Board

From the President of the Board of Trustees

Meet Bruce Lindsay, Our New Board of Trustees President
 
I grew up attending the CSA every summer, where I worked as a lifeguard and taught swimming and lifesaving. There was a 35-year hiatus when I used limited vacation time to hike in our national parks or travel to other countries. We bought the family cottage in 2006, and after retiring in 2019, my wife Liz and I enjoy summers at the CSA, where we are visited by our three adult children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren. We moved from Cleveland to Augusta, GA, to be closer to family, and celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary this year.
 
I am a retired Cardiologist and was a Professor of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the Cleveland Clinic, where I directed Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and was Vice Chair of Cardiology. I was active in professional organizations, which included serving as Chair of the Board of Governors for the American College of Cardiology, President of the Heart Rhythm Society, chaired international scientific sessions, and served on budget and finance committees for both organizations.
 
Hobbies include hiking, swimming, and sailing our Hobie Getaway, so you can look for me on the beach. Liz has helped with the Cottage Treasures program. "CSA relatives" include my sister Neta Pringle and nieces Beth Congbalay and Kate Pringle.
 
New LeadershipBoard of Trustees Officers - Gary Dawley, Bruce Lindsay, Lisa Dunphey, Beth SeatonI joined the CSA Board last year and was asked to follow Jenn Swetland as President of the Board following our recent Annual Meeting. She did such an outstanding job and is working with me to make a smooth transition. I plan to meet with many of the committee chairs to assess some of the challenges and opportunities ahead.
 
One of the striking characteristics of the CSA is that it is a member driven organization that depends on volunteers to serve in leadership capacities or to contribute to the broad range of activities that the CSA offers. In aggregate, volunteers support buildings and grounds, recreational activities, the arts program, the youth program, education, fund raising, spiritual life, communications, and others. Volunteers also provide governance by serving as committee chairs and through participation on the committees. In short, volunteers are our greatest asset. One of the challenges the Board will discuss is how we can encourage people to participate in committee or community activities and make it easier for them when their time is so limited. I anticipate that we will add this to our discussions in the open forums as we move forward. I look forward to an exciting year!
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Officers of the Assembly

President: Bruce Lindsay

  

Secretary: Beth Seaton

Vice President: Lisa Dunphey

  

Treasurer: Gary Dawley
Ex Officio President:  Jennifer Swetland
 
    
Board of Trustees    

2023-2026

Chris Dow
 
Merry Elrick
 
Joni Leete
 
Martha Moore
 
Chris Sturgis
 

2024-2027

Ginanne Brownell
 
Dan Cartlidge
 
Lisa Dunphey
 
Bruce Lindsay
 
Ellen Petrick
 

2025-2028

Megan Royle Carrella

Nate Dennison

John Devine

Joe Hollenbeck

Alison Siles

Women's Association:

Tammy Moore
 
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From the Board of Trustees

Click here to download a pdf of the Report: Working Group on Community and Belonging
 
Prepared for the Board of Trustees of the Congregational Summer Assembly
Date: October 1, 2025
 
Background
 
The Trustees established the Working Group in 2023 to examine diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the CSA today. During the summer of 2024, the group led a participatory process that invited the CSA community to reflect on diversity, inclusion, and belonging across the history of the CSA. During the summer of 2025, we led a participatory process to reflect on what people value about the CSA (what do we mean when we speak of The CSA Way) as a way to provide guidance for current and future leaders.
 
Methods

In 2024, the Working Group hosted nine weekly sessions on Community and Belonging, reaching approximately 100 participants. These sessions provided a platform for members to share experiences and reflections on diversity and inclusion within the CSA community. Additionally, the Working Group conducted in-depth interviews and research in the CSA Archives.

In 2025, the Working Group convened two structured conversations called, Values and Vision. Each meeting was open to the community and announced through the Assembly News, CSA social media, newsletter, white board postings, and CSA 411. Forty-two people participated.

Both years the conversations were facilitated through a combination of small and large group discussions. In 2024 we broke off into small groups and responded to a series of prompts to promote discussion. In 2025, we used small and group exercises to elicit shared values that have been important, are important now, or may be important to future generations. Participants worked together to develop a prioritized list of values.
 
