It is with great joy and excitement that we write to say we have a candidate with whom we feel truly blessed. As soon as the candidate has notified his/her own congregation and final details have been worked out, we will send out another e-news blast with lots of information. We expect that to be by the end of the week. Then, on Sunday, members of the Search Committee will be available after both services to talk about the candidate, why we see this minister as such a terrific match for us and to answer questions. As a reminder, we use the word "candidate" for a minister who the search committee has recommended, but who has not yet been called by the congregation.

Candidating Week is on for May 11th through 19th. Based on all of the work done leading up to this round of potential candidates, we were able to zero in on this one outstanding candidate and move quickly enough to be able to keep the original dates for Candidating Week. So save the dates.

Candidating week is the congregation's chance to learn about the minister in more depth, and just as importantly, for the minister to learn more about the congregation in person, beyond the congregational record and the search committee. The candidate will run both services on May 12th and May 19th. On May 19th, after the second service there will be a congregational meeting for members to vote on whether to call the candidate as the Settled Minister of the Society.

During the week, there will be many opportunities for everyone who is interested to meet and talk with the candidate. There will also be special meetings for the board, the council, the staff and for committees that work closely with the minister. As a reminder, please wear your name tags when you are with the candidate. The minister is making a decision about us, too, and we want to help best facilitate them getting to know who we are and what we are about because we believe it is going to be a fantastic match.

The open meeting times are:

Sunday, May 12th, after each service - 10:15-10:45, and 12:15-12:45

Monday May 13th, 4PM at Wake Robin

Tuesday, May 14th, 10-noon, 2:00-4:00, and 6:00-8:00

Saturday, May 18th, All-church potluck

The Wake Robin meeting is open to everyone, but Sally Conrad (dconrad@uvm.edu, 658-1047) needs people to let her know they are coming so she can get a head count, and give directions.

With great excitement and looking forward to being in touch again soon,

The Search Committee.