Greetings from your Governing Board,

As you know, our congregation is in the midst of transition and challenge. We are in a period of introspection as we seek to clarify our goals and enter a settled ministry within a year or two. We are simultaneously facing a fiscal challenge, as our steeple repair project looms.

All of us are stewards of our church, and the Governing Board is reaching out today with a call to action to everyone. Together, we all have a responsibility to maintain the health and vibrancy of our community.

We now have opportunities that require us to tap into new strengths and interests of our membership. Please consider these specific needs and evaluate your ability and bandwidth to pitch in. We are looking to find teams of people whose many hands will make light(er) work.

Settled Minister Search Team:

Are you interested in serving directly on the Settled Minister Search Team? Fill out this application: Minister Search Committee Application  For a paper copy of the application, reach out to Cynthia Bushey at cbfpgb@gmail.com. The GB will review applications to put together a balanced team that we feel represents a diverse range of experience and perspectives.

The Interim Ministry Search Team, consisting of Stephanie Sullivan, Celia Brown, Anne Lenault, and Cynthia Bushey, has brought Reverend Abigail and Reverend Misty-Dawn on board for this year. They have passed the baton to the Transition Team, consisting of Janet Ruggieri and Dick Zajchowski, who will work to gather information from the congregation on our goals and future direction.

The Settled Minister Search Team will work to gather our congregational information and put together our packet for potential ministers. This information will reflect our demographics and history, as well as our congregation’s identified needs and goals. As a member of this team, you will work with each other to create and submit this packet, interview candidates, and bring forth a candidate to the congregation. Your work begins where the work of the Transition Team leaves off. They will be able to provide you with information they have gathered about the desires and needs of the congregation for inclusion in our package.

Steeple People:

As you may recall from our discussion at the Annual Meeting, our steeple needs repair! The Governing Board has determined the scope of the steeple repair project goes beyond the work of the Buildings and Grounds Committee.

Members of the Buildings and Grounds Committee have worked tirelessly to gather information and quotes from various contractors and have a wealth of information to share with the Steeple People as they start their work together. The actual direction we take as a congregation, including which contractor recommendations we follow, etc., and determining how we might go about this large project, needs to be the work of a focused team.

We are looking for people who will dedicate themselves to the work of analyzing the options, seeking information and guidance from the UUA on how to undertake a large project, communicating with and gathering information from the congregation. The goal of this team is to arrive at a final steeple plan. The goal of this team is NOT to fundraise for the project. Should the Steeple People determine a need for fundraising, we will be putting out a new call to action to pass the baton. As a community, we need to share this large undertaking.

Fun-Raising Coordinator:

We need a person to organize efforts! Notice we did not say, “We need a person to shoulder the entire burden of fundraising for the entire church year.”

Our congregation is so creative and talented! There exist many opportunities to have fun and raise some funds within our community and the larger community. Our Open Mic nights remain a stellar example of this idea: people sharing what fills their souls and simultaneously raising money for our church. We want everyone to think about what passions you might bring to the table: want to host a chili cookoff? How about hosting an informational hike? Maybe you could offer a knitting night in the community for a fee…the possibilities are endless!

The Fun-Raising Coordinator will be responsible for acting as a sounding board for ideas that bubble up within the congregation and coordinating a calendar of these events to make sure we are not creating conflicting times, etc. With a specific point of contact, we believe individuals and small groups can take some of their amazing and fun ideas and infuse our congregation and the wider community with joy and togetherness!

If this role sounds perfect for you because you love to hear about people’s passions and help them make it happen, please apply here: Fun-raiser Coordinator Application

Thank you for your consideration to serve in one of these specific ways as we work to hold each other up and support our beloved community.

Reverend Abigail Stockman will serve as a half-time interim minister, primarily responsible for coordinating and leading worship. Our congregation knows Reverend Abigail from her work with us during Reverend Lynda’s sabbatical. Though Abigail resides in Vermont, she plans to travel to Northborough a minimum of two times per month to be here in person with us to lead worship services.

Reverend Misty-Dawn Shelly will serve as a quarter-time interim minister focused primarily on providing pastoral care and supporting the work of the DRE. She resides in Berlin, MA where she is serving as the Berlin FPUU three-quarter-time minister.

We have heard from the UUA that we have not been matched with an interim minister during round 1.

Round 2 begins this Monday and we are hopeful there may be additional candidates.

About half of the congregations seeking ministers were not matched in round 1, and the UUA is reaching out to retired ministers to gather support for congregations who are not successfully matched in round 2.

We wish we had a more positive report today and will continue to keep you updated as the process continues. Though this news may feel discouraging, please remember the search process is not yet complete.

As always, reach out to Anne Lenault, Celia Brown, Stephanie Sullivan, or Cindy Bushey with questions you may have.

Reverend Lynda’s May resignation notice, versus the traditional January or February notice, put us behind in the timeline set by the UUA for ministerial searches. If we had intended to complete a settled minister search this year, June would have been the ideal time to identify our settled minister team, and we have yet to name our team.

With our heads still spinning from Lynda’s rapid departure and the late onboarding of our two interim ministers, it is time to take a collective breath and be present together. Our goal is to allow space for the transition team to work with Reverend Abigail to provide opportunities for us to come together in thoughtful discussion and considerate reflection of who we are and who we want to become, while engaging in fun and fellowship along the way.

With Peace,
Your Governing Board 

• 25 congregational survey responses received (submit yours here if you haven’t yet)
• Candidate Interview Committee selected: Anne Lenault, Celia Brown, Stephanie Sullivan, Cindy Bushey
• There are 62 congregations seeking interim ministers nationwide this season, and 44 ministers seeking ministries.
• We expect to hear from the UUA today with the list of potential canditates who have expressed interest in our congregation.