Shared Values that Emerged from the 2025 Conversations (in order of importance as determined by participant votes)
 
  • Sense of Community
  • Multi-generational learning, fun and connection
  • Stewardship
  • Respect for the Natural World
  • Hospitality
  • Acceptance
  • Well-being for ourselves and our families/Renewal/Retreat
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Participation in the Arts
  • Kindness
  • Volunteerism
  • Respect
Questions that emerged from the 2025 Conversations:
 
  • How can the Trustees use these values to guide their leadership and decision-making?
  • How can Committees and staff use these values as a compass for their work?
  • Is there benefit in periodic reflection on our shared values? If so, should the CSA develop a plan to repeat the 2025 community conversations going forward?
Questions that emerged from the 2024 Conversations:
 
  • Given our diversity, how can we support the spiritual growth of all of our members as we strengthen our capacity to build genuine affirming relationships across our membership?
  • How can we engage younger generations in conversations that both mentor and value their unique experiences and visions to help the CSA innovate and evolve?
  • Can we develop and establish a new way of verifying membership that is both consistent and considerate (especially at the beach)?
  • How can we build relationships with newcomers and new family members, fostering engagement so they are truly connected to and welcomed in the CSA community
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News from the Secretary of the Board of Trustees

Who Can Vote at the CSA and How Does it Work?


By Bruce Lindsay, Board President

Members may be confused about the CSA bylaws regulating who can or cannot vote on proposed bylaw Amendments. With respect to the proposed bylaw amendment that is up for a vote at our Annual Meeting on August 1, 2026, the simple answer is that every Member and Associate member is entitled to one and only one vote.

The Annual Meeting will begin at 9:30 AM in the Assembly Building. There is some sensitivity about the proposed bylaw amendment, so we will use written ballots to provide more confidentiality for an individual’s vote. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast is required for an amendment to pass.

Now I will address some questions or scenarios that might be raised about voting at the CSA.

  1. What is the difference between a Member and an Associate Member?

Answer: Members own property on the Assembly grounds.   

    • Members are adults who are named as owners on the deed for which the title is held on property of the Congregational Summer Assembly. A property can consist of one or more lots or a partial lot with a cottage or a combination of partial lots that is registered with the CSA. Members who own property can vote even if a house has not been built on it. Throughout this discussion I will use the term lot-owning Members for clarity.
    • Subdivided or partial lot owners qualify as lot owning Members if the partial lot “contained a separate, additional habitable dwelling prior to January 1, 1988.
    • Associate Members do not own real property on the Assembly Grounds. They must apply to the Membership Committee and meet certain criteria to become Associate Members.
  1. I am an Associate Member. When can I vote and when can’t I vote?

Answer: Each Associate Member is entitled to one vote on most amendments and motions. However, some issues are restricted to lot owning members. Associate Members are not entitled to vote on any action that would:
A.  Amend bylaws dealing with voting rights
B. Actions that:
i) cause a major change to the natural appearance of the Assembly, or
ii) involve a major change in the uses or availability for sale of Assembly property, or a major purchase of additional Assembly property, or
iii) authorize any basic change in the character of the program of the Assembly
C. Motions interpreting or defining the scope of limitations provided in A and B.

  1. I am a “Renewable Ticket Holder”, but not a Member or Associate Member of the CSA. Am I entitled to vote?

Answer: No. Renewable Ticket Holders are not entitled to vote.

  1. I am a lot owning Member with multiple family members who are listed on the deed. Can every CSA Member of my family vote if they are listed on the deed?

Answer: Every person in the family who is a CSA lot owning Member is entitled to one vote on most issues. However, there are specific issues defined in our bylaws that are limited to one vote for each property. In such cases:

    • There is only one vote per property no matter how many names are on the deed / legal instrument. By precedent and practice contiguous and non-contiguous lots owned by the same party are combined for 1 vote no matter how many tax bills they received. This has been done over the years to avoid undue influence by a single individual or family.
    • If there are multiple owners on a deed / legal instrument, then the multiple owners must decide among themselves how to cast their single vote.
    • If multiple owners from the same property vote the same way, their vote will only be counted once. If they vote differently, they will be cancelled and none of the votes will count.

The issues limiting lot owning members to one vote per property are as follows:

A.  Bylaw amendments dealing with voting rights
B.  Actions that:

i) cause a major change to the natural appearance of the Assembly, or
ii) involve a major change in the uses or availability for sale of Assembly property, or a major purchase of additional Assembly property, or
iii) authorize any basic change in the character of the program of the Assembly

C. Motions interpreting or defining the scope of limitations provided in A and B.
 
  1. What if I am a lot owning member and own two separate properties on the CSA. Would that entitle me to vote twice?

Answer:

    • For most issues you are entitled to one vote.
    • If the issue were restricted to lot owning Members and you own two separate properties with houses, you are entitled to 2 votes. Alternatively, your vote could represent one property and another member on the deed could vote as a representative of the second property. One vote for each property.
  1. Can I designate a proxy to represent my vote if I cannot attend the meeting?

