President’s Corner

Piedmont UU Church Experiences
In 2009, Alice and I joined Piedmont UU Church. Here are some of my memories: – Anne Laukatis and I were charged with renting a storage unit for housing furniture and materials for PUUC and Piedmont Progressive Preschool.
–  Reverend Robin Tanner gave a blessing to Jim Price, Pierre Frazier and I before we installed the non-skid material on the Meeting House ramp.
–  Karl Hesse and I removed leaves from the Sanctuary gutters.
–  Two bus rides, one to Raleigh, North Carolina for the February 9, 2014 Moral March on Raleigh and the other bus ride for the wedding of my sister, Shelley to her life partner Dianne presided by the Reverends Robin Tanner and Anne Marie Alderman at All Souls Church in Washington, DC.
–  Resa Treadway teaching me the lingo about selling hot dogs with a variety of fixin’s at the yard sale
–  Attending the 2016 SUULE, Southern Unitarian Universalist Educational Experience, with Theresa Rowell (Salisbury, At Large Member of the Board of Trustees).
Witnessed the dedication and commitment of Board Members and Lay Leaders.

Presidents
I am the twenty-seventh president of the Board of Trustees of the Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church. During their tenures our former Piedmont UU Church Presidents created a gathering, built a sanctuary, hired lead and interim ministers, carried the PUUC banner at opening ceremonies at  General Assembly, promoted our RE curriculum for youth to learn and embrace  UU values, actively participated in PRIDE Week, community and international outreach, and demonstrated at social justice activism events. Previous Presidents: Jeff Blum, Harry Lancaster, Anne Laukaitis, Sam Treadway, Margaret Edwards, Frank Martin, Arvind Patil, Darla Davis, Mehl Renner, Tom Cutilletta, Lou Gardiner-Parks, Lucy Neel, Karl Hesse, and Krissa Palmer gave me their wisdom and counsel freely, so I could take on this role with enthusiasm and confidence.  In 2017, Piedmont UU Church is once again starting on a new adventure with the hiring of Interim Minister Leland Bond-Upson and exploration of the UU Fellowship of Lake Norman joining our community.

Hopes and wishes for 2017
At the end of my tenure in December 2017 my hope is that all of us are celebrating the work of the Board of Trustees. That good work would include the outstanding leadership of Reverend Leland Bond-Upson. An abundance of financial resources as a result of a successful Annual Commitment Time Campaign. Our youth will talk excitedly about their experiences at Mountain CON. That there will be an active participation of the Congregation in the search process for a Lead Minister.

In 2017, we all have our parts to play at Piedmont UU Church and I believe that this year will be outstanding!