Dear Eliot Family, 

With sadness, love, and gratitude, I am writing to let you know that I will retire at the end of this church year, June 30, 2022.  

I am completing my ninth year as your lead minister, a role I have cherished. My health is good. I am pleased to have gotten back so much after a lung transplant, and you’ll never know how much I have appreciated your support. But I notice that I have less energy than I used to. My compromised immune system is a worry around groups of people. I also feel my call to parish ministry diminishing. The fact is, lung transplantees have a shortened life expectancy. I know people who get as many as 28 years, and I aim to be one of them! But I have no idea. I would like to retire when I’m still healthy and Robert and I can enjoy ourselves. 

Just as importantly, Eliot Chapel will be at a significant moment as the pandemic subsides. The world has changed, we’ve changed, and you will need to figure out who you are as a community now, what resources you have, and what you want to be going into the future. This will call for a new vision, and I believe a new lead minister would serve you best. 

It has been a wonderful nine years. I could never have predicted all the things we accomplished together, or the changes we’ve gone through. I have watched you grow so much in this time, and felt this community get bolder, kinder, and wiser as we have grown together. I love you. 

Please know that for the remaining 5 months of the church year, I am still your lead minister, still present and committed to this community. We will create opportunities to say goodbye to each other and to celebrate all that we have created together. I have much confidence in you as you move forward. 

Your Board Chair Steve Harvey has been in touch with the UUA about next steps and will tell you more in his letter that accompanies mine. 

In Love and Faith,

Rev. Barbara H. Gadon

Message from the Board of Eliot Chapel 

On behalf of the Board of Eliot Chapel, I wanted to share some thoughts regarding what's ahead for our community. As you now know, Rev. Barbara is taking a well-deserved retirement on June 30th which is the end of our fiscal year. We wish her well. And, we're grateful that she gave us a generous amount of advanced notice so that we can start planning for our future. 

This is a loss for Eliot. But a ministerial transition is also a time for new beginnings. With change comes renewal, growth, and unforeseen opportunity. We're all in this together, and that togetherness is the best way for us to move forward and to thrive. Over the following months, I urge everyone to stay involved. Attend services, try Zoom coffee hour, meet someone new from Eliot, try out a covenant group, and make sure that your pledges are up to date. There will be opportunities to celebrate our community and our accomplishments, and to say our goodbyes to Barbara. Eliot is truly something special, and all of your support and commitment is deeply felt and appreciated. 

The board has taken the initial steps to start the search for an interim minister to lead us in the near term, probably starting August of this year. During that upcoming period of interim ministry, we'll have ample time to search for a new settled minister for the longer term. 

Change can be stressful, and many of us will have questions and concerns. The Board will host a Zoom meeting at 11:00 am on this Sunday, January 16, to answer questions. Watch for the link in the Eliot on Zoom email Sunday morning. Or, you can email me directly at chair@eliotchapel.org.

Sincerely yours, 

Steve Harvey 

Chair of the Board, 2021-2022