Dear UUCUC members and friends:

As many of you know, with the departure of Faith Development Director Kelly Skinner, we are in a time of transition with our Faith Development program. We want to share the plans for the remainder of this church year and the emerging long-term plans.

Current Year Plans:

Between early March and early May, there are six Sundays with FD class meetings, in addition to OWL classes on Sunday afternoons and Coming of Age classes for our teens.  Adult small groups and other programming is planned through the end of the church year.

• Lesson plans: We’ll provide lesson guides for each class and make those available at least a week before the classes meet. The church staff is available to print any materials classrooms need.
• Volunteer schedule: The schedule for all volunteers will be posted outside the Faith Development office.The University of Illinois students will continue to volunteer with us this spring and long-time UUCUC volunteers have agreed to be Sunday morning coordinators. 
• Adult Faith Development and Deep Listening Groups: Rev. Beth will work with the Adult Faith Development team to ensure the Deep Listening Soul Matters groups have the materials they need to complete the year. And the Inquirers series on Sunday morning will continue in the capable hands of volunteers. 

Long-term Plans:

Faith formation and spiritual development are critical to sustaining the life of our church and having a leader to help direct our efforts is a priority. After reviewing the current and draft proposed budget, considering feedback from many people over the past year, and listening to congregants share some of their hopes for our long-term growth, Rev. Beth proposed to the Board that we hire a Minister of Faith Formation to lead this vital ministry.

Currently, Rev. Beth is working with the Chair of Faith Development and the Personnel Committee to draft a job description, which will then be presented to the Board for approval at the end of March. If that new job is approved, then in April we will begin a search for a contract minister to begin in the fall.

Rev. Beth invites you to reach out directly to her with your questions and concerns as we move through this process.