Three main reasons:

  1. In January, we were still waiting for a vaccine. Travel was restricted and we felt it was not an ideal time to expect candidates to be available to us. We also thought that it may not be a long wait. Of course, we now know that was not the case.
  2. We wanted to take the opportunity to experience different ministers. Having the ability to have virtual talks allowed us to experience assorted styles and people from all over the country. This is almost a search process within itself to experience these different thought leaders, as we think about what we want of Unity of Melbourne (UOM).
  3. And, perhaps, most importantly, we needed to do the internal work too. We needed to be clear about what Unity of Melbourne was about, i.e., our Why, our mission, our vision, in order to attract our future spiritual leader. In addition to the Why, we also have newly created our Hows, our guiding principles, and our Whats, the programming, activities and events to manifest the Why.

We had done similar work just three years prior – did we really change that much? Well, actually everything changed and our research and learnings from other Unity ministries also lead us to believe that while we will be able to do in-person services again, we will never leave online: and there are many reasons why that is good in strengthening our community–not just for congregants who cannot attend, but also for people we cherish who may have moved away or live elsewhere part of the year.

  1. How will the search process work?

We will use the same general process we used before. We are twice blessed that Linda Cobb, who led our 2018 search, and Jenny Battig, who was Board chair at that time, are co-chairing the Search Team. The Search Team will vet all applications and put forth the top choices for the congregation to meet, hear a talk, interview in a Town Hall format, and experience a workshop. Of course, there will be small group interviews with the Board and individual teams, reference checks, and all of the typical pre-hiring processes. We are committed to regularly communicating with you about our progress.

  1. Is Rev. Therese Lee a candidate for permanent minister?

No. Rev. Therese is contractually obligated to Unity Hilton Head, but we are fortunate to have her during this time.

  1. How long will Rev. Therese serve in this capacity?

Unity Worldwide recommends 90-day contracts but those are always renewable, and we do not know how long this process will take, and/or how it will continue to work for Rev. Therese. We are certain that everything is going to work out in divine order,

  1. Will the new Senior Minister be full time or part time?

Likely part time as we cannot afford a full-time minister. That being said we believe this (the part-time status) will be very desirable as we have removed the operational responsibilities, like managing the facility and building leasing (among many, many other things), and shifted them to the part-time Director of Operations. Our aim is for the the Senior Minister to be able to focus solely on leading our spiritual development.

And a final note, WE are grateful for YOU. You have continued to support and show up and we cannot do this work without you. It is great seeing your faces in person and I love seeing increased numbers each Sunday. We have an outstanding holiday season planned and look forward to further connections. Please continue to love and support Unity of Melbourne. If ever there was a time for our message and our mission it is NOW.

Gratefully,

Valerie Holloway and your Board of Trustees