The Board of Directors is the visionary and governing body of Saltwater Church, asking and answering the question, “Why do we do what we do?”

Saltwater Church has six Board Members who typically serve three-year terms.  These individuals are nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected into their positions by vote of Saltwater members at our Annual Business Meetings.  Officer roles include Board President, Board Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  The Treasurer may be a Board Member or another member of our church.  The Board also supports the committees of the Board, the Healthy Congregation Team, the Nominating Team, and the taskforces and volunteer service tams by the Board. If you have any questions about the work of the Board feel free to reach out to any of our Board members.

Board Candidates for the 2024-25 Church Year

At the Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, June 9, 2024 members will be asked to vote on two candidates for the Saltwater Board, and two candidates for the Nominating Committee, which is responsible for nominating Board and NomCom members. Here are the candidates’ bios:

BOARD CANDIDATES:

Gene Swansiger

I’m a semi-retired metallurgist with a work career that has taken me from steel foundries in New Jersey, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, Washington, Illinois, and back to Washingtonover the past 50 years.

I was born and raised Catholic in Pennsylvania but gradually moved toward UU after meeting my wife, April, a lifelong UU, and getting married by a UU minister in Indianapolis some 30 years ago. I found that the UU principles resonated with me better than Catholicism.  

Our two boys, Andy and Christopher, were both born in Indianapolis.  When the boys were 5 and 3 years, we moved to a Houston suburb in 2000 and joined the Henry David Thoreau UU congregation to expose them to some religious education. At Thoreau, I volunteered as an usher and participated on the search committee for a new director of religious education.  

Since joining Saltwater in 2008, I have taught in the Lighthouse, volunteered as an usher, and helped with potlucks.  Accepting the nomination to the board represents a significant leap in commitment to the congregation which I take seriously.  I support our mission and want to help it succeed.

Sharon Crow

Hello friends! I’m Sharon, a long-time member of Saltwater Church. I’m pretty low-key and unassuming, prefer the background to the spotlight, and struggle to know what to say when asked to “tell us a little about yourself,” so please bear with me.

I’m a native-Californian who attended college in Washington and never left. Shortly after joining the Saltwater community several years ago, I chaired the Caring Team, served on the Worship Team and as a greeter, and then a few years later served on the Saltwater Board. More recently, I was a member of Saltwater’s COVID Task Force and served on the Pledge Team. When in church, you may see me with a crochet hook or knitting needles in-hand working on a project for donation, a gift for a friend, or something for one of my three grandchildren. Outside of church, I work full-time as a pharmacist in a family medicine clinic but am looking forward to beginning a new chapter of post-retirement adventures in a couple of years.

Over the years, I have watched our community refine its values, purpose, and goals and am committed to Saltwater’s efforts to continue developing a supportive, inclusive, and actively-engaged community. I would be honored to help guide and support those efforts by serving on the board and appreciate consideration for this opportunity.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE CANDIDATES:

Kathy Jorgensen:

I grew up on the east coast and moved to Seattle in 1979, about a week after I graduated from the University of North Carolina. In 1986, I moved to South King County, and in 1988 my husband and I settled in the Federal Way area. I am passionate about voting rights and environmental issues.

I have been a member of Saltwater Church since approximately 2003. I have taught the middle school and high school OWL curriculum many times, chaired the Adult RE committee, and served one term on the board. I enjoy knitting with the Creative Hands group.

I am currently a court visitor (formerly known as Guardian ad Litem) for adult guardianships in King County. Prior to retirement, I worked as a paralegal, primarily in the areas of estate planning, probate and guardianship.

Janeane Weprin (Please note that this candidate is currently in the process of changing her name to Grace Honore):

Here are a few basic facts about me. I am the mother of two marvelous children and grandmother to three wonderful grandchildren. In my career, I started out as an aerospace engineer and eight years later moved into education both as a math instructor and as an educational administrator. I retired in 2019. I was born and raised in northern California. When I was twenty-two, my then husband and I moved to Illinois where I lived for 35 years. My marriage ended after 17 years, and I became a single parent. I eventually combined households with my daughter and her husband when they became pregnant with my first grandchild, Evey. In 2013, our household, which now included my second grandchild, Zach, moved to Washington State. My son stayed in Illinois, where he was married and later had my third grandchild, Asher. Although I had a good life in Illinois, I never quite felt at home there. I am glad to be back in the Pacific Northwest.

