Congregational Record

Congregation Life

Describe your Congregation and its culture:

The UUR is a vibrant and multi-generational church of 135 members. It isn't uncommon to have a dozen children go up to the front of the sanctuary for the 'Time for All Ages,' or for a third of the congregation to stand when it's time for our choir to sing.

We like to think of ourselves as incredibly welcoming, and while many people do have that experience when they walk in the door, there are certainly others who have not felt the same welcome (whether they slipped through the cracks or we aren't as explicitly welcoming as we like to think - both of these are possible).

We are very child- and family-centric, and prioritize our RE programming, as well as our music programming (we have been blessed with a succession of incredible music directors). There isn't a very strong culture of church activities outside of Sunday morning, though when non-Sunday events take place they are often well attended. We like to think that our coffee hour provides awesome food and coffee, and being placed on one of twelve 'hospitality teams' - responsible for coffee hours, ushering, and welcoming four times a year - is strongly encouraged for all members.

We have many retired members, and many families of school-age children, but a smaller number of mid-life 'empty-nesters', who theoretically would have more flexibility to put time and energy to church work. While there are a number of extremely active volunteers and regular volunteer activities that many congregants participate in, volunteerism within the church is not the norm. It has been hard at times to find RE volunteers, and we hire out many jobs that other congregations may have volunteers take on (sexton, mowing the lawn, cleaning the church, etc.). There is very little (we could probably say no) infighting or jockeying for control or power within the congregation -- we have very much taken on the easy-going, perhaps not great with the details, child-loving personality traits of our most recent settled minister. When a crisis comes our way, which it inevitably and periodically does, we are mostly (but not always) able to absorb and process the issue in a healthy way.

Your Congregation's mission:

The First Universalist Church in Rockland is an intentionally diverse, multi-generational community of faith. We are called to do transformative work in our lives and in the world. Grounded in our Unitarian Universalist principles and our living tradition: we act from hope and love, gratitude and abundance, as we guide our children and grow our souls, becoming the change we want to see in the world.

Describe and provide examples of how your Congregation lives its values:

All that we do, as a church and as individuals, is an expression of our values, starting with mutual respect and caring for each other, and recognizing that there are areas where we need to be challenged and to grow. And we reach beyond our church community to support individuals and organizations that are addressing economic disparities and social justice issues.

• The Tonians, a group of elder church women, has been meeting once a month for well over fifty years, providing community and support to each other and welcoming a diversity of speakers, many of whom inform the group about current social justice projects or activities.

• The Caring Network, organized to support church members as needed as a key component of pastoral care.

• Two Small Group Ministry Circles, formed in October, are guided by the curriculum in Heart to Heart: Fourteen Gatherings for Reflection and Sharing by Rev. Christine Robinson and Alicia Hawkins.

• Study groups, from an informal book club to more directed book studies offer ways of exploring and understanding social justice issues.

• Loaves & Fishes - provide a homemade Sunday dinner for those in need on any 5th Sunday in a month

• The Landing Place - provide a homemade supper for at-risk and homeless youth once a month

• Area Interfaith Outreach - provide weekly contributions to the local food pantry, participate in the board of that organization, and provide volunteers as needed.

• One Less Worry - provide regular donations to this organization that provides personal hygiene products.

• Host the weekly vegetable distribution of a local organic CSA farm, and act as the Fiscal Agent for the farm's CSA member Financial Aid Fund.

• Provide vibrant OWL programming that welcomes children from the community as well as children from our congregation

• Welcome a plethora of local non-profits and community-based organizations to use our building free-of-charge to hold board meetings, community organizing sessions, meals, etc.

• Half of our plate collection each week is given to local non-profits that support our mission.

• Our church has played a key role in the establishment of several now independent non-profits, including WindowDressers, which builds and installs low-cost inserts for drafty windows, and MidCoast Community Chorus, which offering a welcoming place for over 150 community singers, and the Knox County Health Clinic, which expands access to quality health care, and the Knox County Homeless Coalition. These are efforts that have been initiated by our membership and supported by the church.

Link to your Safe Congregation policy:

We have a Safe Congregation policy, but it is not available online.

Worship service schedule:

Worship is on Sunday 10:00 am, year-round. Our large choir, pre-Covid, sings in two services each month (except for in summer). Children begin worship in the sanctuary and then are sung out to their religious exploration classes following a story for all ages in the sanctuary. RE finishes as the service ends. Coffee hour follows immediately after the service, with delicious snacks and coffee supplied by rotating hospitality groups.

We have two small group ministry circles meeting this winter. Worship is really limited to Sunday morning (though we hope this might change!).

Personnel

Congregation History

Provide your Congregation's founding history:

• 1820, the first organized Universalist gatherings in Rockland take place at a brick meeting house on Old County Road

• 1836, the first Universalist Church building in Rockland is built on Union Street

• 1875, the first church is sold for $300 and transported by barge to the island of Vinalhaven

• 1875, The cornerstone is laid for the new Church of Emmanuel, Universalist on Union Street

• 1956, William Robbins (the namesake of our church library) begins his 18-year ministry of our congregation. Following his tenure, the church is served by a succession of settled ministers including Steven Eddington, Jeffrey Smynkywicz, Rolfe Gerhardt, and Mark Glovin.

Date founded: 1/1/1820

Describe important events in your Congregation's history:

• 1960, Groundbreaking takes place for a new church location (and our current home) at 345 Broadway. The first service is held here on November 6th .

• 1987, The Collins Room addition is built and later named for Sam and Dottie Collins

• Early 1990’s, Rev. Smynkywicz sets in motion “The Free Market of Ideas” which brings a number of visitors and new members, a wide range of programs and a diversity of worship experiences to the congregation.

• 1995, The church earns certification as a Welcoming Congregation from the Unitarian Universalist Association. The congregation joins other faith communities in opposing a state referendum to prevent lesbian and gay Mainers from ever being covered by legal protections. The referendum is defeated.