• host community forums (Monday at 7 PM and Tuesday at Noon)
• schedule candidate interviews
• check references of candidates (UUA recommends this be done prior to interviews)
• begin conducting candidate interviews

• continue conducting candidate interviews
• submit our candidate rankings to the UUA
• minister matches for round one are made on 5/18

1. An equitable process of selecting a well-rounded Settled Minister Search Team will take some time. Once that team is established, they will need ample time to work with the congregation to determine our priorities for our next settled minister. This patience and intentionality on the front end will allow us to work together to identify our future direction and locate a settled minister who will be a good fit for our congregation.

1. Most candidates are seeking two-year interim ministries and by remaining open to this slightly longer process, we will have access to a larger pool of candidates.

1. Contact members of the Governing Board directly (contact information listed below)
2. Zoom into “Lunch with Cindy” Mondays at noon using this link: Lunch with Cindy

Greetings Beloved Community, 

I write to you today on behalf of the Governing Board. We are excited to share with you our decision to hire Cynthia Menard as our part time Religious Education Director at First Parish Northborough beginning this October. Cynthiaoffers experience, energy, and a tremendous amount of flexibility—all characteristics the Board believes will serve our congregation well in these uncertain times. 

Cynthia brings a depth of experience both with outdoor education and with Unitarian Universalist religious education. She has served as a religious education director since 2018 and is currently participating in coursework through the UUA Religious Education (RE) Credentialing Program. Additionally, she is a credentialed teacher of the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program, and is a certified in youth mental health first aid through the UUA. Many of you have already met Cynthia through her work with the Unitarian Church of Marlboro and Hudson. 

Our community is facing two distinct challenges right now: COVID-19 and dwindling participation in RE programming at First Parish Northborough. While Cynthia’s experience and education alone qualify her for this position, there exist two specific reasons the Board decided she is the right fit for our community at this time: her expertise with outdoor education and her intellectual curiosity and sense of adventure. 

As we begin this church year still unable to safely gather indoors, we were impressed with Cynthia’s ideas for creating outdoor classroom spaces at First Parish Northborough this fall and into the future. Additionally, we feel ready to embrace opportunities to collaborate with area congregations on RE programming and to plan events that will bring youth and families from multiple towns together. In talking with several parents of Northborough youth, it has become clear to me that folks are hungry for opportunities for their children to get connected with other children in a safe, nourishing, and accepting environment. In these times, there is arguably no higher priority. 

It is not only children but also adults who are craving this deeper connection and spiritual exploration. With that in our minds and hearts, we have asked Cynthia to explore adult religious education and enrichment opportunities with our congregation as well. 

As Cynthia gets started in her new role here, we invite your participation on this journey! In order to support Cynthia’s work with FPUU as we envision our future, we are re-establishing an RE Committee. This group will work in an advisory capacity to support Cynthia and Reverend Lynda as they collaborate on worship opportunities and community-building initiatives at First Parish Northborough and in the wider community. If you are interested in serving our congregation in this way, please email me at cbfpgb@gmail.com. 

Be well and stay healthy,

Cindy

It has been some time since First Parish UU Northborough has had a minister take sabbatical leave, and each sabbatical time is different. The Sabbatical Committee has created this guide to help answer some of the most frequently asked questions about sabbatical, and to help the congregation know what to expect during Rev. Lynda’s time away.

• Who?

• When?

• Why?

• What happens while Rev. Lynda is away?

Rev. Lynda has three main responsibilities in her role as minister: offering worship, tending to the pastoral needs of the members and leaders, and facilitating the smooth running of the church organization. These three areas are covered in detail in the sections that follow. 

Our concern first and foremost is the well being of each of you, your needs at this time of uncertainty and stress. Therefore, a call list is being organized from the First Parish community. A board member will be calling to talk with you, find out your needs and enjoy the connection.

Time was spent discussing our Fiscal responsibility in such areas as the 2020-2021 budget, support of our employee’s, Offertory including the half plate, the Ministers fund for assistance to FP community, and how to move forward regarding fund raising/pledges.

More than ever our level of awareness has been raised by this pandemic as to how much a part we are in “the interdependent web of existence”. Aware of how much we are dependent on each other. The goal that all of us are working towards is keeping an experience of feeling connected whether it is the meaningful, comforting services provided by the Worship Team, the services of Pastoral Care committee, the beautiful words of Poetry from Living by Heart, Music offerings from our musicians and the many other services providing connection and community.

The power of WE is a Gift of Love that keeps giving and when it is strong there is no room for fear.

The following message was shared with me from Karen Bump former FP member. May these words bring comfort and inspiration.

And the people stayed home, and read books, and listened and rested and exercised and made art and played games and learned new ways of being and were still.

And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadow. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And in the absence of people living ignorant, dangerous, mindless and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the days passed and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses and made new choices and dreamed new images and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully. As they had been healed…..

On behalf of the Governing Board, Audrey Kracke-Lambert, President

We have suddenly, with little opportunity to prepare, been thrust into a time of curtailed activities, as our community attempts to slow the spread of the current pandemic. The Governing Board met Sunday afternoon with the Coronavirus Task force to look at what changes we must deal with as a result, and begin to formulate an idea of how to pull together, offer mutual support, and fulfill our function as a church community.

This Board considered various aspects of church life, with an eye to fulfilling our individual and communal needs while keeping each of us as safe as possible.

We are working overtime to stay connected! Please feel free to contact us with your thoughts, questions, and feedback as we all learn a re-imagined way of being in community in a time of crisis.