From Susan Raufer, President, Board of Trustees
Over the past few weeks our ministers, the Board and staff have grappled with many complex issues concerning the Coronavirus and social interaction at the U. A lot of time and effort has gone into streaming our services, and getting onto a virtual platform for members and staff to use. We have had a great deal of technical assistance from congregational volunteers and staff members. Thank you all for stepping up so quickly and adjusting so admirably to all of the changes!
Now, we are beginning to prepare for the impact this pandemic will have on us in the long term. We expect that it will take a significant financial toll. We project our rental income will be down substantially and the ability of some of our members to pay their pledges may be impacted.
In this environment, the Board is asking our staff and members to lower our spending as much as possible. Any discretionary spending should be only for items that 1) will be used in the next few weeks; and 2) That are crucial to our core missions. This not a time to spend on items that could be useful down the road or which are “nice to have” but not crucial. Please apply this standard to all ministry areas and alert one of our co-ministers to any concern you have regarding any expenditures that you believe are not in compliance with this new austerity posture.