Ministerial Liaison Cte.

Ministerial Liaison Committee Report

Thanks to the participation of many of you, we recently completed our annual evaluation of Chuck Freeman, as part of his long process toward becoming a full-fledged, bona fide Unitarian Universalist minister. A total of 56 evaluations were turned in by Live Oak members and friends, an approximately 35% participation rate. Thanks to Roe Mackey and Hella Holoubek for driving the evaluation process and to Roe for compiling the data for the committee’s review. Space limitations here allow for only a brief summary of the results. The evaluations were strongly supportive of Chuck’s ministry to the church. In the areas of his primary focus in ministry here at the church, namely congregational ministry, personal and professional growth, worship, and pastoral care, the respondents expressed a high degree of satisfaction with his performance. Chuck’s job description lists the areas of administration, religious education, and denominational activities as “secondary” for him and predictably, a larger percentage of respondents said they did not observe Chuck as active in these areas, although most people continue to express satisfaction with his performance. The comments written on the evaluations were overwhelmingly positive, with some helpful constructive criticisms, which have been shared with Chuck as he sets goals for the coming year.

In his self-evaluation for the year, Chuck has noted the importance to him and to the community of Kathleen Ellis coming on board as co-minister this year, bringing expertise and balance to the ministry team. He looks forward to continuing to develop their partnership in positive directions for the church. The committee and Chuck have agreed that one of the biggest challenges facing Chuck for the new year is to find ways to connect in meaningful ways with the many new members at Live Oak.

Questions or concerns? Contact Sarah Swords at 257-1739 or sswords@austin.rr.com.