Serving on the Board, by Lynne Taylor
I was in my kitchen when Diann Irwin called. These were the old days, of land lines and no call screening. Diann said the Nominating Committee was asking me to serve as President. I laughed and said they must have come to the end of a very long list if they got to my name, but if everyone else had declined the offer, I would serve.
It was a wonderful experience, but with Bob Fitzgerald as President, and Lynda Hambourger as Past President, I always felt as though I had a support network for whatever happened when I was called to lead. During my time as President Elect (and for new people I was Lynne Myers back then) the UUFR fiscal year switched from calendar to July 1, so all of us on the board served 18 month terms. There were many moments of drama during my term as President, BUT the goal in mind was always stability for our members, and I think we achieved that.
It has been gratifying to watch UUFR grow and to remain a force for social justice in our community. The most rewarding experience for me as Board President was to lead the Ordination service for John Saxon. What an amazing opportunity to welcome a new minister into the UU community, and John made it an especially rich and meaningful, profound time. We hold in our hands the power to create the UU future we want to live. I am happy to have been part of this community since 1997.
