Dear USG Members & Friends,

By now, you have seen the letter from Rev. Kent informing us that he will resign from his ministry at USG in June 2022.

While this may be sad or unsettling news for many, be assured that USG will remain strong throughout the transition and will be well prepared for the future. We have had the benefit of 20 years of Kent’s ministry and guidance to establish a strong Board of Trustees, Ministerial Executive Team, Worship Arts Committee, Spiritual Development Teams, Social Justice Teams, Annual Pledge Team, and Caring Committee to carry us through this transition.

We thank you, Kent, for all you have done for and with us! We also have the benefit of six more months to say goodbye to our spiritual leader and deal with this loss.

Looking forward, we have two important tasks: 1) to select an “interim” minister for the next two years, after Kent departs at the end of June, to help us through the transition; and 2) to select a “settled” minister who will follow the interim minister and will guide us into the future.

The Board is currently identifying members to serve on the search committee for the Interim Minister. The search will begin in February and (hopefully) conclude successfully by August 1, 2022. After the Interim minister has served for one year, we will put together another search committee to identify and vet our next settled Minister.

Personally, this will be my third “transition” to a new settled Minister at USG. We have conducted past transitions with grace and caring. I hope you will figure out how you can contribute to this transition in a meaningful way and step up in saying a thankful farewell to Kent and to helping us move forward. Many beautiful opportunities are just over the horizon.

Sincerely,
Andrea Barsevick
President, Board of Trustees