News: July 3, 2026
Dear Members and Friends:
It is the start of a new program year and we are a moment of transition in congregational life. Rev. Scott has retired, Nina and Artie have finished their internships, we are continuing to search for our next Director of Religious Exploration, and we are preparing to hire a Voting Justice Coordinator to help with our UUtheVote effort this autumn. I know that all of this staff turnover can feel like a lot. I wanted to spend my newsletter column this month updating you with where we are in working to fill our vacant positions.
Assistant Minister
As many of you know, we were unsuccessful in the first round of our Assistant Minister search in the spring. We interviewed a couple of candidates but were unable to identify someone who met the needs of the congregation. The position is still posted with the Unitarian Universalist Association and we are able to continue to receive applicants through the Association until it is filled. Since we were unable to initially fill the position with a Unitarian Universalist minister, we have opened it to non-Unitarian Universalist clergy who are either interested in pursuing credentialing with the Association or serving for a short time while we continue to look. We have advertised with the Christian Century (https://www.christiancentury.org/classifieds) and spread the word among local clergy that we know through The Metropolitan Organization, Texas Impact, and other networks. Members of the search team are publicizing it with seminaries and religious associations and denominations whose clergy might have theological positions that align with ours. I am hopeful we will be able to fill it sometime this autumn.
I know that there might be some concern about hiring a non-Unitarian Universalist minister as our Assistant Minister. It is not that unusual. Over the years, I have known of Unitarian Universalist congregations that were ably served by American and National Baptists, folks from the United Church of Christ, and even Rabbis. One of the strengths of being a theologically pluralistic and covenantal tradition is our emphasis is on how we live together, not what we believe. This means that we are to find inspirations from many traditions.
As we continue our search for an Assistant Minister, we are exploring how to meet the congregation’s needs in two other ways. First, we have put in an application with the Association to be a ministerial internship site. Second, we have created and advertised for a month-to-month contract Pastoral Care and Worship Coordinator position. If we are successful in finding an intern we will delay the hire date for an Assistant Minister until this coming spring or possibly next autumn.
Director of Religious Exploration
We have been blessed with an exceptionally strong pool of applicants for our DRE search. The team and I have conducted a first round of interviews. We are in the midst of a second round which we will conclude this coming week. Our plan is to bring between two and three finalists to the campus for interviews at the end of July and make an offer by the end of the month. This means that our next DRE’s start date will be somewhat later than we had hoped but having so many excellent candidates is a good problem to have.
Young Adult Ministry Intern
Artie has served as our Young Adult Ministry Intern for the past two years. They have done an excellent job building the Young Adult Intern program. We wish them well as they start at Harvard Divinity School. At the same time, we are hoping to continue with Young Adult Ministry Intern program. If you or someone you know would be interested in it please feel free to contact me. It is a five-hour-a-week commitment with a stipend and is ideal for someone wanting to learn more about either the Unitarian Universalist ministry or community organizing.
Voting Justice Coordinator
We are, once again, hiring a part-time Voting Justice Coordinator. When we have had one, it has helped to super charge our voting justice efforts. Our democracy is at a critical juncture. We have once again decided to staff this position. Diane R. and Margarita are in charge of the hiring process and they should have someone under contract with us by the end of the month. That person will then work through the end of November helping us in the work of registering voters and getting out the vote. They will also take a lead role in helping organize the Solidarity Summit that we are hosting October 3rd.
Gratitude
I know it is a lot. But I am hopeful it will result in a strong staff team that can help us to grow into the future. The effort to enable us to find the right people for our open positions is by no means mine alone. So I want to close with thanks to the members of the Assistant Minister Search Team (Yeiglin E., Paul H., Albert P., Carlos R., Emma V., and Jean V.) and the Director of Religious Exploration Search Team (Toni H., Jennifer K., Carl W., and Brandon Y.). They make the whole process even more rewarding than it would be otherwise.
love,
Colin
Where is the Minister
Rev. Colin will be in the office throughout the month of July. He will be preaching on July 5th and on the chancel on July 19th to celebrate Nina’s last Sunday before she moves to Chicago. The Rothko Chapel is hosting a book launch for The Political Theologies of Populism on July 9th. On July 12th he will be preaching and doing a book talk at the Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church.
