Please welcome Rev. Dr. Oscar Sinclair
as Senior Minister of Unity Church
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The Board of Trustees and the Ministerial Search Team are so very delighted to share news of the April 21, 2024, congregational vote to call the Rev. Dr. Oscar Sinclair as Senior Minister of Unity Church. The affirmative vote exceeded our congregational bylaws requirement of 85%, as well as the 90% minimum threshold hoped for by most ministerial candidates. As Rev. Oscar shared in remarks at the conclusion of Sunday’s meeting, he accepts this call “with great humility and fullness of heart.”
Get to know Rev. Oscar and see video answers to questions posed by the congregation.
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We are excited to hear your stories from candidating week and the Congregational Meeting. Send us an email, use this link to upload memories, or catch us at church to share. Share your story, listen to others’ stories. Repeat… repeat… repeat -> just like we’ve been doing all year. We want to capture these stories as part of the history of Unity Church.
2024 Unity Church Congregational Record
The Unity Church 2024 Congregational Record is now available.
What is the Congregational Record? What's the Purpose?
The Congregational Record (CR) is a document used during minister search to provide prospective ministers with information about Unity Church-Unitarian (and other churches in search).
What is in the Congregational Record?
A profile of Unity Church-Unitarian that includes notes on:
What are steps in the ministerial search process?
What is the Congregational Record? What's the Purpose?
The Congregational Record (CR) is a document used during minister search to provide prospective ministers with information about Unity Church-Unitarian (and other churches in search).
- All Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) churches in search provide a CR to prospective ministers as part of the UUA search process.
- All ministers in search provide a Ministerial Record (MR), kind of like a CV or resume but more in-depth.
- Both the CR and MR are how ministers and search teams learn about each other and search for a match.
What is in the Congregational Record?
A profile of Unity Church-Unitarian that includes notes on:
- Congregational life, personnel, church history, membership and finances, demographics, accessibility, resources and programs, and the surrounding Twin Cities community.
- The congregational record is built from many sources, and cottage meetings and congregational survey are vital elements of the story an MST is able to tell about their congregation.
- This year, over 250 people attended 27 cottage meetings and the congregational survey was completed by 44% of members!
What are steps in the ministerial search process?
- Candidates express interest and submit their Ministerial Record (similar to a resume) to the UUA.
- Congregations let the UUA know they are in search and submit their Congregational Record.
- The UUA helps facilitate the process, making both the MR and CR documents available.
- Search teams narrow their selection and choose one candidate to visit their church.
- Candidating week is an opportunity for the congregation, staff and board of directors to meet the candidate, hear them give a sermon, and vote on whether or not to affirm that minister's call to their congregation.
Charge to the Congregation
Unity Church Board of Trustees Charge to the Congregation
Charged during worship services on May 14, 2023
Charged during worship services on May 14, 2023
- As a congregant, I will be an informed participant in the search process.
- I will respect the covenantal nature of this process.
- I will respect the work and honor the service of the Ministerial Search Team, knowing that they cannot share everything with the congregation.
- I will offer thoughtful discernment about the current and future needs of the congregation.
- I will engage in best practices of transformative conflict but not engage in divisive behavior that causes harm.
- I will be mindful in my use of email and social media communications with respect to matters concerning the search and the search process.
- I will be present during candidating week, will learn about the candidate, make my decision carefully, and vote responsibly.
Ministerial Search Team
MST pictured left to right: Ray Wiedmeyer, Angela Wilcox, Rebecca Flood, Tara Romanov Messana, Kat Sherman-Hoehn, Jennie Smith, Richard Lau
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RolesAngela Wilcox: chair, Beyond Categorical Thinking coordinator, interview coordinator
Tara Romanov Messana: communications, survey and cottage meeting coordinator, Beyond Categorical Thinking coordinator, notetaker Jennie Smith: communications, pre-candidating weekend arrangements coordinator, candidating week arrangements coordinator Richard Lau: negotiating team Rebecca Flood: negotiating team Kat Sherman-Hoehn: treasurer, congregational record coordinator, documents packet coordinator Ray Wiedmeyer: neutral pulpits coordinator, pre-candidating weekend arrangements coordinator, candidating week arrangements coordinator |
