From The Senior Interim Minister

This has certainly been a year of both change and challenge at the Unitarian Church of Evanston. I have come to know so many of you well this year, and you’ve impressed me with your tenacity to build the world we dream about. Yet, as I said last Sunday, change is just about the only constant in life. So I write to inform you about another change on the horizon.

Effective June 10, 2019, I will be stepping down as your interim senior minister. It has been my pleasure to serve you in this capacity for the past eleven months. I’ve certainly grown as a minister at UCE, and I hope you have grown too. This is one amazing congregation!

This is not a decision that was made lightly; it has been months in the making. It’s a bittersweet decision for me, to be sure. The decision is entirely my own. I have not been coached or persuaded by anyone at UCE to take leave. I am doing this for my physical and mental health, and for my family’s emotional wellbeing. I believe this decision is ultimately best for the congregation as well.

Our Board of Trustees has been in contact with the Rev. Keith Kron, Transitions Director at the Unitarian Universalist Association, who is forging a path forward for UCE in light of this news. Additionally, the Board has been speaking with the Rev. Lisa Presley from the Mid America Region, UUA, in this regard. I’ll continue my work while I’m here, along with Rev. Eileen and the board-appointed Director of Religious Education Search Committee, of finding your next DLRE so you have someone in place as soon as possible.

I know that emotions will range from indifference to sadness to anger. Please know that I will continue to be accessible through my final day at UCE, June 9. I will miss so many of you for so many reasons. Thank you for the opportunity to be your leader. It has changed my life for the better.

Sincerely,

Rev. Greg Stewart

773/993-9310