Dear Congregants,
Our Senior Minister Bill Sinkford has recently shared that he will be retiring in less than two years, at the end of our church year – June, 2021.
It has been a wonderful journey with him as our Senior Minister since 2010. Our lives and our church are blessed with his leadership and spirit. Like many of you, I am sad when I think of his leaving. And yet, I’m heartened when I think about what our church has accomplished in the last decade, and I realize that our future with a new senior minister can and will be a bright one!
The Board of Trustees has been preparing for this transition since last year. We’ve looked internally at the health of our church and our progress toward our mission and goals. We’ve consulted externally with the UUA (including the UUA’s Western Region Office) to make thorough plans for our transition period. We’ve hired as consultant, Susan Beaumont, a nationally known expert in large congregation ministerial transitions.
Traditionally, many congregations begin their search process for a new minister after the retirement of the senior minister. The “Single Transition” model we’ve selected allows us to begin the process now, with the intention of calling a new Senior Minister by the spring of 2021. Although the search will be happening while Rev Bill is in place as our senior minister, the two paths are very different and Bill will not be involved in the search.
We, as your board, know our strength lies in you, the congregants of this church. We are confident in this process and are ready.
I ask for your support as we move forward. There are many ways to do this: educate yourself about the process, ask us questions, and keep an open heart.
The Board will hold a Conversation on this topic December 8, at 1:30pm. Another Board Conversation on Transition will be January 12.
Please know that you have our commitment to do this well, and I hope we have your trust.
With Love and Blessings,
Kathy Ludlow
Moderator, Board of Trustees