Back row, left to right: Matt Biery, Wes Cain, Sandy Peterson and Warren Jessop
Front row, left to right: Mary Singh, Carolyn Hayek and Judy Jesiolowski
Ministerial Search Committee
On November 11, 2007, members of Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church voted to commence a search for a full–time minister, with the goal of having the minister begin in September, 2008, if possible. The Search Committee has began its work by meeting with its district Settlement Representative, Milly Mularky, and holding a weekend retreat with the Rev. Nan Geer as facilitator. Judy Jesiolowski was selected by the committee to serve as its chair.
On February 10, 2008, the congregation participated in a workshop called Beyond Categorical Thinking and confirmed that they were comfortable with serious consideration of ministerial candidates from a variety of backgrounds.
Northlake members and friends have completed an online Congregational Survey providing information essential to the search process and that information formed the basis of the Congregational Record, a summary of church information which is now on-line and available to ministerial candidates to review. The Search Committee is now receiving inquiries from ministerial candidates and will spend the coming weeks reviewing the backgrounds of those interested in being Northlake’s minister.
Another major task of the Ministerial Search Committee has been the creation of the Search Packet, which tells about the church and its members in both words and pictures. It will be sent to those ministerial candidates that the search committee is interested in and copies may be available for purchase by church members.
With weekly meetings and homework to do between meetings, the job of a Search Committee member is a big one. However, we have a dedicated group working on behalf of Northlake and they report getting along well with each other and appreciation for the many hours of work the other members have already put in on this important task.
Coming Search Committee sponsored events include a Sunday morning service in April reporting on the church profile that has emerged through the survey process, an after-church discussion of that information, and, hopefully, a week-long period of getting to know the final ministerial candidate in preparation for a congregational meeting, possibly in May or June, to decide whether to accept the candidate as Northlake’s new minister.