Annual Business Meeting

If you would like to view the Annual Report, click here. If you would like a copy emailed directly to you or if you would like a hard copy of the report, please contact Tamra Mabe at administrator@gmail.com.

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A Message from your UUCC Board of Directors

Dear Friends,
We are writing to you to better explain our options as we begin to search for a new minister in the upcoming year. As your Board, we are very interested in your thoughts and opinions on how we should move forward. To that end, we hope to have a robust discussion at the Annual Meeting on May 23. Please review this information to prepare for the meeting. We encourage you to discuss with other church members and friends as you formulate your thinking. We strongly suggest you talk to Rev. Hannah with your questions about ministry and the various ways ministry can be done—of all of us, she has the most knowledge about how ministry is done and the differences in the relationships ministers can have with a congregation. You may also want to talk to members who have participated on search committees in the past. If you are not able to come to the meeting, please either talk to a Board member, or email uuccpresident@uucheyenne.org with your thoughts.

As we enter search, it is helpful to realize that, as a congregation, we have many things that would attract a good minister. Just a few include: historically healthy relationships with ministry; strong support for and belief in the value of ministry; a beautiful, well-maintained, debt-free building; an engaged congregation; a strong financial picture; location in a capitol city with the opportunity to participate in social justice and legislative activism. We are fortunate to be in this position.

We have four pathways in front of us. The differences appear to be slight but can have some consequences. Before we explain them further, this information may be helpful:
Rev. Hannah came to us as part of a pilot program that the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) runs for churches that meet certain criteria. Those include an overall healthy congregation, a culture that appreciates good ministry, financial stability, and attention to UUA guidelines for compensation, agreements, policies, etc. Churches who participate in the pilot program agree to take newly minted ministers for their first settlement and provide them with good experience and help in completing their fellowship. These ministers are expected to stay an average of 5 years before moving to their next settlement (current average for a minister to stay in a settlement is 7-10 years). The UUA helps these churches in the search process by directing ministers to them and vetting the ministers. These ministers, it must be noted, are new to ministry but not necessarily inexperienced—they may have worked in other fields before deciding to go into ministry. As a church in the pilot program, you contribute to Unitarian Universalism by offering new ministers a stable congregation in which to build their skills and experience.

One other piece of information. We have the option to search for a settled minister or a contract minister. There are some subtle differences in these relationships.
• Settled or called ministers are called by the congregation and hired by the congregation, and the congregation elects a search committee to find and interview them. They serve the congregation in a convenantal relationship. Called ministers are accountable to the entire congregation for their work, and the congregation has the authority to call and dismiss the minister.
• Contract ministers are selected and hired by the Board and generally have one-year contracts, which can sometimes be renewed or converted to a settled ministry. These ministers have a shorter-term relationship with the congregation.

So, the pathways we have include:
Pathway 1: Remain part of the pilot program and search for a settled minister. This option means we will most likely find a minister who is new to ministry (but not necessarily new to working; this person may have experience elsewhere before deciding to go into ministry). Experienced ministers can also apply at this time. If a newer person is found, it would likely be a shorter-term settlement of approximately 5 years. A search committee would be elected by the congregation, and the minister would be called by the congregation.

Pathway 2: Remain part of the pilot program and search for a contract minister. The Board would select a search committee and hire a minister for one year. This person would most likely be new to ministry. This contract could allow for conversion to settled ministry or renewal after one year.

Pathway 3: Leave the pilot program and enter the search process for a settled minister. This allows us to search among all the ministers in search and may bring us candidates who are experienced ministers. There would be no limit on the settlement length, and no need to support a candidate through the fellowship process.

Pathway 4: Leave the pilot program and search for a contract minister. This person could be an experienced minister or new to ministry. The contract could allow for conversion to settled ministry or renewal after one year.

Financial considerations: The Board set aside a sum for ministry search from our reserves a year ago. While a person new to ministry may have a lower salary, the cost of searching for them, and moving them here more frequently may offset the savings on the salary over time. We pay our ministers (and all our staff) within the UUA’s salary recommendations for fair compensation and our agreements have many of the components recommended by the UUA. Thus, we offer a reasonably competitive salary for the size of our congregation and region, among other benefits to a minister.

To learn more than you ever wanted to know about the search process and ministerial transitions, check out the UUA’s comprehensive website at https://www.uua.org/careers/ministers/transitions.

We, your Board, strongly encourage you to consider this information and come to the annual meeting ready to discuss it so that an informed decision can be made collectively. Talk to friends in the congregation, and to Rev. Hannah, about our options. Should we decide to look for a settled minister, we will be holding another congregational meeting this summer, likely in July, to elect a search committee. If you have ideas of who should serve on this committee, or are interested yourself, please contact the Leadership Development Team (Chuck Skinner, Rhonda Woodard and Ken Vernon).

Members who have recently served on search committees: Ken Vernon, Ellen Stump, Gordon Johns, Lynne Weidel, Karin Skinner, Camellia El-Antably, Tom Dodson, Carol Bowles, Lea Grubbs, Elizabeth Thorson.
Thank you!

UUCC Board