Dear Prospective Minister,

As Chairman of our Ministerial Search Committee at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Canton, I would like to welcome you to both our church community and the larger North Country community.

This is a good place to live in so many ways, with cultural and recreational opportunities in abundance and generous people who give their less-fortunate neighbors a hand. Our church community promotes our faith through our acts in the larger community and by making our church space available to many groups and organizations. As you view our informational packet, I am sure you will be able to fill in the details behind my generalities, but should you have any questions about anything from winter weather to the Dairy Princess Parade, please don’t hesitate to ask.

As we said in our Congregational Record:

“Our glowing coal is the strength of the community, the people of the UU Church of Canton. Common values bring us together. These core values and beliefs are what keep us working in partnership on what we aspire to most:

• caring for each other through all stages of life,

• creating a truly welcoming place for others to join us in fellowship and friendship,

• continuing our journey to greater social and environmental action.

We are thinkers and doers - nature, science, music, and the other arts provide precious fuel to our “glowing coal.”

We are very excited about the prospect of a new, settled minister and a new chapter in the life, history and shared ministry of our church. Together we can blow on our glowing coal and kindle the light of truth, the warmth of community and the fire of commitment.

Sincerely,

Jon R. Montan, Jr., Chair of the Search Committee

Jon Montan

Search Committee Chair

Rev. Joel Miller

Interim Minister

Dear Colleague,

I've just sat down to write after shopping at the farmer's market in the village square across the street.  The locally-grown produce and autumn leaves are a blast of colors, and even the black of the Amish farming family clothing and wagon seems a color in this moment.  The North Country of New York is a beautiful place.

I admire much about the people of this church.  I have seen them put their own comfort and even safety at risk in order to care for others.  The church is proud of their Religious Education program, and a UU that grew up in it said to me,  "That church saved my life."  The church has a strong social justice presence in the North Country and a long-standing role in ecumenical and interfaith community-building.  The church is well-represented by its active membership in the larger North Country social justice organizations. 

The congregation's leadership worked hard during this interim transition. There are new personnel policies and staffing practices, including the role of the Minister as Chief of Staff. The congregation was working hard when I arrived on establishing excellent financial practices and oversight. Bylaws have been updated, you've already seen the new website, and the building is beautiful, clean, and very well maintained. The church has a long-standing leadership role in the North Country, having founded St. Lawrence University and played a role in founding SUNY Canton, as well.

The people here are eager to develop a deep and appreciative relationship with their next minister, even as they struggle with growth and change. Attendance and membership grew in the past 30 to 40 years, with some aspects of congregational culture still reflecting the successes of the past. Those successes resulted in the congregation's growth into a successful midsize congregation. But that has created a tension with the local context, which highly values human relationships and emphasizes an informality that can conflict with the formality and delegation that a midsized congregation needs to function well. Still, the congregation's leadership is self-reflective enough to know this, and works with a commitment to transition from a minister centered ministry to a "Shared Ministry."

The landscape here is beautiful. The Adirondack Park and true wilderness are a short drive away, with rivers for canoeing and trails for hiking minutes away from every front door. The culture here is a gem hidden among the farms and forests. There are four universities within a 15-minute drive of the church. Crane School of Music and a local culture of music offer the church musical resources that are richer and more diverse than anyplace else I've lived. The North Country also has a rich local culture of arts and traditional arts.

Please do call me with questions or follow-up as you consider ministry at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton (716-480-7064). I look forward to talking with you.

Dear Prospective Minister:

Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton.  We are glad to have you join us on our journey to a settled minister.

I'd like to tell you just a few of the things about us that are important to me.

1. Passion.  We have some very passionate congregants -- passionate about our church community, about being UU, about our historic building.  But more than that, so many members are passionately involved in something outside of our church.  It is just the way we are.

2. Place.  Some of us come from long established North Country families.  Others came here for one reason or another, and stayed because of how much the place resonated for them.  They have opened their arms wide to embrace the North Country as their own, drawn to the compelling natural landscape that surrounds us, or that special combination of warm hug and unique responsibilities that is small town life.

3. Potential.   We are changing, as that is the nature of things.  It is our job to guide that change as constructively as we can.  Our congregation is poised to embrace our potential, to examine our mission, and to march forward.

We hope you consider traveling with us.

