Q. We have some furniture that was donated to our congregation long ago. We'd like to replace it with newer pieces that will function and look better, but we've learned that the person who donated it would probably be hurt if we got rid of it. I'm no furniture appraiser but I believe this furniture was probably ready for the discard pile when we got it.

The same thing happens in our nursery. How do we keep people from giving us toys and furniture that we'd be embarrassed to use?

(Name Withheld)

A. My congregation figured out a fairly clever way to handle this, said Gila Jones of the UU Church of South County, Mission Viejo, CA (95 members). We have a person who was appointed the Aesthetics Coordinator. She must approve all donations and decide where pictures will be hung, etc. She is a rather assertive person who doesn't have much difficulty saying "no."

Q. Can anyone provide guidance on how UU congregations might deal with the risk of the millenium bug? Our congregation has not taken any action on this question yet, but I would like to help them with this if I can.

George Buchanan
First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, Canada (495)

A. The best response I can give, says Jim Mason, a member of the UUA's Electronic Communications Committee, is to refer you to an excellent article on the subject in the on-line PC magazine.

Barbara Santorella, the UUA's Local Area Network Manager, adds, "You can check Y2K BIOS compatability by going to the vendor's web site. For example, if you have a Dell PC, go to www.dell.com and follow the links for Y2K compatability. For OS (operating systems compatability) you can go to Microsoft's Y2K website.

Here is a question occasionally asked of Ralph Mero, the UUA's director of church staff finances. He can be reached at 617 742-2100, ext. 404.

Q. Our interim minister purchased a laptop computer to use during her time with us.  Can she take it with her as personal property when she leaves?

A. We have been told by an accounting firm specializing in tax information for religious organizations that, if the minister advanced the money for the purchase and is reimbursed from an Accountable Expense Reimbursement Plan, then the computer can be considered her personal property, and she can take the computer with her when she leaves.  It would be treated the same as books, journals, or a pulpit robe. If the computer was purchased out of the church's equipment budget, then it is property of the congregation and she should leave it behind.

Q. Some in our congregation would like for the church to occasionally take a public stand on issues that affect our community. Our concern is that we know we'll probably never get 100 percent of the members to agree on anything. Do we need unanimity to use the church's name in this manner?

Gene Ward, director of religious education
All Souls UU Church,
Braintree, MA (70 )

A. If your congregation is committed to the democratic process, it is improper to consider 100 percent as necessary for the church to make public a statement of conscience, says Walter Herz, First Unitarian Church, Cincinnati, OH (227). Too many UUs make the mistake of thinking "democratic process" and "consensus" are synonymous. If your congregation understands that democracy means the majority rules, then there should not be any obstacle to what you want to do provided a majority is in favor of it.

This being said, where a stand may be controversial—and most declarations of conscience tend to be—I would suggest specifying that a supermajority is required when voting. Perhaps something in the neighborhood of 75 to 90 percent is appropriate. The objective is to preclude a relatively small percent of the congregation from frustrating action about which the vast majority feels strongly—generally something that expresses deeply held values.