The Search Committee thanks those of you who completed the Congregational Survey. The
committee is studying the results. The next phase of the search for which we need your help
will be the Search Parties and Focus Groups.
The Search Parties are meetings at which structured conversations are facilitated by Search
Committee members. They are open to all congregants. Multiple dates are offered for in person
meetings at the church or via Zoom to give everyone an opportunity to attend a party. The first
Search Party will be Thursday, August 31. The last one will be September 22. Please sign up in
Church Center or at the Search Table in Howson Hall.
Focus group meetings are targeted at specific groups within the church who represent various
demographic communities and ministries within the congregation. They help the Search
Committee in its discernment of the ministry needs at First UU by giving the Search Committee
the benefit of the lived experience of members of these groups. Meeting invitations are sent to
these groups. Sign up in Church Center or at the Search Table in Howson Hall is appreciated.
If you don’t receive an invitation but see a meeting for a focus group with which you identify,
you can sign up. Focus groups will be in September.
One more activity we encourage you to attend is the Breaking Barriers: Building Beliefs
workshop. It is designed to help us examine current biases in our congregation and give those
present an opportunity to discuss what they would do when these biases occur in our
congregation’s ministry. It will be facilitated by a UUA trainer via Zoom. Everyone is
encouraged to participate. The date is Saturday, Sept. 9 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. More
information including a Zoom link will be sent soon.
Our church has not done this type of in-depth exploration of what we need in our settled
ministry since our last search for a settled minister 13 years ago. We are not the same church.
That is why the Search Committee wants to hear from you in order to discern what our
congregation needs in its next settled ministry. The charge to the Search Committee from the
Board is to present a candidate to the congregation to call as its next settled minister. The
Board also charged the Search Committee with giving first consideration to Rev. Chris as our
Inside Candidate.
The Search Committee will conduct its discernment of the Congregational Survey, Search Party
and Focus Group meeting results and feedback from the Breaking Barriers: Building Beliefs
workshop, identify the qualities needed in the ministry at First UU, and review the Ministerial
Record provided by Rev. Chris in early October.
The committee will meet with Rev. Chris to discuss its discernment as well as the
Congregational Record and his Ministerial Record. If the Search Committee and Rev. Chris
mutually agree that he is a good match for the congregation’s needs in its ministry, the Search
Committee will ask the Board to announce a congregational meeting to vote to call Rev. Chris
as our Settled Minister. We will announce our decision to the Congregation on Sunday, Oct. 8.
The potential congregational meeting is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 29.
For more information, please refer to the Search Committee FAQ’s and the list of important
dates related to the search which are available on-line.