• 1998, The congregation votes to oppose a referendum to deny the addition of protections to the Maine Human Rights Act, takes a visible stand and leads opposition to the referendum in our area. The referendum passes.

• Late 1990's, A painful and challenging time for the congregation. The congregation adopts our Policy for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse.

• 2000, Congregation actively supports a referendum to ensure civil rights and prevent discrimination of LGBTQ Mainers. The referendum fails.

• 2003, Long Range Visioning Process.

• 2004, The congregation tasks a Search Committee with the search for our next minister.

• 2004, Kate Braestrup, long-time UUR member and now chaplain of the Maine Warden Service, is ordained as the church’s affiliate minister for community ministry.

• 2005, Carney Doucette becomes our Head of Religious Explorations. Over the next decade the number of children in our RE programming grows from the single digits to over fifty.

• 2005, The congregation calls Reverend Mark Glovin to the ministry. He is ordained and installed on November 7.

• 2005, Once again the congregation takes a leadership role in interfaith organizing in support of a referendum to add protections for LGBTQ Mainers to the Maine Human Rights Act. Our Music Director, Mimi Bornstein, leads an interfaith chorus in a benefit concert for the campaign. Twenty-one robed clergy stand with the chorus in support of LGBTQ Mainers. The referendum passes.

• 2005, Music Director Mimi Bornstein expands our church choir into what will become the stand-alone Midcoast Community Chorus, eventually involving up to 150 singers and raising over a hundred thousand dollars for local non-profits.

• 2006, Church members participate in our first service trip to New Orleans. Youth later participate in service trips to Guatemala.

• 2006, Through outreach to the Green Sanctuary Committee by the Maine Council of Churches, our congregation becomes the first faith community in Maine to form a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) partnership. Our CSA partnership becomes a catalyst for other churches in our state to form similar partnerships.

• 2007, Based on the success of our CSA partnership, the congregation forms a Community Supported Fishery (CSF) partnership with a group of local fishermen. This may have been the first CSF partnership in the nation!

• 2009, Mark and other Maine clergy stand in support of the freedom to marry at a legislative hearing at the Maine Civic Center in Augusta. The congregation actively supports the marriage campaign, which fails at referendum.

• 2009, Our church earns Green Sanctuary Certification from the Unitarian Universalist Association.

• 2010, The Window Dressers, led by members of our congregation make their first 100 energy-saving window inserts for the community in our church basement. Eventually the Window Dressers will become a stand-alone non-profit.

• 2012, The congregation actively supports the second statewide marriage campaign. Members of the congregation march with members of area faith communities in support of the youth of Out Maine in the Rockland Lobster Festival Parade. The freedom to marry becomes legal January 1, 2013.

• 2015, Our multi-generational, vibrant, musical congregation celebrates Mark’s 10th anniversary on December 5th.

• 2017, We hire a very part-time sexton, partially to address the demands on our physical plant after we open our doors to an increase in building use by local groups after the 2016 election.

• 2017, We begin to pay Sunday morning RE assistants in order to insure consistency and create space for DRE Carney Doucette to provide more "lifespan RE".

• 2019, Mark resigns.

• 2019, Church purchases property and house adjacent to church itself at 8 Court Street, and Rev. Susan Milnor becomes our Interim Minister.

Ministerial History

Membership & Finances

The data for the table below comes directly from the UUA's annual congregational certification.

Demographics

What percentage of members do you estimate identify as people of color?

1-4%

What percentage of members do you estimate identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ)?

5-9%

Please describe the gender makeup of your congregation

The majority of our members are cis-gender, but we have some gender non-binary and gender-expansive members and regular visitors. Our last settled minister explicitly welcomed gender non-binary and gender-expansive visitors in his opening words.

What number of staff (including full and part time) identify as people of color?

0

What number of people of color serve as leaders or chairs of your volunteer committees and program teams?

0

What number of your Board of Trustees identify as people of color?

0

What changes have you made in the last 3-5 years, if any, to include the racial and ethnic diversity of your congregational staff and volunteer leadership?

We have not done any specific recruitment or leadership development programs regarding racial and ethnic diversity within our staff and lay leaders. We began programming to look at white supremacy and institutionalized oppression within our church and the wider community, but it fizzled out and we have not made as deep a dive as we initially intended (and want).

Accessibility

Is your Congregation's meeting space wheelchair accessible? Yes

Wheelchair accessibility details:

We have a lift that allows accessibility to our upper level (where the sanctuary is located) and to the lower level (where coffee hour and choir rehearsal take place) of our building.

Our chancel is not currently accessible, however.

Does your Congregation provide assisted listening systems? Yes

Assisted listening system details:

An upgraded Hearing Loop system was installed in 2016.

Describe other ways your congregation has dealt with accessibility:

We have examined our building with the help of a congregant who is able to evaluate accessibility, and we have acted upon her recommendations. Recent changes include improved lighting, bright markers that highlight stairs and changes in the flooring, additional mini-ramps to ease entrance in and out of the church, and more. We have a scent-free section of the sanctuary, marked with clear signage. We have recently done a walk through of our building to re-assess accessibility and are planning future improvements, including replacing front and back doors, as finances allow.

Resources & Programs

List the resources and programs your Congregation used or participated in during the past year:

Resources from the UUA:

• coaching from Regional staff

• UUA website

• UUMA resources

• Search and Settlement

• Clusters LREDA and UUMA

• BLUU Teach-In

• MUUSAN

• OWL training

• Soul Matters

• Beyond Categorical Thinking

There were a few additional regional workshops to which we sent people.

Describe your religious educational programs:

53 children registered and about 12-25 children attending on Sundays (pre-Covid)

We have 3 groups for RE on Sunday morning:

• Chalice Children, under age 7. We use a modified Spirit Play approach for them.

• Elementary group (ages 7-10) is learning about anti-oppression and multi-cultural values, using the curriculum, We’re on Our Way.

