OUR COVENANT

In 2019, Neighborhood Church’s members voted on a Covenant of Right Relations that places our values of compassion and tolerance at the forefront of our interactions with each other. Here is the language on which we agreed:

We the congregational members, leaders, ministers, staff, and friends of Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church are a welcoming faith community that believes a better world is brought about through our daily actions and interactions. It is with this spirit that we covenant to act with integrity so that the needs of the individual and the greater faith community can be in harmony. We covenant to honor one another, engage one another, and give to one another and our institution. 

We hereby covenant to honor one another.

We aspire to live our shared values and shared ministry through our daily interactions. We listen appreciatively being mindful, present, and respectful, assuming good intentions, and seeking to understand one another. We aspire to resolve conflict in a loving, compassionate way, and to forgive each other out of generosity of spirit.

We hereby covenant to engage one another.

We commit to sharing our authentic selves by expressing our needs and ideas, communicating honestly, respectfully, directly, courageously, and without anonymous statements. We take responsibility for the impact of our statements and actions. We remain engaged, even in conflict, through daring and difficult communication, collaboration, and facilitation.

We hereby covenant to give to one another and our institution.

 We contribute our time, skills, and other resources. We commit to understanding and supporting our church structure, including administration and governance. We commit to advancing ethical conduct and addressing misuse of power within the policies and procedures of Neighborhood UU Church. When we are unable to come to an understanding with one another, we will engage members of the Right Relations Committee for support.

We as a community will do our best to abide by this Covenant.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Mimi Hennessy, Board President

Mimi has been a proud and active member of Neighborhood for 14  years, serving as Board Vice President for the past two. She has participated in the pastoral care and finance committees as well as volunteering as an usher and greeter and taking part in the Shakespeare Group, chalice circles, and Dining for Dollars. Now retired, Mimi served as Superintendent of Arcadia Schools. When she’s not at church, Mimi loves to volunteer, travel, read and spend time with her beloved niece, Paloma.

Elizabeth Sadlon, Vice President

Elizabeth Sadlon and her husband Tres Izzard have been active members since 2002, raising their daughters Allie and Kenzie with the church community’s loving support.  Elizabeth is a member of the Truth & Reconciliation Committee and is active in church racial equity efforts.  She has served on the finance, stewardship, and membership committees, and volunteers with many religious education and social justice activities.  Since 1996, Elizabeth has been a strategic planning consultant to social justice organizations.  She served on the founding board of Girls on the Run of Los Angeles County, including three years as chair.  Elizabeth believes in connecting through stories, raising up historically marginalized voices, and the power of our collective leadership to create joyful, equitable communities.

Andy Eaton, Treasurer

Andy Eaton has been a member of Neighborhood Church for nearly 30 years! He has two Board tenures under his belt and has chaired the Stewardship, Planned Giving, and Finance Committees (and he just added the Membership Committee to the list). Outside of church, Andy serves as Chair of the Advisory Committee for Rosebud Coffee (Coffee with a Cause) and is on several professional committees. With  a PhD from Harvard in geochemistry, Andy is mostly retired as Technical Director Emeritus for Eurofins Eaton Analytical, a potable water testing lab. He and his wife, Barbara, have two adult children and live in South Pasadena. When not babysitting their grand-twins, the “twinningworleys,” they enjoy planning trips to obscure destinations such as Alaska in the winter for the Aurora Borealis.

Eunice Howe, Trustee

Eunice Howe was born in Boston and moved to Los Angeles for a one-year job about 40 years ago.  After completing her PhD in Art History at Johns Hopkins University, she left for LA to join the USC faculty, where her one-year appointment morphed into tenure track! She has lived in the Pasadena area (including Mt. Washington and Eagle Rock) ever since.  About seven years ago, she joined Neighborhood Church.  Volunteering for the “History Project” provided a wonderful introduction to the traditions of the church.  Eunice became an usher, volunteered for events and participated in Chalice Circles.  She has served twice on the Stewardship Committee.  She loves to travel, read, write, walk, and cuddle with her dog (especially during these tough times).  She looks forward to strolling through the Huntington Gardens again.

