9/13/23: Search

Wednesday, at Council meeting, Rev. Tyler Connoley, our Conference Minister, will be joining us via zoom to talk to us about our Search for a new settled pastor. Search is the next and natural step for us to make.

A great deal of healing has been going on. There is lots of new energy bursting out. We have had 10 new members received in the past year. Fred has been an amazing Interim. He has been healing. He has inspired us all with his sermons. He has recruited new leadership. He has supported our staff and established staff boundaries. He has worked with Congregational Care in developing follow-up care. He has led with intentionality, supporting Karen in her healing work. Fred has been an amazing Interim. It will be hard to let go of Fred.

But this is the life cycle of a Congregational Church: An Interim minister serves intentionally to help fix what’s broken, to heal, to serve, to support our search for a new settled pastor, and to prepare us to fall in love with that new pastor.

The first step is to form a Search Team who will create our profile (our resume) of who we are and who we are seeking to call to our sweet church here in Ashland, OR. Once the profile is posted on the UCC website, it will be available to ministers all across the country to consider and apply for the position. Then the search for who our next settled pastor begins in earnest. My expectation is that this is a process that takes about a year. In the meantime, Fred will continue to serve us, to love us, to care for us, and to inspire us. We are truly blessed.