• Our youth ages 11 and up are exploring World Religions.

Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education (OWL) is an integral part of RE. We were part way through OWL K-1 last year when Covid forced a halt to that. Last year we completed OWL 4-5 with 15 children, working with another UU church and a UCC church. We recently completed OWL 7-9 with 19 youth, several from families outside of our church community. Next year, we will be offering K-1 again.

We have an active Mid-Maine DRE cluster of 7 UU churches. We organize an annual pre-teen conference, and we will be developing a teen conference to support our youth who are aging out of the pre-teen conference. We all take turns hosting these events.

We also have offered workshops for our congregations – the last one was the Future of Faith Formation – because of 2 cancellations, we have the links to the webinar series and are now reaching out to our own congregations to see what we can adopt to be better preparing our children and adults as Unitarian Universalists.

During the year, we have several faith-in-action and multi generational experiences, including: RE taco bar at Loaves & Fishes soup kitchen; pet products Easter hunt with items being donated to local humane society; All-Birthday Party; Tonian Tea & Recital; movie night; church retreat at local 4-H Camp in June and church picnic in the Fall. Some of these are offered occasionally, and others are annual events.

Over the years, we have had adult RE opportunities as people have stepped forward to offer, including: End-of-life green burial; Being Mortal book discussion; Aging to Saging book discussion; Adult OWL; Our Liberal Lineages and Four Spiritualities based on the books written by Rev. Peter Richardson, a member of our congregation. We also have shown movies with discussion with some of our area agencies who are educating folks about LGBTQ, environmental and drug issues.

Describe your youth and campus ministry programs:

Mid-Maine YoUUth (high school age) - (Pre-Covid) This collaborative program is with 5 UU congregations. Youth plan, organize, and participate in yearly service learning opportunities. Before Covid this group was working on projects around Indigenous rights, and in 2020 they planned to go to Safe Passages in Guatemala. Pre-Covid they gathered

monthly in Belfast to deepen and strengthen their relationships, educate one another on issues relevant to the trip and plan fundraising events to support their travel. We had four youth involved in this group.

Coming of Age - We offer Coming of Age for our 7th & 8th graders every other year). Our youth are involved in many extra curricular activities, so the model that works for us is to have mentors that meet twice a month with the youth (starting in January), a mentor/mentee & parent orientation, two overnights and credo presentations from the youth in late May/early June.

We also bridge our youth when they graduate from high school with an end-of the-year ceremony in worship.

When church is in-person, our youth also help in RE on Sunday mornings, although some opt to attend the World Religions program when they are able to come. They also help with childcare, fundraising, and share their musical abilities in worship.

Surrounding Community

Describe the character of the surrounding community, including population and demographics:

We are located in Rockland, Maine, a beautiful coastal town of 7,219 residents. It is a community with a couple of very different, very distinct identities. Rockland is the Knox County seat, and it has a vibrant industrial seafood/sea product history,

retaining a (relatively) strong working waterfront to this day. Rockland in many ways retains its prior working class and rough-around-the-edges reputation. For example, 60% of students in Rockland schools qualify for reduced or free lunches. Within the last fifteen to twenty years, Rockland has also developed a reputation as an art and food mecca, with a vibrant downtown full of galleries, museums, and amazing restaurants. Many younger families with younger-than school-age children have settled here, as well as retirees.

A remarkable number of progressive and community-based non-profits call Rockland home, and the leaders of many of those organizations are also members of our church, and/or use space in our building. While Maine is, indeed, the whitest state in the union, and while Rockland is definitely representative of the state as a whole, there is more racial and cultural diversity in Rockland and in the Midcoast than some assume. Opera Houses in Rockport and Camden, and the Strand Theatre in Rockland, offer varied entertainment, film festivals, and conferences, and the municipally-owned Watts Hall in Thomaston is a locus for community theater. And here along the coast, with a mix of retirees and working families, summer people and those "from here," there is wide economic diversity.

The entire Midcoast area is geographically beautiful, and Rockland is the home of a mile-long breakwater that leads out into the harbor where you can walk on massive granite blocks out to a lighthouse. There are countless small beaches and ways to access the ocean with ferries to the islands, a rowing club, sailing clubs, marinas, touring schooners that dock near downtowns, and boardwalks. In addition, there is a regional YMCA. Rockland is home to a natural food co-op, an art and creatives incubator/working space, as well as classic big box stores that rim the periphery of the city. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound and many miles of hiking trails course the Camden Hills State Park, the land preserves of the Coastal Mountain Land Trust, and the Georges River Land Trust. Many lakes provide recreational opportunities of all types, and the town of Camden owns a ski area.

The members of the congregation come from Rockland and the "community" of small towns within Knox County, which has a population of 39,771.

An excellent source of information about Rockland and the surrounding communities is the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce and the local online news sites Penbay Pilot and VillageSoup. Municipal websites should be consulted for expansive information about individual towns.

Describe how your Congregation is known/perceived by the larger community:

We have a beloved member who had never been a UU before moving to Rockland to retire. She says that after she moved to town, she overheard a conversation where one person said to the other "The UUR? Every group around here that is doing something good for the world seems to have some connection to that place!", and that is what brought her in our front door. We have within our congregants leaders of nearly all the non-profits in town as well as community, educational, and political leaders. We're probably the only church in the state that has recently claimed two Maine state legislators at one time.

The ever-changing large colorful hand-painted banners that hang in front of our church building are a public testament to our values and mission, and are the landmark by which we're often known ("Oh, I love your banners!" is a frequent comment from Rockland non-congregants). After the 2016 election, we took political signs and flipped them inside out, and then used paint pens to write words of 'resistance' and welcome on them (the "flip side" of an ugly election season). We then filled the church's front lawn with the inside-out political signs, as a balm and an inspiration during dark days. We are located on one of the main streets in town, and while putting the signs up we got some happy honks and some middle fingers. They stayed up through the winter, though, an embodiment that acknowledged politics not-as-normal.