It is the start of a new program year and we are a moment of transition in congregational life. Rev. Scott has retired, Nina and Artie have finished their internships, we are continuing to search for our next Director of Religious Exploration, and we are preparing to hire a Voting Justice Coordinator to help with our UUtheVote effort this autumn. I know that all of this staff turnover can feel like a lot. I wanted to spend my newsletter column this month updating you with where we are in working to fill our vacant positions.
Assistant Minister
As many of you know, we were unsuccessful in the first round of our Assistant Minister search in the spring. We interviewed a couple of candidates but were unable to identify someone who met the needs of the congregation. The position is still posted with the Unitarian Universalist Association and we are able to continue to receive applicants through the Association until it is filled. Since we were unable to initially fill the position with a Unitarian Universalist minister, we have opened it to non-Unitarian Universalist clergy who are either interested in pursuing credentialing with the Association or serving for a short time while we continue to look. We have advertised with the Christian Century (https://www.christiancentury.org/classifieds) and spread the word among local clergy that we know through The Metropolitan Organization, Texas Impact, and other networks. Members of the search team are publicizing it with seminaries and religious associations and denominations whose clergy might have theological positions that align with ours. I am hopeful we will be able to fill it sometime this autumn.
I know that there might be some concern about hiring a non-Unitarian Universalist minister as our Assistant Minister. It is not that unusual. Over the years, I have known of Unitarian Universalist congregations that were ably served by American and National Baptists, folks from the United Church of Christ, and even Rabbis. One of the strengths of being a theologically pluralistic and covenantal tradition is our emphasis is on how we live together, not what we believe. This means that we are to find inspirations from many traditions.
As we continue our search for an Assistant Minister, we are exploring how to meet the congregation’s needs in two other ways. First, we have put in an application with the Association to be a ministerial internship site. Second, we have created and advertised for a month-to-month contract Pastoral Care and Worship Coordinator position. If we are successful in finding an intern we will delay the hire date for an Assistant Minister until this coming spring or possibly next autumn.
Director of Religious Exploration
We have been blessed with an exceptionally strong pool of applicants for our DRE search. The team and I have conducted a first round of interviews. We are in the midst of a second round which we will conclude this coming week. Our plan is to bring between two and three finalists to the campus for interviews at the end of July and make an offer by the end of the month. This means that our next DRE’s start date will be somewhat later than we had hoped but having so many excellent candidates is a good problem to have.
Young Adult Ministry Intern
Artie has served as our Young Adult Ministry Intern for the past two years. They have done an excellent job building the Young Adult Intern program. We wish them well as they start at Harvard Divinity School. At the same time, we are hoping to continue with Young Adult Ministry Intern program. If you or someone you know would be interested in it please feel free to contact me. It is a five-hour-a-week commitment with a stipend and is ideal for someone wanting to learn more about either the Unitarian Universalist ministry or community organizing.
Voting Justice Coordinator
We are, once again, hiring a part-time Voting Justice Coordinator. When we have had one, it has helped to super charge our voting justice efforts. Our democracy is at a critical juncture. We have once again decided to staff this position. Diane R. and Margarita are in charge of the hiring process and they should have someone under contract with us by the end of the month. That person will then work through the end of November helping us in the work of registering voters and getting out the vote. They will also take a lead role in helping organize the Solidarity Summit that we are hosting October 3rd.
Gratitude
I know it is a lot. But I am hopeful it will result in a strong staff team that can help us to grow into the future. The effort to enable us to find the right people for our open positions is by no means mine alone. So I want to close with thanks to the members of the Assistant Minister Search Team (Yeiglin E., Paul H., Albert P., Carlos R., Emma V., and Jean V.) and the Director of Religious Exploration Search Team (Toni H., Jennifer K., Carl W., and Brandon Y.). They make the whole process even more rewarding than it would be otherwise.
love,
Colin
Where is the Minister
Rev. Colin will be in the office throughout the month of July. He will be preaching on July 5th and on the chancel on July 19th to celebrate Nina’s last Sunday before she moves to Chicago. The Rothko Chapel is hosting a book launch for The Political Theologies of Populism on July 9th. On July 12th he will be preaching and doing a book talk at the Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church.