Answer: Lot-owning Members are entitled to designate a proxy, but Associate Members are not entitled to proxy votes.

  1. I am a lot-owning Member and cannot attend the meeting, so how do I designate a proxy?

Answer: It’s a bit complicated, so read this carefully before you request a proxy.

    • As a lot-owning Member, you can file a proxy vote with the CSA Board Secretary at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Please plan ahead to avoid any problems with a last-minute request that would overburden our volunteers.
    • You must delegate your vote to another lot-owning Member and instruct that person how to vote on your behalf.
    • You cannot designate an Associate Member to serve as your proxy.
    • On the day before the Annual Meeting, the Secretary must check the Eligible Voter List for each proxy to certify that the person is a Lot Owning Member and has been assigned to serve as the proxy.
    • The Secretary will give a list of proxy holders to the Membership Committee and they will require the proxy holder to sign the Eligible Voter List on the signature line of the Lot Owning Member whom they represent.
    • The Secretary retains the list for our records.
    • The proxy is given a Yellow Card to use when voting.
    • No more than 5 proxy votes can be held by one person

 

CALL FOR THE 2026 ANNUAL MEETING

The Congregational Summer Assembly Annual Meeting will be held on August 1, 2026 at 9:30am at the Assembly Building located at 2128 Pilgrim Highway, Frankfort, MI. 

Click here to read the 2026 Annual Meeting Agenda and Reports

 

Proposed Bylaw Change - The Community and Belonging Working Group is proposing a change to the CSA Bylaws that will be voted on at the 2026 Annual Meeting. The amendment will be open for questions or comments at the Open Forum scheduled for July 9, 2026, at the Assembly Building. If there are no major objections, the proposed amendment will be voted on at the 2026 Annual Meeting. Every Member and Associate Member has one vote. This motion relates to SECTION III. BOARD OF TRUSTEES, C. Eligibility.  

Proposed Amendment: The Working Group on Community and Belonging move that Bylaw Section III C. Eligibility be amended to read as follows: All persons elected to the Board of Trustees shall be Members or Associate Members in good standing of the Assembly and shall demonstrate their willingness to promote the physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual welfare of its constituency. Not less than three-fifths shall consist of Members, a spouse of a Member, or an adult child of a Member at the time of their election to the Board of Trustees. After an elected Trustee has served for a term of three years, he/she shall not be eligible to be reelected or reappointed until one year has elapsed.

For more information regarding the rationale behind this recommended amendment, please click this link.

Members eligible to vote who are unable to attend the Annual Meeting can file a proxy vote with the Secretary at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Proxy voting is a form of voting whereby a Lot Owning Member delegates his or her voting power to a Lot Owning Member who owns another property to enable a vote in their absence.

If you are unable to attend, you may designate another Lot Owning Member as your proxy to vote for you. The Lot Owning Member voting your proxy must attend the meeting and they vote on your behalf. So please discuss your wishes with your Proxy so they vote the way you want.

Proxies do not count towards a quorum. Click this link to download a pdf proxy form. Please email your proxy vote to Beth Seaton or place in the Secretary’s PO Box at the Assembly Building, by July 31, 2026 at 9:29 am. No more than 5 proxy votes shall be held by one person. Associate Members are not permitted to designate proxies.

 

Know all persons by these presents. That I _____________________________________________________________

of ____________________________________________________________________do hereby constitute and appoint _____________________________________

  _______________________________________ my proxy at the meeting of the Congregational Summer Assembly to be held at CSA on the _____day of ____________ 20____.

CSA Summer Street Address ______________________________________________________________________________

CSA Lot No.(s) _______________________________________________________

Signature ____________________________________________________________

Date   _____________________________________

2025 Annual Meeting

Click here to read the CSA July 26, 2025 Annual Meeting Draft Minutes

2024 Annual Meeting

Click here to read the CSA August 3, 2024 Annual Meeting Draft Minutes

2023 Annual Meeting 

Click here to read the CSA July 29, 2023 Annual Meeting Draft Minutes

 

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