Perhaps the other area mainline churches may not know quite what to make of us, but in general we are known to follow through with what we say we will do, with generosity and offers of good food. That we give away 50% of our plate to a range of local non-profits lets other organizations know that we stand behind them financially, as well as with people power and in spirit.

Describe your Congregation's religious, political, and social context from a historical and current perspective.

First Universalist Church has been a liberal religious presence on the mid-coast for almost 200 years. This warm, supportive, emotionally healthy congregation holds diversity pretty easily. There is a lot of grace and ease here around theological differences and an ethic of trust, acceptance and engagement during worship. There is a sense that everyone gets their theological needs met some of the time and that someone gets their theological needs met each Sunday. And we all gather to hold space and build community and be there for each other. During our welcome we say that we gather on these Sundays to walk each other home, and that is really what it feels like.

The congregation has been an active presence in the wider community taking part in interfaith efforts around hunger and homelessness and has been seen as a leader and change agent in the community, taking particular leadership around non-discrimination civil rights legislation and helping Maine gain marriage equality. Often the congregation is supportive of efforts, yet happy to let a few people do the work of justice-making in the name of the congregation. And we have struggled to find a way to gain more church wide engagement. We have sent teams of people to help after Hurricane Katrina and have sent youth to Guatemala as part of the Mid-Maine YoUUth group. There is church wide support for these efforts and also a split that is somewhat along generational lines about whether the church is there primarily to serve its members or its community.

UUR is a church that is really good at saying "yes" to an individual or team with a good idea. So, one thing this church has done is to be a seedbed for organizations. Two prominent local organizations Window Dressers and the Mid Coast Community Chorus were born at First Universalist Church and spun off becoming really successful transformational organizations here in Rockland.

Over the last 14 years First Universalist has become the church it envisioned and dreamed about in 2003-4. We are now in the process of figuring what we are called to do as that gathered church. Since taking part in the Leap of Faith Program, the question we have been sitting with is 'How can we become a vibrant, missional, sustainable 21st century congregation?' We are excited to live our way into that answer together.

Position Basics

Anticipated Start Date: August 2021

Term: N/A

Percent Time: 100% Time

Minimum Salary + Housing: $54,000 | UUA Bronze level health insurance plan with 80% of premium paid UUA Bronze level family health insurance with 50% of the premium paid UUA Retirement at 10% UUA Minister’s dental plan with 80% pf premium paid UUA Group term life insurance with 100% of premium paid UUA Long-term disability insurance with 100% of premium paid Professional and out-of-pocket allowance, up to $5,000 Relocation/moving expenses, up to $6,000 reimbursed

Benefits: Self-employment offset tax; Retirement Plan; UUA Health Plan; Disability Coverage; Term Life Insurance; Dental; Professional Expense Allowance

Questionnaire

Description of minister's role in relation to other paid staff

Per Article VIII Section 11 of the Church Bylaws, the Minister shall serve as supervisor of the staff. Using democratic management practices, the Minister is responsible for ensuring appropriate staffing practices are followed including clear job descriptions, timely enrollment of eligible staff in offered benefit plans, annual compensation reviews, staff evaluations, and a dispute resolution process.

Primary areas of focus for the minister

A member of UUR summarized our hopes for our new minister: "We hope that the new minister will lead us to think past ourselves and do work in the wider world (aka social justice), inspire us to think more spiritually and with deeper love (via sermons and more), and help us care for each other (aka pastoral care)." A core role of the minister is to create deeply moving Sunday services and opportunities for spiritual growth. We also hope for a minister who will work to develop lay leadership and coordinate staff to implement our mission. Our minister needs to take an active role in pastoral care, partnering with our revitalized Caring Network. And our new minister must help us attract socially aware and active people of all ages to grow our ministry and congregation.

Desired strengths of the minister

Warm and welcoming, reliable and trustworthy. Unafraid to take risks and challenge us while simultaneously holding our (collective) hand. Able to go deep and to engage us intellectually through sermons and programming, and passionate about leading us to further engagement with social justice work. Excited to connect with elders and youth, thriving and struggling alike. Experienced and skilled at supervising staff and lay leaders. Emotionally and socially perceptive and willing to become invested in our loving community as we become invested in them.

Ongoing momentum we would like to continue

While in many ways our congregation has been in a holding pattern for the last few years, we are excited to build new areas of momentum alongside the energy and insights of a new minister. Despite our recent lull before and during Covid, we highlight a newly engaged and organized Caring Network, thriving youth RE programming and engagement, eagerness to engage with and stand up for racial justice (new BLM signs on our lawn and digital conversation that started mid-pandemic), and a newly acquired neighboring property with all the possibility and responsibility that involves.

Programs and traditions we want to maintain

Like all congregations, COVID has created upheaval in our church life and has forced us to set many traditions aside. When we finally join together in person again we acknowledge that change will be inevitable and even welcome. We will surely want to continue having children and families be an active part of Sunday services and the larger congregation. New member services, child dedications, coming-of-age ceremonies... all these are important for our sense of tradition and togetherness. It will be wonderful to return to the annual Blueberry Cove Retreat, and the Flower and Water Ceremonies that are important traditions and markers of seasonal shifts. And of course the Christmas Eve candlelit service is cherished by many. But, also, we also hope that lessons learned during this time of Covid will help us be open to change and growth and the creation of new traditions and ways of being together!

Participation of children in the worship service, and the frequency of inter-generational services

Children have long been a focal point of our congregation, especially during the last fifteen years. Regardless of the Sunday, children and youth always start the church hour in the sanctuary and remain for the welcome, opening words and first hymn. Many times a child or youth will light the chalice. All children are then invited to the front of the sanctuary for a 'Time for All Ages' reading, before they are sung out to their RE programming. We hold intergenerational services every couple of months, and on those Sundays, children are not sung out and instead we welcome their wiggles, giggles, and scratching of crayons throughout the service.

