The Standing Committee is pleased to announce the launch of a search committee for our interim minister. Thank you to these members who have agreed to serve:

Patty Cameron

Kathy Richardson

Trish McDowell

George “Woody” Wood

Sarah Milt

They are beginning the process of working with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to put together a packet of information that will describe our congregation and our needs and wishes for this interim ministry. Packets from searching congregations are to be completed by mid-April. Candidates and congregations will then be reviewed by the UUA and names of candidates interested in the Winchester Unitarian Society will be passed on to WUS’s search team. The team will then review those candidates to find a best fit for us. We also have the option of seeking candidates on our own. The Standing Committee will then vote on the Search Committee’s recommendation. We anticipate having this process completed by the middle of June, with the interim minister to begin on August 1st.

There are options in terms of types of ministries that can fill the time between settled ministers. The Standing Committee has chosen to pursue the 2-year interim ministry to allow us time to put together the search team for the settled ministry, and for them to do the thorough work of assessing our congregation’s current needs and intentions for our future.  The process of search for a settled minister is clearly outlined and guided by the UUA and takes a full year to complete. We would hope to identify a candidate for settled ministry and present them to the congregation for a vote in the Spring of 2026.

We welcome input from congregants. We also recognize that the skills and talents required for our interim ministry are not necessarily all that we might look for in a next settled minister. The Standing Committee and the Interim Search Committee will be focusing on what is needed in the next two years to take us to another successful settled ministry for WUS.

If you have any questions about the search process, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Standing Committee as a whole [sc@winchesteruu.org], or to speak to individual members. 



If you have any questions or thoughts to share with the Interim Search committee, please reach out to them at interimsearch@winchesteruu.org.