I have been a Unitarian Universalist for over 20 years. I was born and raised in the Christian tradition, but when I was thirteen, I started to ask questions. I was told not to ask these questions, so I left that faith. I became an Agnostic and took a hiatus from any religion until I discovered our faith in my forties. I had no idea a religion such as ours existed until a friend told me about a UU church in Illinois where I lived at the time. So, I researched that church and when I read the UU principles, I knew I had found a church and a faith where I would fit in, where I could belong. I was a member of that church for 10 years. I became deeply involved in the church, singing in the choir, and serving and/or chairing many different committees. When we moved to Washington, I sought out another UU church and found Saltwater. I have been active at Saltwater, as I was with my church in Illinois. I immediately joined the choir at Saltwater and have served on various committees and teams including the Board. I am currently a member of our Worship Team and love helping with our worship services.

I believe in and honor the principles and values of Unitarian Universalism and hold them in high regard. My favorite principle is our first one – the inherent worth and dignity of every person. That one is tough. It calls me to my highest self. And of all our values, love, for me, is the most important. Love is at the center of my faith. And I believe it is at the center of our UU faith and our church.

I, like many UUs, was and still am a seeker of truth. Although I had found a religious home in Unitarian Universalism, I felt an internal calling. I wanted more. I wanted answers to life’s deepest questions. I wanted to know the truth of who I am, what I am, what life is. Unitarian Universalism does not provide the answers to these questions. Instead, our faith supports us in finding the answers for ourselves by encouraging spiritual growth and a free responsible search for truth and meaning, as stated in our 3rd and 4th principles. In 2005, I embarked on a process of deep spiritual inquiry. This process gave me a way to discover the truth of reality for myself. It has opened my heart and made me a better, more loving person, and a better UU.

I love Saltwater Church, but what is our church? Our church is us. We collectively are our church. So, when I say I love our church I am saying I love us. There is just something about us. I find us to be such good, kind, loving, justice-seeking, and accepting people. We care about each other, and about the world, and we demonstrate that in our words and our deeds. Maybe it is our principles and our values that make us who we are, or maybe we come to this church and hold its values and principles because of who we are. Or both. It is hard to say. The proverbial chicken or the egg. Our church is a precious and rare jewel in the world. It is because of who we are that I do what I can to serve our church, to serve you, to serve us. It is an honor and a blessing to do so.

Board Focus for the 2023-24 Church Year 

Each August, the board defines the goals for the church year that has just begun. The 2023-34 Goals were:

The Consensus was that our most critical priorities for the 2023-2024 Church Year are:

• Foster a Culture of Fun, Growth, and Belonging at Saltwater Church
• Cultivate Volunteers to Support the Ministry
• Safeguard SWUUC’s Financial Health

We’ve worked on these goals by developing our Faith Formation Sunday program, hosting volunteer fairs and new member classes, and re-starting our Holiday Bazaar and Spring Auction fundraisers for the first time since COVID closures.

The 2023-24 Board of Directors are:

Board Meetings

The Board of Directors meet monthly from 7-9 p.m in the Saltwater Church Zoom Room. All church Members are welcome to attend virtually. Please let the President know if you plan to join us, and introduce yourself when you sign in.

Board Minutes 

Minutes from 2024

Minutes from 2023

Minutes from the 2022-23 Church Year

Current Taskforces

Safety Taskforce: Our Safety Taskforce meets monthly in the Church Zoom Room. Their current focus is on our security, our outdoor lighting, and updating our emergency practices.

Rental Taskforce: Our Rental Task Force is currently looking for a tenant to take the place of Planting Flowers Early Learning Center, which will soon be moving to an expanded facility.

Nominations Committee (NomCom)

This team is responsible for finding volunteers for two positions on the Church Board and two positions for the “NomCom” itself. Team members serve a two-year commitment. The meeting time is variable. If you are interested in participating on the nominating team, please contact one of our current NomCom members.

• Mayda Taney
• Carol Mitchell
• Saphronia Young
• Christina Frueh

Healthy Congregation Team

Why have a Healthy Congregation Team at Saltwater Church?

At Saltwater Church, we recognize that occasional conflict is natural in any organization and that the difference between healthy and unhealthy organizations is not whether conflict is present, but how it is addressed. We want to address conflict in a healthy manner, and the Healthy Congregation Team helps us to this.

More specifically, the Healthy Congregation Team has three purposes:

To promote healthy communication practices within the congregation.

To consult with any member of the congregation regarding how to deal with any situation that has the potential for conflict.

To help resolve conflict between members of the congregation.

To find out more about the Healthy Congregation team and how to contact them, click here.