Traditional holiday services celebrated outside of Sunday morning

Christmas Eve is the only regularly scheduled service that happens in addition to Sunday services. Solstice services often take place (on whatever day of the week they fall), but have usually been led by lay leaders. Christmas Eve services have often taken two forms (though this is not something set in stone): one child-centric service earlier in the evening, and a second song- and candlelit-centered service. In addition, we've held special services around coping with community events.

Status of the congregation as a Welcoming Congregation

The congregation was certified a Welcoming Congregation in 1995. We were the second congregation in Maine to be certified. Guided by the Living the Welcoming Congregation curriculum, a circle met monthly for two years, from 2009 to early 2011, to continue and deepen our work as a Welcoming Congregation. In 2011, the circle recommended to the Board a number of ways the congregation could visibly reaffirm, expand and express our "extravagant welcome" to the LGBTQ+ community. The Board adopted all of these recommendations. From 1995 through 2005 the congregation actively supported a series of statewide campaigns for nondiscrimination and in both 2009 and 2012 actively supported statewide campaigns for the freedom to marry.

Status of the congregation as a Green Sanctuary congregation

The congregation was certified a Green Sanctuary in 2009. We are proud that in 2006 we were the first church in Maine to form a Community Supported Agriculture partnership and in 2008 to have started what may well have been the first Community Supported Fishery partnership in the nation. Both the CSA and the CSF are thriving and have long since expanded far beyond the congregation. Window Dressers, a non-profit organization that supplies, trains and supports teams of community volunteers to build affordable insulating window inserts at local workshops, was founded in our congregation in 2011 following an extensive energy audit of the church. Over the past decade, Window Dressers has won a number of awards and currently supports builds at over thirty sites across Maine and Vermont.

Other ways in which the congregation lives its values

The congregation has long had a strong commitment to providing direct service to economically marginalized people in our region. Our congregation was a founding member of Area Interfaith Outreach (AIO) in 1990 and actively supports AIO's programs, providing food and energy assistance to those in need in our county. We participate in the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen hosted by St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Rockland. The congregation supports the Knox County Homeless Coalition and, before the COVID shutdown, provided monthly meals to The Landing Place, a program for teens at risk of homelessness. The Knox County Health Clinic, which provides low or no cost health and wellness services to uninsured or underinsured residents of our area, was founded and is partially staffed by members of our congregation. Other members have provided many hours of volunteer service. We donate half of our plate to nonprofits whose missions are in accord with our principles. Banners that proclaim our values hang over the entrance to the church and individuals within the congregation organize with like-minded people around social justice issues. Although in the past the congregation has taken a leadership role during LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination and marriage campaigns, we do not currently have a strong, active congregational identification with specific social justice issues. Our congregation is rich soil for planting and cultivating social activist seeds!

Status of the congregation as an Honor Congregation

We have a long tradition of being an Honor Congregations, but could not maintain that level of spending this year as we remain concerned about the impact of COVID on our congregation and hence, on our operating income, and we had the extra expense associated with our ministerial search process.

Lessons the congregation has learned about nurturing ministers and ministry

In our shared ministry the congregation works to support our minister, our staff and ourselves to be the best we can together. We support new ministers in gaining skills to achieve Final Fellowship. In the past we respected the need of a minister to cut back on his duties in order to care for a child and then to care for a parent. Staff and lay leaders filled in for him. We have learned that ministry is a joint effort and that we need to stay engaged in working with our minister and staff to live our mission together.

How the congregation has evaluated its ministry and its history with ministers

The Board has annually evaluated ministers who are working towards final fellowship. We have not, however, had a formal process for evaluating our ministry or our history with fellowshipped ministers. At one point, the Ministerial Committee served to facilitate communication between the Congregation and the minister, but it is no longer an active committee. The interim period has provided us with an opportunity to reflect on the process of evaluation and we believe that there is a need to formalize and improve our practice in this area.

What cottage meetings and surveys tell about the congregation

Congregation: The congregation is looking for a minister who has energy, can relate to all congregants, and can bring new perspectives, skills, and a lively and young spirit. Eclectic, stimulating sermons from a broadly educated or experienced individual are important. The minister must actively support RE for children, youth, and adults, and have strengths in working with groups and committees. Our minister must communicate effectively, be well organized, follow through with commitments, be team oriented, and be really committed to creating acceptance and multi-cultural integration. A minister who responds to the role of caring for parishioners is important, as is one who shares our church for a meaningful duration. We are vibrant, fun, musical, engaging, liberal, family-oriented, and multi-generational. We take care of each other and are kind. We're seekers who are friendly, tolerant, and caring with few to no factions. Progressive (politically), engaged, green, and active, we have a congenial, elderly core. We have high expectations of our minister and ourselves. We're open to change and are constantly evolving. Members have many talents – especially artistic and musical. We have a strong legacy of links to larger Midcoast social action initiatives, and we work for social and economic justice. The church has a deep history and financial legacy.

Church Staff: Staff have learned from the COVID experience to expand beyond Sunday services and our walls. They hope our next minister will have the tech skills to join in developing the potential for electronic programs and networking.The minister should be a leader and a team player with open communication and mutual respect/appreciation for what other staff offers. The minister needs an understanding of the constraints of part-time employees, and have good organizational skills that consider the rhythms of the team. The church is not very good at handling conflict. Ideally in the future we will expand collaborative work with other UU congregations.

RE Youth Comments: Youth are excited to go back to church and for future possibilities, yet want the new minister to honor what the congregation has been doing. The minister should participate more in the RE programs. The church is an open, kind, and welcoming place. We need a more diverse cross-section of youth of all ages participating, and greater involvement in getting out into the community.

