Ministerial Search Committee

 
Ministerial Search Committee Members

Debby Bergh     Co-Chair
Tom Hyde         Co-Chair
Gene Bergman
Jeff Byam
Martha Fitzgerald
Paula Fives-Taylor
John Grimm

You may contact the Committee by emailing MinisterialSearch@uusociety.org

Announcing our Candidate 
for Senior Minister,
Rev. Mara J. Dowdall!

Click here to read the announcement from our Ministerial Search Committee dated May 2, 2013.

Click here to read the important announcement dated April 30, 2013, from our Search Committee!

A copy of the First UU Society's Congregational Record completed for this search may be found by going to the Board Page in the Member's section of the website.

Profile of the Minister We Seek

During this transition period we have learned much about ourselves and are energized and ready for the next step of calling a settled minister. We are poised at this time in our history having gained clarity of mission – “to gather together to inspire spiritual growth, care for each other and our community, seek the truth and act for justice” – and we endeavor to call a minister who is excited and inspired to join with us as we strive to bring to life this mission within our individual lives, between us, and within the broader community as a whole.

We envision our minister as a dynamic inspirational spiritual leader who is grounded and personable as an individual. We see him/her embracing the mysteries of life and using the breadth and depth of the worlds religions, philosophies and traditions to support us in a reflective search for truth and making or discovery of meaning, that results in spiritual growth in our lives individually and collectively, and an ability to act for justice.

We envision a minister who is skilled at utilizing the worship service, incorporating music and the arts as direct avenues to the spirit and who, through the sermon, is able to engage members in thoughtful, intellectually stimulating experiences that ultimately inspire and create opportunities for this spiritual growth and enacting of shared values.

A large part of the important work that has been accomplished during this transition period has been the embracing of a shared ministry model. As an example members are expanding their active participation in the ministry of the church by taking on leadership roles and ministering to one another and within the larger community in meaningful and important ways that may have once been thought of as solely the minister’s role (as with the Care Network Ministry where members have received training and are supported by the minister to meet some of the pastoral care needs of members). For this shared ministry to grow and develop it will require dynamic leadership and facilitation by our settled minister that continues to foster and support the inspiration and empowerment of members to identify and embrace meaningful shared ministry opportunities both within the church and beyond.

While we as UUs recognize the need for all of us to live our UU values and principles on a daily basis, there is an identified desire and expectation by members that the minister plays an important role as a prominent community leader connected to seeking the truth and acting for justice. In this way the minister helps honor and hold true to our congregational history of social action and ultimately with creating a brighter and more just future for all. We recognize the essential role of the minister in supporting growth in membership and financial stewardship in order to realize this vision.

Finally, there is a recognition of the importance of continuing to build connections between members and across generations that foster the strong bonds that exist as well as to broaden and deepen these connections. We also endeavor to reach beyond our walls as an open, welcoming and inclusive congregation that is a desirable place for people to come to grow spiritually across the lifespan, embrace and care for one another, search for meaning, and act for justice. The ability of the minister to foster this process through skilled community building, listening, and the connecting of people within the congregation and beyond, will be essential as we grow and develop our membership and remain a vibrant inclusive place that is experienced as, and recognized to be, a beacon of hope and action in a time of need.

The UUA Ministerial Search Process

First UU Ministerial Search Timeline

Ministerial Search Confidentiality 

Ministerial Search Committee Covenant

UUA Ministerial Transitions Office Website

UUA Sample Timeline for Search Process 

UUA Settlement Handbook - This guides the search committee through the process