During this time of transition, the Board will continue to stay in touch with you to provide ongoing updates through email, Reflecting with the Board sessions, and soon we will create a space on our website to convey additional transition information. Below please find some of our recent updates and helpful context.

We are excited to share with you the Board has coordinated a town hall style Zoom meeting with Rev. David Pyle, our Regional Lead for the Mid-Americas region of the UUA, to provide an overview of transition processes. He will answer questions about the transitions we’ve embarked upon and how we’ve been working together thus far. Please join us on Monday, May 10, 2021 at 7pm. Mark your calendars and note the Zoom link here.

The Board has been quickly getting up to speed on transition resources available to our congregation from the UUA, as well as leveraging our network, including many of you who have been through transitions before (some of you “at least six times!”) and our friends and leaders in other congregations who have experience to share. In contrast to the selection of a settled/called minister, which is longer, more complex, and relies on much input from the broader congregation, culminating in a vote, the interim search process is fast-paced. We have formed a sub-committee of the Board and are proceeding through the structured timeline and processes of seeking an interim minister.  There is a small pool of trained UU Interim Ministers. Interim Ministers have a specific skill set. They have a short-term goal of assisting a congregation with moving toward a settled minister. Interim Ministers are engaged as close to immediately after a settled minister leaves, necessitating a short timeline. For these reasons, the Interim is hired by the Board of Trustees of a given Congregation, and is not called by the Congregation. This is codified in the Unity Temple ByLaws, found here and is UUA Policy.  Our interim minister search committee submitted our UTUUC application for an Interim Minister within the UUA minister search portal on April 26, 2021.  The Board expects to receive names of approximately three interested candidates by May 3, 2021.   Between May 3–May 17, the Board sub-committee will review interested candidates to determine a good match for UTUUC and make a recommendation to the Board. Thanks to all of you who have already reached out to the Board and offered your willingness to work on an Interim Minister transition team which will launch following our search process. We are still seeking volunteers to serve on this team to support the eventual transition of our interim minister. Contact us at BoT@unitytemple.org. We will continue to live into our covenant as your trustees and very much appreciate your ongoing support and guidance. Please contact us at BoT@unitytemple.org.

In gratitude, Your UTUUC Board of Trustees

Ed McDevitt, President Julie Willoughby, Vice President Kimberly Brumirski Aisha Ellis Amanda Kaleta-Kott

Stephanie Kiesling Stephen Lee, Secretary Alice Ocrey Rich Pokorny

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