The ESUC Board of Trustees has decided to follow the recommendation of the consultant ministers, Revs. Christine Robinson and Jonipher Kwong, and our Interim Minister, Rev. Elaine Peresluha, and begin the process of engaging a Developmental Minister to arrive in the Fall of 2018. The Board is following a very compressed timeline, because we are starting the process late in the UUA’s recruitment calendar. To assure the best ministerial fit possible, we needed to announce our intentions to the UUA, and we are submitting our application next week. The Board has appointed a task force of Board members and members of the last Ministerial Search Committee to prepare the documentation.
We welcome you to attend either of two member meetings this coming weekend to learn more and share your thoughts on the Developmental Minister process. Members of the Developmental Ministry Task Force (Ryam Hill, chair, Uzma Butte, Jerry Bushnell, Mary Anderson, Rhonda Brown, Ann Fletcher, and Milly Mullarky) well be present at our weekend gatherings.
On Saturday March 3, 10:00 a.m., our acting President (while Jack Slowriver is on sabbatical until the end of March), Uzma Butte, and members of the Board will host the regularly scheduled Coffee and Conversation in the Sanctuary. This meeting is open to all members, and it will also touch on questions about the Operating Fund Drive and policies for outside groups’ use of ESUC space.
On Sunday March 4, 11:30 a.m., in the Sanctuary, the Board will host a town hall to address questions about developmental ministers and the process of their engagement. A key part of developmental ministry is the definition of developmental goals, and these meetings will launch that process.
There will be more meetings in the weeks to come as we create together our developmental strategy. In the meantime, the Board welcomes your questions or comments.
We would like to sincerely thank Rev. Elaine Peresluha for serving as our Interim Minster over the past two years. In addition to providing outstanding worship experiences and pastoral care, she has guided us through a challenging period of extreme change while helping us build a strong foundation of governance, right relations, and financial systems to carry us into the future.
The UUA’s Interim Ministry Program serves congregations that are undergoing uncomplicated transitions between settled ministers with a maximum interim term of two years. The UUA developed the Developmental Ministry Program to address complicated transitions, which is an apt description of ESUC’s past several years. The term of a developmental minister runs from three to seven years (where seven years is actually a typical term of settled ministers). As our consultants discerned, it was time for us to move forward to address the developmental goals that will help us carry out our mission to practice love, explore spirituality, build community and promote justice.
The Developmental Ministry Task Force has started a FAQ sheet for members. You can read the current list of questions and answers here.