The work that the minister(s) is expected to do on their own

Plan, coordinate and conduct minister-led Sunday services and special thematic services; Conduct memorial services, weddings, and other rites of passage such as child dedications; Support RE program through the RE Committee and DRE; Work with Board of Trustees and other congregational leaders; Provide day to day supervision of staff (with advice and counsel from Personnel Committee); Conduct individual pastoral counseling and coordinate with the Caring Network; Participate in local clergy group and the UUMA; Interface with the church's ongoing community social services programs and engage our congregation with broad issues of social justice.

The work that the congregation is expected to do on their own

Participate in one of the 12 hospitality/coffee hours teams which provide lobby greeters, ushers, and organize coffee hour on Sundays; Serve on the Church's Board and committees; Volunteer to prepare and serve the 5th Sunday noontime Soup Kitchen; Initiate and volunteer at social justice programs; Organize and participate in Church groups such the Tonian Circle (women's group), Book Buddies, Coming of Age Mentoring, and others; Fundraising outside of the Annual Canvass.

The work of the congregation and minister(s) that is shared by both

Planning of summer and non-minister led worship through the Worship Committee; Membership outreach; Annual Canvass; Coordination of comprehensive pastoral care of congregation.

Work of the congregation done by other staff

Director of Religious Exploration: Develops a vision and framework for lifespan RE program; Guides staff and volunteers in RE implementation; Recruits, trains, and supervises teachers and advisors; Collaborates with minister and staff in comprehensive family ministry, including planning programs between Sundays, organizing special events, and providing resources for families; Ensures program compliance with Church policies and procedures; Participates in professional activities as resources permit; Works 22 hrs/week.

Administrator: Provides support for staff, lay leadership, and working groups in the Church; Maintains congregational database; Manages church communication through the monthly newsletter, stewardship materials, weekly orders of service and announcements, online presence and press releases; Organizes building use and facility maintenance; Works 20 hrs/wk.

Music Director: Plans and provides music for Sunday worship; Rehearses and conducts choir; Works 15 hrs/wk.

Sexton: Cleans and maintains the facility; Works 4 hrs/week.

Description of a typical Sunday at the congregation, including a typical Sunday worship service

The hospitality team generally arrives by 9:15 am to set up for coffee hour and greet people as they arrive. The sanctuary gradually begins to fill with young and old -- some sit quietly and others greet each other. The gathering music begins at 10 am, performed by our Music Director or guest musicians. Those gathered are welcomed, followed by opening words and chalice lighting. The affirmation is recited and a hymn sung and/or performed by the choir. Children are invited to the front for 'Time for All Ages,' after which they are invited to their classes through song. There might be a reading, followed by prayer or meditation, and the offering is taken -- always with music. Following the sermon, a hymn is sung, the chalice extinguished, and benediction spoken. Finally, a musical postlude is played before conversation begins and everyone starts to leave the sanctuary. Coffee hour downstairs is well-attended (and usually quite delicious), though some members choose to gather in the "quiet room" on the first floor. Around noon, the last of the hospitality team jobs are finished and the church is closed up for the day.

Religious education and exploration in the congregation for children, youth, and adults

Through the RE Committee and the DRE, UUR provides infant and toddler care, a comprehensive religious explorations program for pre-K through elementary (Spirit Play), Coming of Age for middle schoolers, and a youth group program for those in high school. Some overnights are held at Church, and the congregation supports special programming (such as the holiday fair) and provides support for youth to attend conferences. The church typically holds an annual spring picnic and fall retreat for the whole community. OWL classes are scheduled annually and are often done collaboratively with other churches, including participants from outside our congregation. Adult RE is currently composed of small group ministry where congregants can reflect deeply on a subject and share their related experiences.

How the congregation defines good preaching and worship

Our Sunday worship service is the spiritual heart of our congregation. We come together on Sunday morning for respite, reflection, inspiration, challenge, to connect with the sacred, to be reminded of who we are and how to be a force for good in the world. We are accustomed to services in which all elements — words, silence, music, and sometimes digital images/videos -- are woven together to create a seamless whole and shape a coherent worship experience. We expect sermons to come from a spiritually grounded depth, to be thoughtful, stimulating, adventurous, and responsive to whatever may be going on within the life of the congregation or the world. We love to sing! And we appreciate the music of our choir, our Music Director, and our guest musicians. We welcome having our children with us for part of the service and cherish the "Time for All Ages." During COVID, all Sunday services are conducted via Zoom and "good preaching" includes being able to use digital mediums effectively.

Things a prospective minister should know about the theologies of the congregation, including where to find inspiration, comfort, and conflict

The theologies of the congregation vary along a spectrum from Christian UUs to pagans. Many are "recovering" from experience with another religion, or have been UUs from birth or from long-term membership. Young and old alike, we are all "seekers" for what feeds our souls in the context of the world we live in.

Ways the congregation handles conflicted situations

This is an area where the congregation has room for growth and improvement. In the past, conflict has sometimes been faced head-on, with difficult behind-the-scenes work done by the board and lay leadership (including meetings, discussions, and solicitation of UUA support). At other times conflict has been left to fester, remaining unaddressed and with no clear resolution. The congregation would appreciate support and assistance in developing how we handle conflicted situations.

Role of music and the arts in the life of the congregation

Music and the arts are a very important part of the congregation. This is a congregation that loves to sing and where music is integral to worship. In fact, a community chorus began at UUR that grew to 140 voices and now exists as a separate organization. The church has an art wall, curated by a member, where members showcase their artistry. Past exhibits have included doodle art, quilts and fabric art, poetry, a collective flower exhibit, and photos taken by youth. The church choir meets weekly and contributes songs to services at least twice a month. Church members regularly report that they are moved by the contributions of the music director to services. Music can set the tone and heighten the experience. Members of the congregation, young and old, also regularly contribute music in services. Pre-Covid, an art and stitching club, comprised of both members and others in the community, met weekly at the church.

