We've Been Charged -- Now What?
Tuesday, June 6 • 5:30-7:00 p.m. • Unity Church
Wednesday, June 14 • 7:10-8:30 p.m. • Unity Church/Zoom
Registration
On Sunday, May 14, the board delivered a charge to both the Ministerial Search Team and the congregation. What does that mean? And how do we live into that charge? The board and Rev. Kathleen Rolenz invite you into a conversation not only about the charge but about what qualities we — as a congregation — wish to bring to the search process and the year ahead. Child care available by request.
Wednesday, June 14 • 7:10-8:30 p.m. • Unity Church/Zoom
Registration
On Sunday, May 14, the board delivered a charge to both the Ministerial Search Team and the congregation. What does that mean? And how do we live into that charge? The board and Rev. Kathleen Rolenz invite you into a conversation not only about the charge but about what qualities we — as a congregation — wish to bring to the search process and the year ahead. Child care available by request.
Meet the Ministerial Search Team
|
Rebecca Flood
I love Unity Church! I can think of no better way to “give back” than to be a part of this search for a new spiritual leader who will help us move into the future our values, mission and ends statements envision, while recognizing our history and traditions. I come to this process as a white, 68 year old lesbian, who worked in public sector leadership positions for over 40 years. I have participated in racial, gender and identity trainings and issues, both at work and at Unity. My life experiences have taught me that everyone brings their own “gifts and wounds” to any work, and all of them are important. Although I view the world through my own particular lens, I pledge to stay open to all views so that we get the best possible candidate that sees and honors us all. I have had a wide ranging involvement in various aspects of Unity that give me a strong understanding of large church ministry, including serving on and chairing the Board of Trustees, the annual pledge drive, the Generosity Ministry Team, worship associates and Unity pilgrimages to India and New Orleans. |
|
Ray Wiedmeyer
Ray has been a member of Unity Church for over 20 years. During that time he has participated in many of the outreach teams and many other activities at Unity. Although retired he continues to work as the volunteer warehouse manager at Mano a Mano International, a nonprofit doing development work in partnership with rural Bolivian communities. Ray lives in St Paul with his partner of many, many years, Karen Abraham. My interest in being on the Ministerial Search Team centers on my wanting to give back to the community that has given me so much over the years, and a desire to listen to all members of the congregation in doing the work of the MST. I would bring to the team my ability to listen closely to people’s stories and more specifically to hear what others want to see in our next called minister. I bring knowledge of the church’s history over the past two decades, knowledge of the expanding reach of our end’s statements, and my work to see those ends statements put into practice first in myself, then at Unity, and finally in the world beyond. |
|
Jennie Smith
Unity has supported my family through times of celebration and difficulty. I feel that now is a time that we need to step up and help it heal. I would like to be a part of helping find the ways to honor our past, celebrate our present and move forward. I have spent nearly 20 years as an executive assistant supporting, coaching, and advising a range of leaders, and have experienced firsthand what great leadership can inspire. I seek to understand the intentions and perspectives of others through careful listening and empathy that drives an understanding of subtext and meaning others may miss. This understanding enables me to give thoughtful counsel and support. I do this by asking questions, listening, and being vulnerable enough to admit what I cannot understand. I am skilled at adapting to differing communication and work styles. I approach this work with no preconceived ideas or notions of who our next minister will be. I know that whoever is chosen to be on the Ministerial Search Team comes to it from a place of good intent for and dedication to Unity and its future. |
|
Tara Romanov Messana
Unity has been a lot of things to me: a place for celebration, contemplation, inspiration, connection, personal and spiritual growth, a lifeline in hard times. Rob and Janne were a big part of my experience. I want to help our church find a good fit so people feel engaged. I’m from a Chicago immigrant family (first-generation American and first-generation college student --Macalester), cisgender, heterosexual, single mom of color, raising two Unity kids. Background in: nonprofits (high school to college bridge programs for youth of color), higher education and more recently earning my MBA and working in marketing innovation. I love seeking different perspectives, making meaningful connections, broadening my view, and problem-solving to create something better. A 20+ year member of Unity -- married at Unity, taught every religious education level, served on the Anti-racism Leadership Team, volunteered with Project Home and Wellspring Wednesday. I have a cultural mindset of "we" not “me” that influences how I raise my children, connect with others personally and professionally. My diverse experiences, awareness and compassion will help me learn what's important to Unity members, understand our congregational needs, and advocate to find a strong fit. |
|
Angela Wilcox
