On October 3^rd, I announced that I will retire in four months, on January 31, 2022.

The Board of Trustees has taken steps toward hiring an Interim Minister to arrive on or near February 1^st, 2022.  The Board has now been in contact with the Congregational Life staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association to begin a Settled Minister Search, a complicated process that is likely to take two years or more.

No, there has not been any precipitating event that has caused me to decide to retire.  It’s just that I’ve been working since I was 10, I’m now past 70, and I need to give more time to my family and to myself.

Yes, Linda and I are planning to stay in Venice.  But after I retire on January 31^st, I become your former minister, which means I will be precluded from any contact with the members and friends of this congregation for two years and possibly longer.

Transitions happen all the time, which is not to say that they always feel good.  But ministerial transitions like this bring with them an opportunity for reflection, reorganization, and a rethinking of the processes of the congregation – all things that an Interim Minister will help you with.

If you have questions, you’re welcome to reach out to me.  More importantly, I urge you to connect with your Board members.

I hope for this congregation that you will take this time of transition seriously and look both inwardly and outwardly:  inwardly, reflecting on what this congregation has become in its 23 years and what it can become in its next 23;  and outwardly, seeing the growth of Venice and its surrounding area as a tremendous opportunity to build a Beloved Community that will reach far and wide to share a message of hope and love.

See you in church or online,