• Wednesday, September 30 at 5:30 p.m. (during the All Church Meeting)
• Friday, October 9 at 10:30 a.m.
• Sunday, October 11 at 9:30 a.m.
• Sunday, October 25 at approx. 12pm immediately following the 10 am service (during coffee hour)

Dear Friends: 

This week it was brought to the Search Committee’s attention that the question included in the Congregational Survey regarding personal feelings about calling a minister based on several different categorical identifications caused unintended but very real harm in our church community. We are grateful that we are in relationship with members in our congregation who can bring this to our attention in clear, direct ways. We sincerely apologize and are committed to putting in place a process that will allow us to begin a return to right relations. 

We immediately closed the survey and removed the question. We will also reach out to those individuals who shared their hurt and pain with us. The survey will be re-released shortly. For those who have already submitted their survey responses, the response to that one question will be thrown out; answers to the other questions will be included in the survey results.  

The survey is based on questions developed and provided by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The question at issue came from there but in discussion with the UUA we learned that specific question is no longer recommended. It’s not clear why that question was still included in the questions provided to us. The UUA is very sorry for their part in this issue, as expressed by our Transitions Coach, Lisa Presley. However, we want to acknowledge that the search committee also did not identify the potential for harm caused by including the question in the survey we distributed. 

The work of dismantling systemic racism and confronting white supremacy and other systems of oppression is difficult and messy. White supremacy is so entrenched in both the individual lives of white people in the U.S. and our country’s institutions that we missed the potential impact of our decision with respect to the survey question even while our congregation and our national association are in the midst of making a commitment to confront and dismantle systemic racism. While we most certainly would have preferred that this harm had not occurred, we hope that as a committee and as a congregation this can be an important teaching moment. One in which we learn both more about identifying aspects of white supremacy culture and institutional racism and how to best respond when a mistake is made. 

From the Ministerial Search Committee… 

Over this past year, the Ministerial Search Committee took a step back from the search process in order to present a candidate for settled minister to the congregation in the spring of 2021. By doing so, our goal was to allow space for the congregation to engage in the interim tasks, which are critical to preparing for a new settled ministry. In 2019–2020, we focused on supporting the interim work; someone from the Search Committee attended every activity planned by Rev. Karen G. We will be using the information obtained from these workshops and discussions to inform our discernment process during this coming church year.  

Beginning in August 2020, the Ministerial Search Committee will engage you in a series of activities to better understand what the congregation needs to fully live our mission during the next settled ministry. These activities include a congregational survey, which will be distributed in late August; cottage meetings, which will be held in late September and October; and focus groups with church leadership. Based on these events, we will then write what is called the “Congregational Record,” a document that lays out who the congregation is, our goals, and what we need from a minister going forward. 

We urge you to participate in this discernment process at the start of the church year. Complete the congregational survey when you receive it; attend a cottage meeting; participate in a focus group, if applicable; and reach out to the Search Committee to share your thoughts and ask questions. This is your opportunity to make your views known and to share what you think the congregation needs in its next settled ministry—what will best help us realize our hopes and dreams.  

Here are the activities that comprise the search committee’s discernment process. Please note that we have slowed down our timeline a bit to allow our new Interim Minister time to assess what interim work remains to be undertaken. We’ll coordinate rolling out the survey and scheduling focus groups and cottage meetings in collaboration with interim activities.

Stage 1: Preparing for discernment

It might not seem like much is happening during this first stage, but we are spending time setting a strong foundation for the congregation-wide work that comes next. Some of our most pressing tasks include: outlining and preparing for developing a congregational survey, focus and cottage group meetings with congregation members, and beginning to research and write our congregational record (i.e., a detailed description of our congregation that prospective ministers read to decide if they are interested in becoming candidates for our senior minister).

Beyond Categorical Thinking (October 13, 2019): Beyond Categorical Thinking is an anti-oppression program designed to help promote inclusive thinking and prevent discrimination during the process of hiring a new settled minister. The program consists of a workshop and Sunday worship service on Sunday, October 13. We hope as many of you as possible can join us.

Stage 2: Congregational discernment

This second stage involves gathering feedback from the entire congregation regarding how they see UCE and the role of the future minister. Specifically, we’ll be looking for your input and participation in the following.

Congregational survey: This congregation-wide survey has two important purposes. First, it provides all UCE members with the opportunity to share their views on ministry and the skills and experiences they want our next minister to have. It also allows us to provide prospective candidates with accurate information about our congregation.

Focus/cottage groups: We’ll also be holding a series of meetings with various congregational groups to hear about people’s wishes and hopes for a new minister. If you or your group would like to meet with us, please email us and let us know!

Congregational record and document packet: We are working on creating a detailed profile of our congregation for potential ministers. This profile takes two forms: The congregational record is a detailed online questionnaire that includes information on everything from our history to the minister’s role in the congregation, while the document packet is a collection of documents providing additional information, including the results of our congregational survey and our congregation’s budget and bylaws.

Stage 3: Active search

In the final stage of the process, we’ll use the information we collect during the survey and focus groups to start to narrow down the list of interested prospective ministers and move toward calling a new settled minister.

Initial candidate list: During the first part of this stage, the search committee will receive the names of interested prospective ministers. Through discernment with one another and phone interviews, we will narrow down the initial list of candidates to three, whom we will then invite to Evanston for a more extensive interview. Although many of you may be anxious to meet the candidates, these weekends are conducted by the search committee. We need to protect the confidentiality of our candidates, as some may not be ready to announce to their own congregations that they are searching.

Announcement of candidate

Candidating week: This is a time for the congregation to spend time with the candidate. The candidate normally acts as minister during this time and has a chance to interact with congregational leaders, staff, and members. The week culminates with a congregational vote to confirm the candidate’s call to UCE.