I don’t enter this process with fixed ideas about the outcome; rather, I think the journey of the next year will help us continue to learn about ourselves as a faith community, and I’m curious and excited to see who is drawn to be part of that journey with us. I have both a length and breadth of experience here at Unity Church, from teaching religious education to being a worship associate to my current work with the Beloved Community Staff Team, all of which has given me a deep appreciation for the diversity of beliefs, needs, and interests in our community. I’m a trained restorative justice facilitator, and I believe these skills will be useful in the work of this team. My work in public education frequently immerses me in healthy conflict in multicultural spaces, and I enjoy this kind of generative and productive collaboration. |
|
Kat Sherman-Hoehn
Kat Sherman-Hoehn and spouse Fritz joined Unity in 2013 looking for a church that would welcome Kat as a queer person, challenge them to racial and environmental justice work, support spiritual questioning, and help their daughter Sophie grow into her spirituality rather than define it for her. They found it. Through teaching – and learning from – junior high youth, and singing in the Women’s Ensemble, Kat found that the strength of Unity is in our multitude of voices and the many paths we offer to worship, serve, and grow. Kat wants to bring this perspective to the Ministerial Search Team. Kat would use the practices learned from those groups, as well as her professional experience in diversity and equity work, building trust within organizations, project management, and hiring in the public sector, to live up to the charge of representing the whole congregation. Those are: finding and engaging all voices, committing to transparency throughout, and navigating complex needs, fears, and hopes to find consensus while meeting our timelines and goals. |
|
Richard Lau
Walking into Unity Church for the first time in 2002 felt like coming home. For me, Rob and Janne made Unity a sacred and safe place to trust one another. I want to help find the right person to guide and continue that feeling for everyone. I’ve been privileged to be part of many aspects of Unity over the last 20 years, from being a wide-eyed newcomer, to teaching elementary and middle school religious education including eventually as a parent myself, being a Coming of Age mentor, and as well as getting an “inside baseball” look at our church by being a worship associate as well as the program's coordinator. I think these experiences across the breadth and depth of the church keep me mindful of the broad spectrum of the congregation's joys, hopes, and worries. This perspective dovetails with my background, education, professional life and training, and disposition. I believe that we, as members of this beloved community, owe it to each other to find someone who makes us think most of the time, infuriates us some of the time, but inspires us all of the time. I earnestly and humbly want to help find that person. |
The Interim Monitoring Team (IMT)
The Interim Monitoring Team (IMT)
Every Interim Minister is expected to create a Transitions Team, or as its called here at Unity, an Interim Monitoring Team which is composed of lay leaders who meet monthly with the Interim Minister. They have two primary areas of focus:
It is not unlike what some congregations used to call a Committee on Ministry, but it is unique to the tasks of Interim Ministry. Persons are generally recommended to the Interim Minister by the Board. They serve one-year terms, renewable for a second year.
The Interim Monitoring Team provides important feedback to the Interim Minister about how the ministry is going. They don’t bring anonymous concerns to the meeting; however, they will provide members with a supportive presence if you wish to bring specific concerns or complaints to the Interim Minister.
Members of the 2022-2023 Interim Monitoring Team are: George Anastos, Andrea Anastos, Bevery Heydinger, Peggy Linn, John Sherman, and Finn Schneider.
Every Interim Minister is expected to create a Transitions Team, or as its called here at Unity, an Interim Monitoring Team which is composed of lay leaders who meet monthly with the Interim Minister. They have two primary areas of focus:
- To understand Interim Ministry and to help interpret interim ministry to the congregation and;
- To provide insight, wisdom, advice and support to the Interim Minister so that her decisions and course of action are grounded in the congregation’s history and identity.
It is not unlike what some congregations used to call a Committee on Ministry, but it is unique to the tasks of Interim Ministry. Persons are generally recommended to the Interim Minister by the Board. They serve one-year terms, renewable for a second year.
The Interim Monitoring Team provides important feedback to the Interim Minister about how the ministry is going. They don’t bring anonymous concerns to the meeting; however, they will provide members with a supportive presence if you wish to bring specific concerns or complaints to the Interim Minister.
Members of the 2022-2023 Interim Monitoring Team are: George Anastos, Andrea Anastos, Bevery Heydinger, Peggy Linn, John Sherman, and Finn Schneider.
Board Announces Next Interim Senior Minister
|
Dear Unity Church Members and Friends,
It is with great pleasure that the board announces Unity’s next interim senior minister, Rev. Kathleen Rolenz. Rev. Kathleen comes to Unity Church with more than 28 years ministerial experience and interim ministry at five congregations, having completed the highest level of accreditation for interim ministry. She has extensive experience with Policy Governance and has worked in several executive team structures, most recently at All Souls Church in Washington, DC. To learn more about Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, please visit her website at www.kathleenrolenz.com. Rev. Kathleen's contract is for one-year, renewable for a second year if the Board and the Interim Minister discern that the interim ministry is being useful and effective. Unity Church Board of Trustees |
|