Report of the Board of Trustees

1997 has been a very busy year. Some sage of the Trustees said it could be called the "Year of Replacement, - from replacing the steeple and parsonage roof to replacing the seemingly-irreplaceable Rachel Lapointe to beginning the long and difficult task of replacing our minister, Dr. Roger Plummer. The steeple and roof were replaced. but Roger and Rachel will not be replaced; they will remain in our hearts and minds, and hopefully in our presence, and we will hire others to fill the jobs they used to hold.

We were fortunately blessed with a great Trustee team and our close relationship with the Board of Deacons has made a complex year go quite smoothly. It was a treat to work with Ed Brazee, Chairman of the Board of Deacons.

For most of the year it seemed that the new steeple would be the story of the year for us, and it was a big one. From the time the roof thawed out in the spring until the job was finally completed in August, each time the rain fell we worried about more damage to the building. Many times property committee members, most often Grover MacLaughlin and Jim Leiby, or Trustees had to climb out on beams above the sanctuary to empty the plastic buckets under the roof leaks. Finally we contracted with Mid-Maine Construction of Boothbay Harbor and they did an excellent job of restoring the steeple and fixing the leaks. Does anyone remember when the weather vane looked as beautiful? And the most exciting news is that through the generosity of church supporters, this project, including all the extra funds needed to fix the roof, was totally funded by special donations.

The Parsonage consumed a fair amount of Trustee time and energy this year. We had to do extensive repairs to the roof and more expenses are envisioned for the future. Also, the trials of being landlord to students hit us this year. In November, after considering all the options, the Trustees voted unanimously to recommend at the Annual Meeting that the Parsonage be sold.

As I end my term as President of the Board of Trustees I want to thank everyone who has made our church the living, caring organization it is. We often talk about the need to grow and improve our church and I agree to that need, but what we have is a wonderful group of people who make a great church. None of us can ever know how much care, love, work and money our members give to their church, but it is almost ovewhelming and most humbling to be in a position to see just a part of that contribution. Thank you to all those who lead and support the various church groups, the Fair, Rummage Sale, Green Thumb Sale and all the suppers. A special thank you to Fred Irons and the members of the Every Member Canvass Committee and also to Phyllis Borns and the members of the Ways and Means Committee. Thanks also to Paul Harris who recently assumed the chairmanship of our Property Committee.

Jim Leiby found it necessary to resign as President Elect in September after 21 months of excellent service, for which we give him great thanks. Shelley Gilman completed her term this year. Please join me in thanking Jim and Shelley for their contributions.

I want to point out two special members of our church. While there are several dozen people who do much more than their share, these two, to me, seem unequalled. Verna Witter, quietly and with good humor and great efficiency, does an amazing amount of work for our church. Everyone knows she keeps the books and pays the bills, but that is just the tip of the iceberg of responsibilities she has assumed on our behalf. Grover MacLaughlin seems to either be (one) "wired" into the church property; or (two) personally inspect it several times each day. He is indeed the first person everyone calls whenever anything goes wrong. It's hard to get ahead of him whenever there is a problem. His devotion to the care of our facilities has been wonderful.

Rachel Lapointe served our church for 13 years and what a job she did, from "reminding" leaders what needed to be done and when, to guiding new committee leaders, to helping new ministers learn the ropes. Rachel's smiling, caring, way made our church office a pleasant place to visit and made her one of the most respected members of our church family. We sincerely thank her and wish her and Dick well in retirement.

When I recieved Dr. Plummer's letter announcing his retirement, my first thought was, "but Roger, you just got here..." How quickly these six good years have passed. We have been blessed by his service and he has set a standard that will test his replacement. Roger and Dorothy very quickly became active, involved members of our community, serving and representing our church exceedingly well. Thank you , Roger and Dorothy!

This year we mourned the passing of several beloved members who have been part of this wonderful family amd welcomed a good number of new members who we hope will continue the great spirit of service that is the Church of Universal Fellowship. I thank you all for being there and allowing me to do my part.

Wendall L. Tremblay, President