The Board of Trustees is elected each year at UCV’s Annual General Meeting in November.

Board meetings are generally held on the third Tuesday of each month, except there is no meeting in July. The board meeting in December is held on the Tuesday of the month.

Board forums are generally held on the third Sunday of each month, with the next forum taking place January 15, 2023 on finances.

Scroll down for board-sponsored upcoming events and recent posts from the board.

Current board members (2022-23)

President: Mairy Beam

Mairy joined UCV in early 2017 shortly after their move to Vancouver, very grateful to have found a home in this community. Prior to that they had been a member of the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto and the Elora-Fergus Fellowship. For five years Mairy has enjoyed working with the children in the RE program, in the excellent programs chosen by Kiersten. As a member of the earth spirit group, the GSA, IPA and Zero Waste they have gotten to know
many members.

Mairy’s three-year stint on the Board, two as secretary, as well as chairing the Human Resources committee has broadened their understanding of the structure and operations of UCV and given them appreciation for our fine staff. Mairy has served on the Board of three coops as well as the South Granville Seniors Centre.

This should be an interesting year as we finalize preparations for our settled minister. Mairy looks forward to relying on the wisdom of the congregation. They have seen this wisdom in the way we listen respectfully to one another, the way we keep an open mind, and the way we can admit our mistakes and learn from them.

Vice President: Cheryl Amundsen

Cheryl and her family began attending UCV in 1998. She and her husband chose UCV as a place where their children would grow up to appreciate a variety of spiritual ideas and learn to work with others from different backgrounds. Cheryl has taken on many roles at UCV over the years.

She was active in the children and youth programs for many years. She is currently in the fifth year of her term as a Lay Chaplain, a personally rewarding role and important outreach service to the broader community. She also coordinates the Sunday community candle lighting.

Cheryl is Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University. Her recent retirement allows her the opportunity to devote more time to UCV. She is excited about the work of Vice President to the UCV Board, understanding that it will afford a great opportunity to learn during an exciting time in UCV history.

Secretary: Lynn Armstrong

Lynn is a member of the Ministerial Transition Team and the Governance Implementation Task Force and has been active with our Social Justice, Environment, Canvass and UU Connections teams in the past. She has been a Unitarian for over 30 years, joining us when moving here in 2015. She served in many congregational roles over the years and has been involved in the regional and national levels of our Unitarian movement. This year, she completed a three year term on the Canadian Unitarian Council Nominating Committee. Lynn describes herself as a retired social worker and happy grandmother, honoured to continue serving as secretary on our Board of Trustees during this interesting time of transition.

Treasurer: Karen Bartlett

Karen joined UCV in 1989. In the intervening years, she has been in choir, served on the Worship Services Committee, and helped design workshops to welcome new members into the congregation. Most recently she served on the UCV Board of Directors as a member at large, and then three terms as Secretary of the Board. Karen has also served on community Boards of Directors, including in her housing Co-Op, where she was Treasurer for two terms of office.

Karen looks forward to working closely with the UCV Finance Committee as we move forward into this very exciting period in the history of UCV, welcoming a new settled minister.

Members At-Large (5)

Karin Hall

Karin has been attending UCV since 2009 and became a member in 2013. She has been a member of the R.E. Committee and the coffee service team, coordinated youth lunches, and recently joined the Starting Point (formerly New U in a Day) team. UCV has been a great support for Karin and her daughter and she wants to help keep UCV a thriving and supportive community for all. Karin has been a librarian for 30 years and loves films, reading, the outdoors, and being part of a welcoming community.

Louise Bunn

Louise has an absorbing interest in nature religions, wrote the widely popular UU ARE curriculum “Paganism 101”, and recently completed her master’s degree in “Myth, Cosmology, and the Sacred” at  the University of Canterbury in the UK. She has been an active member of UCV since 1996. She has been a lay chaplain, on the search committee and an active member of the worship  committee. She is currently a youth advisor, a lay chaplain, and an active member of the Pagan  group, helping to lead public rituals and teaching classes for ARE.

Louise works as a sculptor and painter with a busy studio on Granville Island. In her artwork, she is inspired by the processes of change and transformation, and is interested in how we, as human beings, find meaning during our time here.

Ingrid Luters

Ingrid was first drawn to UCV Sunday services by the message of “Diverse Beliefs – Shared Values” displayed on the signage at the corner of Oak and 49th. After finding a welcoming, socially active congregation and Rev. Steven Epperson’s intellectually and spiritually challenging homilies, she became a member in 2019.

As a lifelong printing and publishing professional, Ingrid is interested in anything that has to do with books and enjoys the book/magazine offerings of the library and participates in Book Bash. As a continuing member of the Board, Ingrid would like to help grow UCV membership in numbers and diversity. To this end, she will pay particular attention to the selection process for the next settled minister which she believes is a critical decision for the future of UCV.

Ralph Theroux

In 2016, Ralph and his wife moved from New York to Vancouver, and began attending services at UCV. They felt at home here and before long became members. Ralph had retired after more than five decades in the thoroughbred horse racing industry — the last 15 years as a racing official — and they moved here to be close to their older daughter and her family, including their first grandchild. In 2019 Ralph joined the greeters’ team at UCV, which has given him the
opportunity to meet many fellow members. He enjoys this role tremendously. If you don’t see him at a Sunday service, he’s probably in California with his younger daughter and her family. Ralph is happy to be part of UCV, and he looks forward to serving as a Member-at-Large of the Board.

Catherine Ponsford

Catherine has been orbiting around UCV for over 20 years, coming and going with the ebbing and flowing of life. She has been on the HR Committee and in the choir, and has just completed two years as a member at large on the Board. She is chair of the Governance Implementation Task force, working to implement our new governance structures into our foundational policies, procedures, and Terms of Reference. She sees this as a pivotal time for UCV, as we seek a new settled minister and continue to grow and evolve in our changing city and world. Catherine works full time for government and is raising two amazing teenage daughters.

Minister: Rev. Lara Cowtan

The minister is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board of Trustees. Link to bio

View recent Governance posts from the Board:

Upcoming Board and General Meetings

No Events

Anyone who has been a member for at least three months can vote at a general meeting.

To stand for election you must have been a member for six months.