Following the 2022 Annual Congregational Meeting, the Board of Trustees took action to create and convene a Mediation Taskforce to address the congregation’s decision to remove mediation from our Constitution and Bylaws. Led by Gail Schiesser serving as the chair, the taskforce included Virginia Brubaker, Marilyn Ryan, Kathy Frizzell, Joe Omo-Osagie, and Pamela Soper. During a Board Study Session, the taskforce provided the following recommendations:
- Leave the Constitution as it stands meaning do not add mediation-related information back into it. Mediation requires highly trained individuals to perform it similar to professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Additionally, another critical concern for leaving mediation out of the Bylaws is the likely expense to the church. If the church were required by our Bylaws to provide mediators or other conflict resolution professionals regarding some dispute, the costs to the church are unpredictable, but could be substantial.
- Offer training in conflict resolution suitable for middle school aged youth through adult congregants. Plans are underway to offer these sessions in the near future.
- Continue to encourage everyone to develop relationships that support differences and disagreements and allow us all to help resolve whatever conflicts we experience. We embrace our covenantal faith and value the power of our promises to each other.
The Board of Trustees affirmed these recommendations and unanimously accepted them during its recent business meeting in November. On behalf of the congregation, the Board extends its sincere appreciation to each member of the Mediation Taskforce for their service, expertise, and insights on how best to address conflict at UUCUC.