Did you know that our community is led by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees that meets monthly? Anyone is welcome to attend our meetings and learn how UUCPA is governed. In an effort to make the Board more accessible to the entire community, we will feature one Board member each month in our weekly update and on our website.
This month, Barbara Smith-Thomas, Board Member and Staff Relations Portfolio holder, is featured.
- What are three interesting facts about you?
- Not counting dorm rooms and summer jobs, I have lived in 27 different homes. The longest I ever lived in one place was 12 years.
- I work in the AARP Foundation free tax assistance program. Every year I help low to moderate income people, mostly seniors, file federal and state income tax returns. This past tax season my tax preparation site helped over 300 taxpayers.
- I have been a pescatarian for over 20 years. I make a killer stuffed squash.
- Why did you join UUCPA?
I have been a UU for 38 years. I knew when I moved here that I would join a UU congregation, it was just a question of which one. UUCPA was closest to where I lived when I first moved here and you welcomed me with open arms. I am a UU because I want to be a member of a thoughtful community that challenges me to live out my values in the world.
- What made you join the Board?
Keeping a UU congregation vibrant and healthy takes lots of people doing lots of jobs. This is a job I can do, and someone asked me, so I said yes. I have been on the boards of 4 different UU churches over the years.
4. What is your portfolio area?
My portfolio area is Staff Relations. I work with the Staff Relations committee to look out for the well being of our staff.
- What is something you would say to the congregation?
There are so many places to connect with the life of this congregation: worship, forum, music, religious education, men’s and women’s groups, committees, internal and external service, and more. UUCPA is about so much more than Sunday morning. Find something that interests you and check it out. Warning, we will ask you to help. I encourage you to say yes to some job, large or small. Your life will be enriched and you will get to spend time with interesting and thoughtful people.
- What’s one way you hope to see UUCPA fulfilling its mission in the coming years?
We gather,
our different paths entwined,
to deepen our spiritual lives:
nourishing connection,
learning from each other,
caring for each other,
tending to our world.
Tending to our world: I want us to work together to make our campus, our community, and ourselves less wanton in our consumption of natural resources. As a congregation and individually we need to emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, use less plastic, waste less, and recycle more. We need to hold our communities and our elected officials accountable to preserving our world for future generations.
7. When are the next Board meetings, and how can I attend? We normally meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month. So the next meeting is September 25, 2024. We meet in person in the Fireside Room and on Zoom at 7 p.m. If you want to attend online, email office@uucpa.org and ask for the Zoom link.