Vision: A world powerfully transformed through the growing movement of shared spiritual awakening.
Mission: Advancing the movement of spiritual awakening and transformation
through Unity, a positive path for spiritual living.

Elections, Executive Director, and Better Together Project

Greetings to All!

This is my first update from the Unity Worldwide Ministries Board of Trustees as Chair of the Board. It is a great honor and it is with a great amount of humility that I follow in the footsteps of so many dedicated and insightful leaders of the Unity movement who have held this position. I know my colleagues on the Board and those who have served before me will be there to help in any way they can.

Board Elections

During our Board meeting in June, we held our annual election of Board officers for the coming year. Rev. Toni Fish completed her year as Chair and is remaining on the Board as Chair Emerita. I moved up to the Chair position, and Rev. Sharon Ketchum moved to First Vice-Chair. Rev. Doris Hoskins is our new Second Vice-Chair, Rev. Valerie Mansfield was elected Treasurer, and Rev. Shad Groverland agreed to serve a second year as Secretary.

Each year in accordance with our bylaws, the members of the board elect one member, and this year we elected Rev. Tim Lytle to serve a second four-year term. Because there was no business meeting this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Parliamentarian, Len Young, advised us that, according to our bylaws, the terms of those Board members scheduled to rotate off (Rev. Toni Fish and Rev. Richard Bunch) would be extended until the election in next year’s business meeting. Should they choose to resign prior to that, the board has committed to replace them with individuals who have been vetted by our LRDT (Leadership Recruitment and Development Team) and were ready to run as candidates at this past June’s convention.

Executive Director Search

The search for our new Executive Director is continuing on schedule. The position description has been posted internally thru The Path and other UWM communications, as well as through Indeed.com and LinkedIn. The description is still available for review on our webpage. Applications were accepted thru July 20, 2020. Now a team will review all applicants and recommend five candidates to be interviewed by each of two interview teams. The interview teams will then recommend 2-3 candidates to be interviewed by the full board for final selection. It is anticipated that the right and perfect candidate will be hired and on the job in September.

Members of the selection team and the interview teams are comprised of ordained ministers, LUTs, and lay leaders from the field, as well as representatives from Unity World Headquarters. We thank each of these volunteers and know that divine order will unfold thru this process.

Spiritual Leader

The other position we are discussing is that of Spiritual Leader. As Rev. Toni Fish noted in her update from the board last month, we are looking to develop a position for someone who will hold the vision for Unity Worldwide Ministries and be the primary spokesperson for UWM. This position is still in the thought and discernment process with no firm timetable established for its announcement.

Better Together Project

The Better Together Project with our consultant John Wimberly is continuing its work. We recently completed a second round of focus group discussions relating to the purpose statement and key priorities identified in the initial segment of the project. We can expect a report to the Board from John at our next meeting. This report will be available on our website and summarized in a special communication to the field, just as his phase 1 report was. The next step is for the small groups working on each priority to begin strategizing on the best ways to bring about meaningful programs that will enhance and manifest these priorities.

Gratitude

I would like to close my first update acknowledging and blessing all of our ministers, spiritual leaders, LUTs, and ministry coordinators who are leading their communities in this time of change, uncertainty, and pandemic. Around the clock, seven days a week, you are doing your best to provide a sense of community, normalcy, and prayer for those who call Unity their spiritual home. Keeping your churches and centers viable and alive under shelter-at-home orders, ministering via Zoom and N95 masks, social distancing in a culture that thrives on personal contact and hugs was not in the list of rubrics that ministerial candidates were expected to master.

We honor you, we appreciate you, we behold the Christ in you, and we encourage you to reach out if and when you are at your wits end. We are all one and together in this pandemic and these trying times. Thank you so much for all that you do.

Namaste,




John McMahon
Chair, Board of Trustees
Unity Worldwide Ministries

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