Over the last several weeks, the Board has reconsidered the wisdom of continuing our search for a new Senior Minister during these difficult and turbulent times. We have asked Reverend Bill Sinkford to remain as the Senior Minister of First Unitarian through the 2021-2022 church year and he has accepted. We will postpone the active search for a new Senior Minister for a year. The board made this decision after an extended period of deep listening and reflection and believes it is in the best interests of the church for two reasons.

First, we believe that in this unprecedented and complicated environment, continuity of leadership is important for all of us. Rev. Bill will continue to be fully engaged with the church, in collaboration with the board, as we evolve over the next two years. For the staff, stable leadership is important as they navigate new ways to “do church” and to reach out to all the different groups in the congregation. The church we will be after a year of being in virtual mode, and in light of the heightened call for racial justice in our country, will be different from the one we left in March when we found ourselves no longer able to gather in person.

Second, continuing with a search during a year in which the COVID-19 virus will impact both the search process and the prospective candidate pool seems unwise. Several other UU churches that had planned to be in search this year have also asked their current Senior Ministers to remain for another year. We are pleased and grateful that Rev. Bill has agreed to stay.

The Ministerial Search Committee work is progressing well. During this next year they will continue educating themselves, deepening their understanding of the church and preparing to restart the active search phase in the spring of 2021. We appreciate all they have done and their willingness to continue their service for an additional year.

We understand that this is a surprise and that some may have questions. If you do have questions, we encourage you to contact board@firstunitarianportland.org. We will be sharing additional information and methods for communicating with the Board in the coming weeks. Please hold us (and we will hold you) as we all move forward together.

In love and service, your Board of Trustees