Message from the QUUF Board

October 10, 2018

Dear Members and Friends of QUUF,

At this time of transition, the Board of Trustees is committed to doing a better job of communicating with the Fellowship. We will send email reports to respond to questions and to let you know how our plans are progressing. Your comments and questions are welcome.

• On Saturday, October 6, Rev. Emily Melcher from the UU Congregation of Whidbey Island, presented a workshop entitled “In the Interim.” A partial summary, approved by Emily, is below. The session was recorded, if anyone wants to listen to it. She has also shared the basic information in two documents:
  …5 Focus Points for Interim Ministry
  …About Interim Ministers
• Board President Nils Pedersen called me from France on Monday, to check in and see how things went on Saturday and Sunday. He is on vacation, but has been included in all the emails, so we make sure we are proceeding with his knowledge and agreement. He said, ”All of this is constantly on my mind, at least when I am not staring directly at a Leonardo or Raphael.” He’ll be back the day of the next Board meeting, October 17.
• One question raised by several people is the financial impact of the severance package for Helen Carroll. Two Board members have been entrusted with the responsibility of negotiating this with Helen Carroll, and we are in good hands. We hope to have this settled before the October 17 Board meeting.
• We are in touch with Rev. Keith Kron of the UUA Transitions Office, to discuss next steps, whether it be a targeted, casual, short-term Interim or other option.
• The Board has reached out to Assistant Minister Kate Lore to see what support we can provide during this time of transition.
• On September 9, this Board of Trustees was installed, pledging to serve you faithfully. We are doing that to the best of our ability, and we pledge to continue to listen, to learn, and communicate with you.

With sincere gratitude and confidence in our future together,

Colleen Johnson, Vice-President, and the QUUF Board of Trustees

Summary of the October 6 Workshop

Attended by about 150 people, the workshop opened with a candle-lighting ritual in which people named aloud their feelings of loss and opportunity, of confusion and relief, of feeling blind-sided and out of the loop, of concern and confidence. Those who shared each emotion raised hands, a visible support for each of our varied feelings, over thirty of which were spoken. Emily gave an analogy of a super-saturated solution into which the last crystal is placed, solidifying the structure in its own unique pattern. When the “Bode-shaped crystal” is removed, the structure remains, so the Interim Minister acts as a solvent to break down the solid and leave it ready for the next settled minister, around whom the new structure will coalesce.

Emily outlined the “Five Focus Points of Interim Ministry,” as Heritage (History), Leadership, Mission, Connection, and, only after the first four have been adequately explored, Future. She answered many questions based on her own experience as an Interim Minister and her knowledge of the process.