And we’re off!  This past Sunday your Search Team conducted the service and emphasized throughout the role that we all must play in the search process.  (If you missed the service, please check it out on the church YouTube channel.)  The first major thing we are asking of you is to take a survey about what you are looking for in a minister.  This survey has been available for about a week and as of this writing we are 22 percent of the way to our goal of 200 responses.  We can’t stress enough how important robust participation will be to our ability to find a good ministerial “fit”, so let’s keep the momentum going!  As an incentive, we will be handing out elegant and not at all tacky stickers at the next two services to people who have completed the survey.  We will be closing it on Monday, September 26th, so time is limited!  You can find the survey at https://uucuc.org/ministersurvey, and of course if you have any questions please send them to search@uucuc.org.  

The survey is web-based, and we know that this presents challenges to some.  If you are uncomfortable navigating a lengthy web form, we are here to help you!  We will be present with computers in the Fellowship Hall after the service for the next two Sundays to help anybody who needs assistance.  If you are unable to attend the services in the building, we can help you by Zoom, by phone, or in person, one-on-one.  Just reach out to us at search@uucuc.org and we will do what it takes to help you complete the survey.  (Realizing that the ability to read this message at all implies the ability to use a computer, we are also reaching out to people who are not online to help them have their voices heard.)

The next step in our process of learning about the congregation and its needs will be to conduct focus groups and cottage meetings, where we can interact in small groups with congregants to follow up on themes that are revealed by the survey.  We will then combine the meeting results with the survey results to build a detailed picture of the congregation; the more nuanced and in- depth this picture is, the more likely it is we will attract someone with the skills we need.  These small group meetings will be held throughout October, some in people’s homes but some in the church and some via Zoom as well.  We are looking for people willing to have a meeting in their home; if you are comfortable hosting 6-8 UUs, please let us know at search@uucuc.org.

In loving service,

Janet Revell Barrett
Wendy Graves
Chris Hannauer
Tanja Hodges
Pat McClard
Dave Sharpe
Angela Urban