Most sincerely yours,

Barbara Beekman
President, Church Council

  Barbara Beekman

Church Council President

Megan Foley

Congregational Life Consultant
Central East Region

December 2015

Dear Colleague,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the Central East Region of the UUA. We are a region of more than 210 congregations and a number of start-up initiatives. The region serves West Virginia, most of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and parts of Virginia and Connecticut. Our congregations range from large to small, new starts to historic, Unitarian in roots to Universalist, and everything in between.

If you find yourself called to a congregation in the Central East Region you will find welcoming colleagues and regional structures to support your congregation’s work. Your Regional staff includes nine dedicated program staff members who carry both Primary Contact roles – Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, who is currently on sabbatical, is Primary Contact for this congregation – as well as expertise in a number of program areas, including Youth/Young Adult ministry, Multicultural/Antiracism ministry, Multisite ministry and much more. We are also equipped with complete administrative support.

The Central East Region is currently working to strengthen its congregational cluster networks. You will find that some clusters are organized and active while others are actively engaged in the initial stages of formation.

In the past few years, the four CER sister districts of St. Lawrence, Ohio-Meadville, Joseph Priestley and Metro NY have been actively engaged in regional collaboration. We are proud of the region’s willingness to change for the sake of the future. In FY 2016, we anticipate that we will be acting as a fully developed region of the UUA, employing all the resources the collaboration has to offer its membership.

The Central East Region, its professional staff, ministers, lay leaders and congregations are all committed to growing and strengthening Unitarian Universalism in our part of the country. We look forward to your contributions to this mutual effort. Please feel free to call me for more information about the Central East Region and our great congregations.

Best of luck with your discernment process and search,

Rev. Megan Foley, Congregational Life Staff on behalf of Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, Congregational Life Staff (returning January 4, 2016)

jvanbecelaere@uua.org; 303-641-5896

December, 2015

Dear UU Minister Candidate,

Congratulations on your decision to explore the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton’s Minister opening. As Canton’s Mayor I enthusiastically extoll the virtues of our Village and community and encourage you to take a closer look!

Canton boasts a vital and historic downtown, friendly residential neighborhoods, terrific schools, outstanding cultural and recreational opportunities, beautiful rural and farmland, and proximity to the spectacular Grasse River, St. Lawrence River, and Adirondack Mountains. We are home to two excellent universities – St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton – and proud seat of St. Lawrence County. The St. Lawrence Health System is expanding and enhancing health care delivery in the region.

We think Canton is a wonderful place to call home. Residents enjoy a genuine sense of community. Neighbors know each other and citizens are deeply involved with their schools, churches, and civic organizations. Members of the UU Church are known throughout the community for their engagement and contributions (two are Trustees on my Board!), and UU clergy have historically been visible players in the community’s social justice efforts.

We would be so pleased to have you join our wonderful community and look forward to welcoming you in person.

Very sincerely,

Michael Dalton
Mayor, Village of Canton

Michael Dalton

Village Mayor
Canton, NY

St. Lawrence Chapter
Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association

Dear Colleague,

We extend you greetings on behalf of our Saint Lawrence chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association.  I am pleased to tell you that ours is a very collegial chapter which honors and supports the work of ministers in churches from family to corporate size.

The Saint Lawrence UUMA chapter has two annual gatherings, one in the fall and one in the spring in concert with the annual District Assembly.  For many years our spring gathering has been a joint meeting of our area LREDA and UUMA chapters which has fostered closeness and respect between Ministers and Religious Educators.  Due to the evolving relationship of region and district last year we had a joint District Assembly between our Saint Lawrence District and Ohio Meadville District, and to mirror that our UUMA and LREDA chapters from those districts held a joint retreat.  We anticipate this pattern will continue as Regionalization moves forward. Our fall retreat remains focused solely on our UUMA chapter so we are sure to have time together with our geographically near colleagues. 

Multiple clusters of UU clergy gather informally at regular times, and there are various opportunities throughout each year to interact and engage with one another.  Saint Lawrence chapter has a reputation as a warm and supportive chapter.

I wish you all the best in your search process, and if your search lands you in our district, we look forward to meeting you and welcoming you into the chapter. 

Yours in faith,

Rev. Lori Staubitz, Chapter President
Rev. Doug Taylor, Good Offices
Rev. Lynn Ashley, Good Offices

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