The governing structure of the congregation and how the minister is a part of this structure

The Board of Trustees is comprised of five officers and two trustees, and the minister and DRE attend as ex-officio members. The minister is also an ex-officio member of all committees except the Ministerial Search Committee. New lay leaders emerge from the congregation through participation with various committees and are typically recruited by other lay leaders, the minister or the DRE.

How the work of the congregation happens

The work of the congregation happens through Board leadership, a range of committees, and the annual meeting and budget adoption by congregational vote.

Recent successful work of the congregation

Purchase of a house and property adjacent to the church to serve the long-term needs of the congregation, and transitioning to Sunday services via Zoom due to the COVID pandemic. Appointment of a Ministerial Search Committee.

The work within the congregation which is slow, stuck, or not attended to

The congregation has tried to engage with anti-oppression work for many years, with many stops and starts. In general, our social justice actions tend to be done by individuals in the congregation, rather than the community as a whole, despite our periodic attempts to change this dynamic. Other areas that we repeatedly try to attend to but that are currently stalled might include: addressing burnout of leaders/development of new leaders, figuring out how to welcome new congregational members so that they stay engaged over the long-term, and over-reliance on our endowment and individual large donors to meet our fiscal needs.

How money is raised within the congregation

Our FY 2019/2020 budget shows our income coming from pledges (64%), transfers from our Endowment (27%), and the rest from fundraising, plate collections, and use of our building. This is fairly typical, though fundraising can vary significantly depending on the events held. We have held book sales, plant sales, yard sales, and service auctions, and the children often put on their own fundraisers. As for the plate, we seem to raise $8-$9k each year, half of which is donated to worthy causes of the congregation's choosing. In addition, the newly acquired property is now available to either generate rental income, serve as a parsonage, or be used to implement new programs. The Endowment is professionally managed according to SRI investment principles with the goal of providing a predictable stream of income in perpetuity.

The most recent capital campaigns in the congregation

In 2019, we had the opportunity to purchase the house and lot immediately abutting the church parking area. A group formed to evaluate the cost/benefits of that opportunity. A feasibility study was done in order to estimate the amount we could expect to raise from a capital campaign, and how much would be needed from our Endowment Fund. Based on that analysis, we were able to very quickly raise over half the purchase price, mostly in gifts but with a few pledges over several years. The property was acquired in July, 2019, and was made available as an option to our interim minister.

Debt that the congregation has

We currently carry the proceeds of a small Payroll Protection Plan loan through the SBA but expect that the full amount will be forgiven. We are waiting for instructions to be finalized, knowing that the funds have been utilized as required. We also carry on our books an internal loan that tracks the amount of receivables outstanding from our Court Street Capital Campaign that will be returned to the Endowment fund as they are received.

How the congregation feels about its stewardship

This is an area where there is evidence of concern, due in part to the particular economic pressures of these times, and in part to the passing of some of our more able elder contributors. We see the impact of very real demands on our younger members and have made good progress in learning to talk about the financial needs of our congregation constructively, as all donors are approached personally. Most years, it seems we struggle to meet our stewardship goals, and yet people come forward to fill the gaps. Certainly, we could not make this work without the support of annual contributions from our Endowment.

Role of the minister(s) in stewardship

The minister sets the stage for stewardship, reminding and encouraging us to all take a role through contributing to the work of the church and giving generously, as we are able. This aspect of the minister's role is more informal and inspirational.

The ten largest pledges within the congregation

This fiscal year's ten largest pledges range from $3,600 to $10,000 and total over $57,000, or about 44% of our budgeted pledge income for this fiscal year. Given that all of these top pledges are from people who are elderly or at least retired, this may account for both the concerns expressed around finances, as well as the hope to engage younger generations.

What a prospective minister should know about the building and grounds for the congregation

In addition to our relatively small parking area behind the church, there is plentiful additional parking on city-owned land immediately across the street from us. Also, in July, 2019, we purchased the property abutting the church parking lot that includes a 3-bedroom, single-family home in good condition. It's currently being used as a home for our interim minister. We have fruit trees, flower gardens and native plants on our small city lot that are all cared for by congregational members, and throughout the summer our back parking lot is used as the pick-up location for a CSA farm.

The condition of the buildings and grounds

The Court Street home is in good condition and while we are looking at some improvements to reduce its carbon footprint, we don't expect any capital needs that can't be accommodated by the reserve fund that is set aside each year. The church building has been well-maintained and has been up-graded to reduce our carbon footprint and to be accessible. However, in this COVID age, we may want to invest in improved air circulation. That said, our endowment could be made available for these purposes, though we would want to fundraise directly for significant requirements. The grounds are attended by a team of volunteer gardeners, in addition to regular mowing and plowing services. There is talk of a planting to create a greater visual separation between the house and church grounds.

Expectations of the congregation for a minister(s) around pastoral care / spiritual guidance / counseling / home and hospital visitation

While we have a strong lay pastoral care committee ('Caring Network') that coordinates rides, meals, and social visits, we look forward to having a minister who enjoys interactions regarding pastoral care and spiritual guidance. Whether the minister is helping us strengthen our existing community support structures or creating their own new systems, or simply provides relatively prompt responses to the needs that are raised by the congregation, we look forward to someone who is excited to engage with pastoral care and spiritual guidance. We would hope that a minister would provide guidance directly, or if overwhelmed, help support lay leaders in providing that support. Either way, being organized and following-up would be an important way to build and increase trust that pastoral care will be provided with promptness and respect.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around children and adult religious education

As a congregation we are deeply committed to our RE programming, and are thrilled that the number of children in our program increased significantly over the past 15 years (giving lots of credit to the combination of a deeply dedicated director of religious education and a very thoughtful and caring former nursery room volunteer). Our expectations would be less that a minister would provide RE directly, but would develop, support and encourage RE programming in a deep and structural way. Some of that programming could come directly from the minister, but leadership and making sure that we have engaging programming would be our core expectation.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around community building / facilitation skills / coffee hour and social times

