Transitions can be challenging. You may have heard this in one of Rev. Julie’s sermons, if not elsewhere. Since it is a well-recognized issue, UUCW has taken the advice of the UUA and created a Transition Team to help guide the congregation through the interim process. The Transition Team, consisting of Eddee Daniel (Chair), Anne Deahl, Karen Engelking, Darthe Jennings, Phil Kroner, and Carolou Nelsen, is assisting Interim Minister the Rev. Julie Stoneberg and the congregation navigate along the path toward calling a new minister.
The Board of Trustees charged the team to “use the time between ministers effectively.” In order to do that, the team uses resources provided by the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Transitions Office. Part of our work is to determine if the congregation knows itself well enough and is ready to successfully settle a new minister. Congregations that complete the interim process have much higher success rates in calling a minister who is a good match.
To shape their work, Rev. Julie and the Transition Team will be concentrating on five focus points identified by the UUA:
HERITAGE – reviewing how the congregation has been shaped and formed.
MISSION – defining and redefining sense of purpose and direction.
LEADERSHIP – reviewing member needs and the congregation’s ways of organizing and developing leadership.
CONNECTIONS – discovering and nurturing the relationships a faith community builds outside of itself.
FUTURE – preparing for the next era of leadership.
Some of the tasks in the team’s future include hosting Community Conversations as well as other opportunities to help congregants come together to reflect on and share their thoughts about who we are as a congregation and what our aspirations are as a community of faith.
Change can be difficult, but the interim process can help us work together to heal, support each other, and get excited about our future. As with all other aspects of our congregational life, an integral part of the interim process is anti-racism, anti-oppression work which can guide us toward a more inclusive and open environment.
If you see any of the Transition Team and have questions or comments about the interim process, please feel free to “bend their ears.” They welcome your feedback and thoughts.
