Participate in Candidating Week!
Welcome to the online hub for all the information you will need to
participate in UUCL’s Candidating Week!
In the UU lexicon, “candidating” is the process by which the congregation meets and gets to know the candidate that the Ministerial Search Committee has selected. This is a time to get to know Rev. Nori–her personal journey, her theology, her social justice values, her ideas about congregational growth and community-building, and so much more. In addition to learning about our candidate, this is a time for Rev. Nori to learn about us–about who we are as individuals, how we operate as a congregation, and what matters to us as a community. From our Sages to our Tealights, we want Rev. Nori to learn more about who we are.
As we know from undertaking our covenanting process, Unitarian Universalism is about relationships and Candidating Week celebrates that by inviting members, friends, and our candidate to begin our relationship with fun and fellowship. We’ve planned picnics, dinners, and lunches to get to know one another.
The calendar below is full of events and opportunities to meet with and get to know the candidate.
Some times during this week are reserved for specific committees and staff members to share their work, mission and vision with the candidate. If you’ve served on a major UUCL Committee, you’ve likely received a “save the date” about one of these.
But we want everyone to have a chance to meet and get to know Rev. Nori! We have planned several events this week that might appeal to members who are especially interested in a particular aspect of Rev. Nori’s experience and vision: the open fora, for instance, are a chance to explore big ideas that undergird our work as UUs together in areas like social justice and spiritual growth. We have also created plenty of opportunities to socialize together.
These events are explicitly designed to include everyone so please find a congenial time to join us for some of this week’s programming. Please come to as many of these events as your schedule allows.
Finally, even though this is a time of celebration, we’re doing something serious and important too. Candidating Week is also an essential part of the Ministerial Search process because, at the end of the visit, the congregation will vote to ratify or to reject the committee’s choice. This vote is what it means to officially “call” a minister. After the Sunday service on May 5th, the congregation-wide vote will be conducted by the Board.
Voting to accept a minister is a longstanding practice and important historical principle in Unitarian Universalism. This practice distinguishes us from many other religious traditions whose ministers are appointed from a central authority. The UU concept of congregational polity, where each congregation votes for its own minister, is still a radical one in the 21st century! It is how we live our fifth principle: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” So, when you show up to vote, in person or on Zoom, on May 5th, you are living our UU values.
One request: If the event listed has an RSVP link, please click it. This will help us plan for catering. Of course, if you can’t anticipate participating but find yourself available on the day, please come no matter what! We will always have enough to go around.
If you have any questions about these events, please reach out to Sheyda Jahanbani, Search Committee Chair, sheydaj@gmail.com
CONGREGATION-WIDE EVENTS (all are welcome and encouraged to attend!)
Sunday, April 28
| 9:15am | Program – Rev. Nori will join attendees learning about UUCL member Sara Orel’s Life Odyssey to Akhim, where she researches ancient Egyptian life. | |
| 11am | Worship Service – Rev. Nori will present the first of her two worship services! | |
| 12:15pm | Lunch with Congregation (childcare and lunch provided) | RSVP Here |
| 1pm | Meet Rev. Nori! A Conversation (childcare provided) – Get to know Rev. Nori in this informal Q&A. | |
| 3pm | Justice Matters Action Assembly @ Lied Center |
Wednesday, May 1
| 5:45-7pm | Wednesday Night Dinner (childcare and dinner provided) | RSVP Here |
| 7-8pm | Open Forum on Spiritual Growth and Connection (in person @ UUCL and on zoom) – Come join Jennifer Ball as she leads a moderated discussion about Rev. Nori’s own spiritual journey and her vision for spiritual growth and community-building at UUCL. |
Thursday, May 2
| 4-5pm | Open Forum on Acting for Justice (in person and on zoom) – Come join Matt Cravens as he leads a moderated discussion about Rev. Nori’s career of social justice activism and her creative ideas to help UUCL continue “acting for justice” in the years to come. |
Friday, May 3
| 10 am-noon | Coffee with the Candidate @ La Prima Tazza – Meet Rev. Nori or coffee or tea and get to know her one-on-one. Scheduling required. | Schedule Here |
| 3-4pm | Open Office Hours @ the Lawrence Public Library Study Room 1 – Still have questions to ask Rev. Nori? Want to continue a conversation you started earlier this week? This is the time! Scheduling required. | Schedule Here |
| 6-8pm | UUCL Family Picnic – Bring the family to UUCL for an all-ages TGIF celebration in which they can get to know Rev. Nori and she can get to know them. This is a great opportunity to learn about Rev. Nori’s experience with Religious Education (both for children and adults!) as well as her thoughts about Youth Ministry derived from her work as both a minister and as a UU parent. (Chipotle Taco Bar for all!) | RSVP Here |
Sunday, May 5
| 10:30-11:30am | Rev. Nori Leads Worship Service (in person/zoom) |
| 11:45am-12:30pm | Congregational Vote (in person/zoom immediately following the service – childcare and lunch provided for kids) |
| 12:30pm | Celebration! (in person/zoom) |
INVITED EVENTS (These are for relevant committee members/teams)
Saturday, April 27
| 9-10:00am | Breakfast with Negotiating Team |
| 6-8pm | Dinner with Board Members & spouses |
Monday, April 29
| 9-11:30am | Meeting with Staff |
| 5:30-6pm | Meeting with B&G Team |
| 6-7:30pm | Dinner with Music Director, Choir Members, Musicians |
Tuesday, April 30
| 9-10am | Meeting with Connections/Membership |
| 10-11am | Meeting with Finance/Stewardship/Endowment |
| 12-1:30pm | Meeting with UUCL Board |
| 5-6pm | Meeting with A/V Team |
| 6-7:30pm | Dinner meeting with Worship Team |
Wednesday, May 1
| 10am-12:30pm | Brunch with Program Team. |
Thursday, May 2
| 9-10am | Breakfast Meeting with Social Justice Team |