Monthly messages and special updates from your Board of Directors.

AN UPDATE ON OUR INTERIM MINISTER SEARCH: WE DON’T YET HAVE A “MATCH”

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On Wednesday, to our disappointment but not complete surprise in this COVID-complicated year, UFP learned from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Transitions Office that we do not have a match for Interim Minister in the first round of the search process.

A second round of matching congregations with Ministers begins Monday. About half of the congregations in search — more than 25, large and small across North America — do not have a match in Round 1. “It’s a very tough year,” the UUA says.

Round 2 lasts two weeks. We may get the match we want in this round — that is the news we most want to share. But our multiple leadership teams have also understood from the beginning that we may not find a candidate to start Aug. 1.

So on Sunday, members of the Board, Interim Search, Committee on Ministry and Creative Worship Team are gathering informally with Rev. Julie, with all our creativity and commitment, to update each other, look ahead and explore possibilities and potential backup plans. The Board will keep the congregation up-to-date every step of the way.

— Ben Wolfe, President

Our New Officers, As We Enter Into a Year of Transition

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Last Friday, UFP’s 2022-23 Board of Directors met for the first time in this unique transition year. Our formal business was to choose our Officers for 2022-23, as required by our Bylaws. And here they are:

President: Ben Wolfe
Vice-President: Aukje Byker
Treasurer: Joan Higginson
Secretary: Scott Donovan
Past President: Steph Wildheart

Board Members: Tracy Galvin, Mundy McLaughlin, Julie Wallace

We chose to spend some rich time “being” with each other before the “doing” of naming Officers. We are a strong and committed group of 8, half returning and half new to the Board. We wanted to start from each other’s passions for the work of this year, reasons for saying YES to joining the Board, and ways of working in a small group.

As Rev. Julie described last Sunday, we used some elements of Sociocracy for the role selection. The Board is now four years into play with this next-generation governance system, which aims to be more collaborative, creatively emergent, time-efficient and decentralized than Roberts Rules structures and meetings. Scott and Aukje join Ben in bringing several years of experience with Sociocracy to the new Board.

This year’s Board enters into all the coming adventures, possibilities and challenges of Ministerial transition with the dual mission of stability and self-aware, creative renewal.

The Board will benefit tremendously from the continuing presence of last year’s President Steph Wildheart. We are grateful for the contributions of our four departing members. Guy Hanchet is a past President who has been deep in the work of our Beth Israel partnership, Safe Gathering and (now) the Interim Search Committee. Chris Risley has been an ideal Secretary through his years on the Board. Meredith Hill is now helping lead both the Interim Search Committee and the Good Endings team. Heather-Lynn Fraser contributed greatly to Safe Gatherings and in other ways.

Past Notes From the Board

HERE COMES RE-OPENING

Your UFP Board along with the Safe Gathering Committee is happy to share with you that dual-platform services could be happening as soon as December 5th.

There will be opportunities over the next month to participate in dialogue and learn more about what the services will look like when we all return.

WELCOME TO THE NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The board of the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough thanks Marta Hanlon for her two years of service and bids adieu. Marta has completed her term and now plans to exert her energies in other directions. We say hello and welcome to new members Tracy Galvin, Meredith Hill, and Brian Thorn. And we welcome back Stephanie…

OFFICIAL CALL FOR MEETING

Dear Fellowship Members and Friends: Please consider this the official announcement that a Special Meeting of the fellowship is scheduled for Sunday, May 2, at 4:00 pm (to be held online).  In addition to the usual business of our Annual General Meeting we have special business to conduct, namely to affirm the Memorandum of Understanding between us and Beth…

Re-opening?

In our last message to the congregation about reopening, the Board let you know that we would not reopen before October 4 at the earliest, and that we would update you in September. Well, it’s September, and the Board has decided that we will not be reopening for in-person Sunday services before January at the…

When will we re-open?

The UFP Board has decided that we will not return to in-person services and meetings until at least October 4. UFP’s committees and groups should continue to meet on-line as well. A memorial service may be allowed if we are able to meet the safety protocols. The Board will be monitoring the situation and will…

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