12/6 Letter from Acting Senior Minister and BOT President
A Letter from Your Acting Senior Minister and Your Board President
My dear fellow congregants,
The board has been considering adding a half time staff position to cover vital Social Justice and Membership responsibilities at UCE. This six-month position would be funded by an unexpected gift from a member. We discussed this possibility at our November meeting and will discuss it again at the December meeting before a final vote on the matter. As always, any member may attend board meetings and is welcome to attend for this discussion on December 19th.
Please read about the need for this staff position in Rev. Eileen’s words:
In the past two and a half years, our ministry and staffing structure has gone through some major shifts. In previous years, UCE had become accustomed to two full time ministers who served the congregation in a variety of ways – to provide meaningful worship, pastoral care, lifespan religious education, and leadership of social justice and membership ministries. Later, we adapted to shifting ministries and roles by adding professional staff to cover some of these areas, including adding a Membership Director and Social Justice Coordinator (me) to reflect the growing value of these areas of our congregational life and shared mission.
Rev. Connie Grant’s departure in June 2017 meant that for the first time since the mid 1980’s, our second minister was not a religious educator. I took on the role of Assistant Minister focusing on Membership and Social Justice and we hired Dr. Mary Shelden as our Religious Educator. And as I’ve moved into the Senior Minister role with Rev. Karen focusing on interim work, we are left without a director of social justice and membership for the first time since 2007. As important as these areas of our shared ministry are, I have to turn my attention to other areas as your Senior Minister. We have strong leadership and participation by members on our social justice and membership teams and it is clear that both are critically important to our ability to live our mission and ends. Therefore, we need a dedicated staff leader to administer and support them.
The Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, and Integrated Stewardship Council have been engaged in conversation about the need for a part time Congregational Life Director to lead the Social Justice and Membership Engagement Councils. This person, hopefully a minister, will facilitate the councils, shape the membership process, and coordinate the many social justice efforts that are vital to our mission. This person would also help with the ongoing experience of belonging and engagement in the life of the church, helping newcomers to find their way and connect with the larger life of the congregation, supporting covenant groups, and assisting with pastoral care and preaching from time to time.
The challenge, unsurprisingly, is funding. Fortunately, we have received a small bequest from a member who died this past summer. This amount would cover a half time Congregational Life Director position for the remaining six months of this fiscal year. In order to maintain this position past the initial six months, it would need to be absorbed into our 2020/2021 budget, which means that it would need to be covered by pledge income. The hope would be that this position could become a permanent part of the staffing model we could present to the next settled senior minister.
Rev. Eileen and I are encouraged by the many ways in which we see the congregation adapting to the numerous changes of the past several months and so appreciate the ways in which so many are engaging in the interim process. Part of this interim process is discerning how our staffing reflects our values and mission. Please contact the board if you have any questions or join us for the next board meeting. UCE is our spiritual home and we are all in this together!