It came in a transcendent moment when something moved me to a higher state of clarity and understanding. What I didn’t understand until later was how much forgiveness is really a gift to yourself. It didn’t change what I thought of him. It didn’t change how I acted during the crisis. Forgiveness made it possible for me to have conflicting feelings about him and not have to resolve them one way or the other. Forgiveness is each individual’s own journey. It made it possible for me to moderate the differing bodies of opinion swirling about the church and not feel compelled to take sides. And it kept the sleepless nights to a minimum. That forgiveness was truly a gift.

There was something else, a feeling of grace that settled over me during my time as Board President. In the difficult times and even in the endless mundane tasks, I took comfort in that grace and things were so much easier. They truly were. Amen!