Jimmy Franklin, Board Member

Good morning! My name is Jimmy Franklin, and my pronouns are he/him. I’m honored to be the newest member of the Board of Trustees, elected in June of this year. Today, I’d like to share some of the work the Board has been doing and what it means to me to serve in this role. 

UUCCH is home for my family. My wife, Stevie, and I knew this from the very first service we attended. We felt right away that this was the community where we wanted to raise our daughter, and signing the membership book just felt right. It’s exciting to see our home grow, and being on the Board, helping that growth continue, has been incredibly rewarding. 

I’ll be honest—I thought about running for the Board or LDNC for years but never followed through. Believe it or not, I’m a shy person, and my confidence wavers sometimes. When I was first asked to run, my immediate reaction was, “Why me? I’m not Board material.” (Karen can confirm!) But so many of you supported and encouraged me, and I’m thankful for that every day. 

Since joining the Board, I’ve spent much of my time listening and learning from the more experienced members, but I’m not afraid to speak up when necessary. What’s become clear to me is that this Board has truly found its footing. We are working as a unified team, accomplishing tasks ahead of schedule, and keeping communication flowing smoothly. Everyone is listening carefully to each detail, and it’s been amazing to see how much we’re getting done. 

At our most recent meeting, we reviewed and approved updates to the church’s insurance policy, ensuring the minister’s role in handling insurance is clearly defined. We also accepted a revised Communications policy and will soon be diving into sub-policies to keep everything up to date. Additionally, we’ve started the UU Board Foundations training, and it’s reassuring to see that we’re already putting the principles from those modules into practice. 

We also had a comprehensive presentation from the Safety & Security Team, who shared the findings and recommendations from the NJ Department of Homeland Security. It was an impressive overview with many important points to consider for keeping UUCCH safe and secure. This is something the Board will continue reviewing with Rev. Eric and the Safety & Security Team to make sure we handle it thoughtfully and thoroughly. 

I want to encourage everyone to attend our upcoming Board Forum on October 13th. This forum will focus on governance, and it’s a great opportunity for the congregation to better understand how the Board is functioning. We want to make sure you are informed and engaged with the way your church is being run. 

Additionally, I highly encourage you to attend our Board meetings, which are held on Zoom. It’s important for you to hear what’s going on, and we welcome your input. We believe it’s vital that the voices of the congregation are heard, and your participation helps guide the work we do. 

As I continue on this journey, I feel deeply grateful to be part of such a supportive and connected community. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together. Let’s keep building this vibrant, inclusive, and loving community that we all call home.