Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

From the Asst. Minister of Religious Education

June 20, 2010
Rev. Dan Harper

I’d like to fill you in on what your ministers will be doing over the next couple of months.

First of all, as you probably know, our half-time sabbatical minister, Sean Parker Dennison, will finish his time with us on June 15. After he finishes up with his other part-time job at Starr King School for the Ministry, he’ll be moving down to become the interim minister at the Unitarian Universalist congregation in San Luis Obispo. We were lucky to be able to have him as our sabbatical minister.

As I write this I’m about to head off with our Senior High Youth Group on a service trip to New Orleans. Because Sean will be gone, we will have a another minister, Rev. Michelle Favreault, on call for pastoral emergencies.

Rev. Michelle Favreault is an experienced minister who has served several Unitarian Universalist congregations, has worked for both the district and the Unitarian Universalist Association, and is currently a part-time faculty member at Starr King School for the Ministry; we are lucky she was available for us. If you face a pastoral emergency, simply call the church office, and they will know how to reach Michelle. If you call after regular office hours, the Pastoral Emergency phone extension will automatically forward your call to Michelle. Pastoral emergencies include death or imminent death, serious health or family crisis, or other situations that require a minister’s presence. Remember that you can always call on the Caring Network.

I’ll be back from New Orleans on June 20, and then I leave on vacation on June 25. Michelle will continue on call through that time, but you can also call me if you prefer.

Rev. Michelle Favreault will remain on call for pastoral emergencies through July 25, when I return from vacation. I will be on study leave from July 26 through August 8, so while you won’t see me in the office, I will be available for pastoral emergencies during those two weeks.

Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern, our senior minister, will return from her sabbatical in early August. She’ll be back in the pulpit on Sunday, August 15, though you can expect to see her around the church the week before that Sunday. It will be good to see Amy back at church again, and once she’s back, we’ll be back to our normal ministerial coverage.