As you know, Elaine will retire at the end of July.  The protocol is that we hire an interim minister for one or two years to help the congregation through the transition, before we hire the next settled minister.

The search for an interim minister is different than that for a settled minister. The UUA guidelines give us just over two weeks between when we first learn which candidates are interested in us and making an offer.  Our search committee is called the Ministerial Transition Team. They are authorized by the Board to handle the entire process.  For that reason, they asked for—and greatly appreciated—your feedback on the congregational and committee surveys earlier this winter about the kinds of characteristics that you want our interim minister to have. The team is working to select someone who will be the “best fit” as we bridge from our current era to the start of the next settled minister for our congregation.

Candidates are currently reviewing the available openings nationwide. We will start receiving the resumes of those candidates showing an interest in the open position at the UUFWC, starting May 1. During the next two weeks, the team will be reviewing applicants’ credentials, conducting phone interviews, creating a priority list of candidates, and making an offer to the finalist. If no one is hired during that two-week period, a second search phase will begin in late May. We will keep the Fellowship updated as we proceed.

In contrast to the process of hiring an interim minister, the selection of a settled minister is longer and more complex. The congregation will be more involved, and members will vote on who the next settled minister of the UUFWC will be.

If you have any questions about the process for selecting an interim minister, please feel free to talk to any member of our Ministerial Transition Team:  John Waldman, Gail Woosley, Denise Bostdorff, or Bonnie Groop.