The Board will provide ongoing updates on our transition process through email, and we have created a space on our website for transition resources which you can find here!
Please mark your calendars for Monday, May 10, 2021 at 7pm for a Zoom meeting (link here) with Rev. David Pyle, Regional Lead for the Mid-America region of the UUA. Rev. Pyle will provide an overview of the transition processes, how he supports congregations like ours through this time, and how he has been working with us thus far. He will be answering questions from the congregation as well. We hope you can join us!
We are excited to report that the interim minister search subcommittee has received ministerial records through the UUA search portal for eight ministers interested in exploring a match with UTUUC. Over the next week and a half our work is to discern who might be best able to support us in a healthy transition from the past, into the present and on toward the future as we aspire to live into our mission.

The interim search timeline calls for us to make decisions about candidates by May 17, in order for the Board to ultimately extend an offer to our top candidate by May 19. What happens if we are not able to make a match in this round? If we need to, we will have the opportunity to participate in a second round that happens between May 24–June 9. 

Thank you to all of you who have expressed willingness to serve on a transitions team to eventually support our interim minister. We are not yet to the point of actually forming the team and appreciate your patience. Please see the end of this message for more information on the Transition Team.

Please stay tuned for updates on the farewell celebration for Rev. Taylor. The planning team continues to explore dates and venues, with some options to celebrate earlier in the summer than originally thought possible. Thanks to all who are contributing your generous time and energy!
In service to community,
Your UTUUC Board of Trustees
Kimberly Brumirski
Aisha Ellis
Amanda Kaleta-Kott
Stephanie Kiesling
Stephen Lee, Secretary

Ed McDevitt, President
Alice Ocrey
Rich Pokorny
Julie Willoughby, Vice President

More Information on the role of the Transition Team
If you are interested in knowing more about the important role of the Transition Team, please find excerpts from In the Interim | Skinner House Books | UUA.org which provide some context for how and when the teams might be: 

"With the assistance of the Board of Trustees, the interim minister may appoint a Transition Team. This group can give the interim invaluable information about the congregation’s culture and circumstances, and can strategize with the interim to discover how to engage both the leadership and the rest of the congregation in interim tasks. The team can serve as both a planning group and a progress monitor. 

The Transition Team may be chosen by the Board according to the interim minister’s instructions before the interim arrives, and certainly before the interim has been there long enough to know who would make good team members. Some interim ministers give the Transition Team the initial task of planning the interim minister’s calendar for the first couple of weeks on site, including individual meetings with each Board member, committee chair, and staff member. Some interims prefer to wait until they arrive and then to consult in person with the Board so that interim and Board jointly appoint members of the team. Another typical early task of a Transition Team is scheduling house meetings to help the congregation get to know the interim and understand more about what to expect during the interim period."