Ministerial Search Committee NEWS - April 10, 2013 - More About Howard Dana

[Toby Smith Ropeik]

Candidating Week is less than 3 weeks away!  Come to First Parish between April 28th – May 5th to meet Howard and ask him your OWN questions.

A linkk to the SCHEDULE for the week’s activities is NOW available on the First Parish HOME page and at <http://www.firstparish.org/cms/files/transition/MinisterialSearch/Howard/Schedule_040713.pdf>.


Here is a comment MSC member Fred Van Deusen wants to share:
“The first time we met Howard was during a Skype interview. He impressed me then as being very warm and caring. The fact that he could do that over an internet connection was surprising to me, and my sense of his warmth was only strengthened when we met in person. We looked at the candidates from so many different angles - leadership; sermons; support for music, R.E., social action, pastoral care; constructing Sunday services; writing and speaking skills; interpersonal skills; community building; healing; stewardship; governance; self-differentiation; organization skills and many more areas - and he rated highly on all of these. But above all I liked him most for his warmth, his ability to listen and his self-effacing nature.”


Each week leading up to Candidating Week, the MSC is sharing information about a different aspect of Rev. Howard Dana’s ministry. This week: Social Action

You can get some sense of Howard’s passion for social justice by reading his church’s mission statement: “The Unitarian Church of Harrisburg is an inclusive, gloriously diverse, deeply connected spiritual community dedicated to the practice of radical service.”

WATCH a keynote presentation Howard made in 2011 telling the story of his church’s purchase of a second building in an inner city neighborhood in Harrisburg and how it’s impacted the congregation. <http://www.tobyasmith.com/video/DanaKeynote.mov> (NOTE: The audio quality is poor.)

WATCH the UUA documentary about this purchase: http://www.uua.org/growth/breakthrough/167371.shtml

LEARN MUCH MORE about Howard by reading excerpts <http://www.firstparish.org/cms/files/transition/MinisterialSearch/HD_Reference_Excerpts.pdf> from the people who know him well and served as references for his candidacy.


Other Links:

Read the Ministerial Contract <http://www.firstparish.org/cms/files/transition/MinisterialSearch/Howard/Contract_Dana_FINAL.pdf> Howard signed with First Parish.

Howard’s Packet Web site, which you can also access from the MSC FP Web site page.
REMEMBER to click “login” in the upper right of the screen.
URL:  http://rhnd.uuministerialsearch.com/
User name:  congregation
Password:  fpc1636


Sunday Forum - April 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM - members of the Ministerial Search Committee will explain the search process and answer your questions.


MSC meeting minutes are posted on our First Parish Web Site page.



Best,  Toby

--
Toby Smith  Ropeik
978.369.0007
E-mail: t...@tobyasmith.com