Mary Fauvre Holmes, Trustee

Mary Fauvre Holmes’ parents, Marynette and Henry Fauvre, were members of Neighborhood Church before she was born. She grew up in the church and has served on more committees than she can count, led projects both major and minor, taught Religious Education, served on the Board of Trustees for nine years and was President of the congregation for two years. She is a retired educator and cannot find enough time to sustain her current interests: reading, swimming, acting as a CASA volunteer for a foster youth, and babysitting for her grandchildren who are fourth-generation Unitarian Universalists living in Fremont, CA.

Joyce Wedseltoft, Trustee

Joyce Wedseltoft has been a member of Neighborhood Church for 27 years. She has participated in various committees and activities over the years. Most recently she worked on the Covenant Creation Committee, a wonderful collaboration with other NUUC members. She serves on the ACAC committee which coordinates Christmas and other events offering congregants an opportunity to support local foster children. She has been part of the YRE K-1 teaching team for the past four years. In the past, she mentored a formerly homeless family through the ImagineLA organization. She proudly served on the feasibility committee which birthed Jericho Road Pasadena. She retired from a career in IT project management about four years ago. Since then, she has served as Secretary of the Fulcrum Arts Board of Directors, and takes full advantage of retirement to follow her artistic passions. She travels as often as possible. Joyce raised her daughter, Kristina, in this church and is grateful for the values shared by its supportive environment and loving community.

Julian Juarez, Trustee

Julian has been a member of Neighborhood Church for four years. Since he joined, he hit the ground running by volunteering at the Welcome Table. For the last three years, he has also volunteered as an RE teacher, where he started facilitating the middle school students and is now a High School adviser. He is also a member of the Lifelong Learning Religious Committee and was part of the Minister Intern committee two years ago. During his leisure time at church, he gets his cup of coffee and walks around enjoying the fresh air while having great conversations with everyone. He also greatly enjoys being a member of the Neighborhood People of Color group where he knows he has a safe place to decompress. When Julian graduated from USC in 2012, he started working in social services to support high school and middle school students to succeed by helping them break barriers to graduation. Outside of Neighborhood, Julian volunteers extensively with Mentor, Discover, Inspire – a men’s organization that gives men support to succeed with their families, careers, and communities. In addition, he volunteers with the youth at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Julian married his spouse, Victoria, at Neighborhood Church and they have a wonderful life in Temple City with their adorable cat, Midnight. He is dedicated to social justice and mentoring youth. He has dreams of one day opening a therapy farm and enjoys traveling, camping, spending time with his friends and family, and watching movies.

Bill Mejia, Trustee

Bill Mejia has been a member of Neighborhood Church for five years. He served on the Minister Intern committee for a year and is a current member of the Pastoral Care Committee. He also assists his partner, Mike Pankratz, at the Welcome Table for Sunday services. Outside of church, Bill volunteers as a board member for the Society of Social Work Leaders in Healthcare, and for the USC School of Social Work Latino Alumni Advisory Board. He works as the Manager for Spiritual Care, Social Work, and Palliative Care for Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. He and his partner, Mike, live in Downtown LA and have a great passion for traveling.

Mirna Peterson, Trustee

Mirna Peterson has been a church member since 1987. A former Retirement Benefits Specialist with the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, she left her job to raise her children. Participation in Neighborhood Church life over the years has included Dining for Dollars, Preschool Feasibility Study, Chalice Children, Spirit Play teacher, and the YRE Committee. She is married to fellow church member, Erik Peterson, and lives in Arcadia with two of their three daughters and a very old Papillon named Stella. Outside of Neighborhood, she is a PTA member and volunteer currently serving on the PTA board of Pasadena High School and a docent/usher at theatre company A Noise Within. She enjoys walking for exercise, cooking, reading, listening to music, and giving help where help is needed.