We do not have significant expectations for the minister to facilitate social times. But facilitation skills are important, as we need to do better at welcoming and integrating new attendees. Being present and making connections at community events (knowing that a new minister will also have healthy boundaries) is of course important to deepening a relationship to the congregation. If the minister sees a place where community could develop we hope that they would help us identify and make a plan to fill that gap. We have strong hospitality (coffee hour) teams that exist apart from direct ministerial involvement.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around committee / task force work

Strong leadership in this area would be valued and appreciated. As the pull of activities and responsibilities on families is ever-increasing, and the crucial 'empty-nest/pre-elder' volunteer pool is not strongly represented in our congregation, we seem to be in a regular cycle of heavy responsibility leading to burn-out. And with Covid potentially shifting many of the traditional dynamics within the church and volunteer pool, a minister with a vision of how to continue to engage and connect us would be deeply valuable. This does not mean that a minister would be expected to attend every committee meeting or program session -- rather that they would be interested in showing up when needed, help identify/engage/develop volunteers and leaders for committee work, and plug in where their expertise would be beneficial, but always with an eye to leadership development rather than simply filling the gap.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around leadership development

See above! Leadership development could be seen as a responsibility jointly held by the minister and experienced lay leaders within the congregation. That said, identifying needs and working to make sure leaders (both new and seasoned) have the support and resources to step into those roles, would ultimately fall to the minister, who would hopefully see the bigger picture and help us rise, individually and collectively, to the needs of the community.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around membership and membership growth

We would hope that a minister would continue to hold regular 'Path to Membership' classes (or a different format if preferable) and new member ceremonies (currently twice a year), and to explicitly welcome new people to Sunday services as they see fit. We desire congregational growth as a means of attending to our mission, and there is eagerness within the congregation to help make it happen.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around staff relations and supervision

Currently the minister is expected to supervise all church staff. This was a shift in policy within the last ten years (before then, the Personnel Committee technically supervised the staff). At times there have been no regular meeting times between minister and staff, and at other times there have been weekly staff meeting. Primarily we expect that supervision and relations would be professional and caring, structured and respectful of the experience, knowledge and time constraints of fellow staff members. Again, there is much flexibility as long as respect, reliability, creativity and the organization of interdependent tasks are valued and upheld.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around anti-oppression work / social justice / social action

There is a wide spectrum of expectations in this domain. Some will expect and desire little. But many others will want the minister to lead and support the congregation in learning about social justice issues and taking collective action. We do not have a strong history of taking collective action, so developing that as a practice among us will need attention. We believe we need to do more if we are to bridge effectively to the next generation.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around interfaith / community work

We expect our minister to participate in the local interfaith clergy network (if there currently is one). While our recent minister did create some opportunities for interfaith activities early in his tenure, that dropped away in recent years. Because he grew up in the Jewish tradition, he brought that knowledge into his sermons. But current expectations for interfaith activities are minimal. Our participation in the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Bank is the one activity that is ongoing, but it has offered no direct contact with other churches. Greater community involvement, either directly or by supporting members, is something that we want more of, and that will be essential to attracting younger generations.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around denominational activities

Some in the congregation desire a much more active connection between our congregation and UUA and the Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network (MUUSAN), for instance. This connection has not been cultivated by recent leadership. It is unclear how the majority of members would react to an initiative in that direction.

Expectations the congregation has for a minister(s) around other areas not already addressed above

Music is an integral part of our worship practice. Our music directors have all been talented pianists and choir directors. Being in the choir is an important way of being active in the church for many. Our worship services are enhanced when the minister designs the service with the music director, creating a blending of liturgy and music. Our youth have been active in several regional projects bringing together young people from several congregations. These have involved several trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as well as trips to Guatemala. Youth activity in our own congregation waxes and wanes as the population of that age group varies from year to year.

How trust is built between the congregation and the minister

Fundamentally, trust will be built by having a minister who responds to requests promptly, keeps appointments, and follows through on commitments. A willingness to be an active part of the pastoral care team within the church would also contribute greatly to establishing trust. A capacity to work with the Board of Directors so that together they manage the affairs of the church would be greatly valued, including the recognition that the Board has a certain supervisory role concerning the minister's job performance. An ability to listen and respond to what is expressed is a sure trust builder. Summarized most succinctly in one cottage meeting, trust is built on both "heart and fire."

Why people leave the congregation, and why new visitors do not return

This is a hard question to answer accurately. For some, transportation becomes a problem. For most, they do not feel personally connected to enough people or programs to stay. We have not had many programs that encourage personal interaction in depth in recent years. The Tonians are the exception, hence our very active group of older women.

Any expectations there might be about a minister's family and personal life

Our last minister's partner was only, but significantly, part of the congregation by being the mainstay of the Religious Exploration program for the youngest children. Currently our interim minister's husband has not been a participant in the congregation. So our expectations are minimal, and flexible. We will embrace whatever they happen to bring!

One mistake a minister could make that would seriously affect the ministry

To have a relationship with a person in the congregation that was inappropriate, meaning that did not keep boundaries clearly and cleanly. To be dishonest in any way. To have significant issues with our staff who are generally seen as eminently competent and open to change.

Questions the congregation would have liked to have been asked which were not included here

It would have been good to ask how COVID has impacted our congregation and its ministry. Certainly, Zoom services have caused some to choose not to participate on Sunday mornings but others at a greater distance can now join in. And while it's harder for individuals to connect during coffee hour for casual check-ins, planning and socializing, the buzz of coffee hour has been replaced by Zoom small break-out groups where some find the conversations to be deeper and more thoughtful. And while this singing congregation certainly misses that experience, we've tried new ways of sharing our own voices. We've taken the opportunity to participate in services/committees/events from far away. And we've learned that we can carry on, meeting on porches and in backyards, knowing the added importance of this community. As we look to the future, we hope that we'll take many of these new ways with us, confident that we can adapt to change.