Working with the UUCC staff and Board of Trustees, the Minister Search Team has announced the dates for what we expect to be a joyful week as we welcome a new Settled Minister candidate in the Spring.
Over eight days from April 28 to May 5, 2024, we are planning to hold what’s called Candidating Week. For those of you who haven’t been part of one here or at another UU congregation, it’s the time when the Search Team introduces the minister to our UU Community. Of course, the final say on calling a minister is yours, the members of the congregation.
But the Search Team is optimistic that the nationwide search we are conducting will find an excellent minister. We have been screening applications and conducting interviews with the top candidates. The timeline we are on is being followed in parallel by all 30 or so UU congregations in search this cycle. By early April, we anticipate making an offer and negotiating a contract.
If all goes as planned, once all the i’s are dotted, t’s crossed, and due diligence carried out, we will be able to make an announcement. The Search Team is obligated to keep the process confidential until then, but now that the dates are set, we can start planning the eight-day introduction that constitutes Candidating Week.
You can expect our candidate to conduct two Sunday services here, be available to meet, greet and answer your questions, and begin to get acquainted with our congregation and the larger Charlotte community. At a later date, we will announce a detailed schedule for the candidate to meet with a variety of UUCC stakeholders, leaders, and staff.
Candidating Week will culminate with the Sunday service on May 5, followed by a special congregational meeting to vote on the official call to ministry. Our Bylaws require at least a 90% vote in favor to issue the call, so we hope all eligible members will make every effort to cast a vote. We are working with the Board on exactly how the vote will be conducted.
This search process would not have been possible without your participation in our congregational survey and the feedback and focus groups we conducted. Our decisions will be guided by what you told us you are looking for in a new Settled Minister. And once you have a chance to meet the candidate we recruit, only you are authorized to call a new Settled Minister.
So on behalf of our beloved UU Community, please save the date of May 5 and make plans to participate in this vote – our most important congregational decision in decades.
Your UUCC Minister Search Team,
Barry Ahrendt
Althea Clark
Mic Elvenstar
Ellen Holliday (co-chair)
Rebekah Visco (co-chair)
Dave Warren
Kathryn Whitfield
Email us at: ministersearch@uuccharlotte.org