Welcome to Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church’s ministerial search packet.  Please allow us to welcome you to our small, vibrant congregation in Canoga Park, CA.

On behalf of its Ministerial Search Committee, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church of Canoga Park, California.  What follows is our Congregational Packet, which was assembled with care by many hands.

I invite you to reflect on the richness of our history and the promise we see in our future. Our exciting adult, children, and youth programming; the tradition of our inspirational Sunday worship services; our shared ministry; and our strong professional and lay leadership are just a few components of the Emerson tapestry you will see in the following pages.

Our congregation was most recently blessed with a period of pastoral leadership from the Reverend Anne Felton Hines that lasted almost thirteen years, ending in June of 2014 with her retirement.  Since that time, the Reverend Mike Young has served as our Interim Minister.

During this time, we have done much reflecting on who we are and where we want to go in the future.  We have made every effort to show an authentic portrait of our congregation in this packet and to define the qualities we seek in a minister.  Our goal is to call a new settled minister by late spring and have that minister fully in place by August 15, 2016.

I hope that we have clearly communicated our deep love for this beloved community and our yearning to attract a minister of quality and substance who will walk with us as we continue this journey of over 60 years.  Our committee is excited and energized about the opportunity to call a new minister and we look forward to a dialogue with you.

Thank you for your consideration,
Gail Ringer
Chair, Ministerial Search Committee

Welcome to Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church.

We are a congregation at that cusp of becoming a mid-sized congregation. The church is stable and functioning well. It has challenges but is dealing with them well. We are nestled in the West San Fernando Valley which is a relatively affluent middle-class community. We have access to the cultural richness of the Los Angeles area.

Our immediate neighborhood has a significant, well established, Latino population from which we unfortunately do not draw. We are host to a Head Start Preschool so during the week there is the delightful laughter and chatter of small children.

The church is blessed with an excellent staff. We share an Administrative Assistant, Ramon Alvarez, with the Sepulveda UU congregation. He knows where everything is and how to get all the weekly tasks done that keep the place running.

We have a very talented Religious Education Director, Emmalinda MacLean, who has just become year-round. She sees to it that we are welcoming to families as we try to grow that part of the congregation.

Our music team provides us with good music. We have a regular pianist, Christy Marshall, that we call our Collaborative Accompanist. She keeps us singing. We have a new Choir Director, Scott Rieker, who is leading our great choir into diverse music. And our services have additional special music from our in-house and local area musicians.

The church facilities are attractive and adaptable. And very nearly paid for!

The Small Group Ministry program has eight groups with a significant portion of the congregation participating.

We are working on expanding our involvement in the larger community. The church has a history of Social Justice ministry. We are active with the Food Pantry and C.L.U.E. (Clergy and Laity United for Social Justice), and have been involved in major issues locally and statewide. And, of course, we are a Welcoming Congregation.

We have challenges; like deferred maintenance and drought scarred vegetation, but they are being addressed.

Emerson is a vital, healthy and thriving congregation ready to move into its next phase of ministry. Its new minister will also have a great batch of colleagues, as there are 10 UU congregations in the Greater Los Angeles Cluster in the process of exploring multi-center cooperation!

Rev. Mike Young
Interim Minister, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church

Dear Ministerial Candidate,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for your interest in exploring a ministry with our congregation. This letter is just one small part of our comprehensive search packet that should give you a good sense of our church and its membership, history, and structure as well as our large community and our ongoing commitment to Unitarian Universalist values.

From our humble beginnings, Emerson Unitarian Universalist has demonstrated perseverance and determination laced with a firm sense of optimism. We have overcome problems including the arson fire of one of our buildings and the destruction of another building in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. We truly understand that a church is not just a building but a community of dedicated souls sharing a commitment to common values and goals.

After the earthquake we constructed a lovely new sanctuary full of light and wonder and amazing acoustics. Some of our upcoming challenges will include maintenance of our buildings and expansion to accommodate growth. During the past two years we have committed to paying off our mortgage early. It is so exciting to report that we hope to “burn the mortgage” sometime in 2016. Our membership has remained steady for many years. We are encouraged by the recent growth of our children’s religious education program, thanks to our dynamic Religious Education Director, Emmalinda MacLean. We have a strong program for middle and high school age youth. Our spiritual awareness is deepening, we are constantly acquiring new leadership skills, and we are creative in finding new ways to accomplish our goals. The congregation continues a strong affiliation with the UU movement. Many individuals and youth are availing themselves of programs offered by the UUA and the PSWD. Recently we have moved toward partnering with other local UU churches to maximize the impact of Unitarian Universalism in the Los Angeles area as well as possibly in sharing resources.

Visitors to our church often comment on how warm and friendly our members are. We are truly a Welcoming Congregation, both in the “Capital W” and ‘small w” sense of the word. We continue to look for new areas where we can focus our energy in outreach to others while continuing to support some long-time commitments. Emerson has supported the West Valley Food Pantry every week since its inception decades ago.

Emersonians value rich and meaningful worship services. Thought-provoking and thoughtful services have been a part of Emerson for many years, thanks to our many fine ministers and a tradition of outstanding lay-led services as well. Our music program is exceptional. This year we welcome a new choir director. We are also blessed by many fine musicians who share their gifts during our services. We also often host music groups in special presentations. Music is part of the fabric of our church.

There is no way that this letter can express all that excites and nourishes me about being a part of this church. Our congregation is looking forward to our next settled ministry. Thank you for considering Emerson.

Sincerely,
Lynne Masuhara
President, Board of Trustees

Dear Colleague,

I am writing this letter to ask that you seriously consider the position of minister at the Emerson UU Church in Canoga Park. This congregation is a strong vital church serving the west end of the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. They are in search for a minister to continue the growing shared ministry of the congregation. When I first moved to California I lived in this community and was a member of this congregation, I know it well and love their commitment to our faith.

The congregation is actually located in the city of Los Angeles, thus you have access to many museums and are close enough to take advantage of the professional sports and wider culture of the Los Angeles region. Within a couple hours you can be in mountains tall enough for skiing in the winter if you get tired of being near the beach (just through Topanga Canyon to the south). If you have children, this is a community that offers great educational opportunities for them and yourself. If you have a partner; there are numerous opportunities in all kinds of careers.

The Pacific Southwest District is a great District. We offer numerous leadership development opportunities for lay leaders and ministers. For instance we have been on the cutting edge in developing multi-site options for congregations. Our camp programs for children, youth, families, and young adults are unmatched.

The UUMA chapter meets three times a year for retreats, two of them in near-by Rancho Palos Verdes, the other at the site of our annual District Assembly. Our ministers also connect for regular meetings in clusters. Living in paradise is something you can get used to easily. Ministering with a great group of talented people is the bonus in serving this great congregation.

If you have any questions about the congregation, living in the area or the District feel free to contact me at uurev@aol.com or at 661-678-0189.

In the Faith,
Rev. Dr. Ken Brown
District Executive, Pacific Southwest District (PSWD)

Dear Colleague,

As the Chapter President for the Pacific Southwest District Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association, I am delighted that you are considering the ministry at the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church.

One unexpected wonderful gift I received in answering the call to the UU Congregation of Phoenix was to become part of such a healthy and strong UUMA chapter.  This Chapter is comprised of scores of colleagues who are as informal as they are serious, just as invested in joy and comradery  as they are in spiritual growth and justice.  It is truly a remarkable chapter.  We take our collegial bonds of support seriously, but we also work to create innovative programs, to partner in social justice work and to challenge and inspire each other to deepen and strengthen our ministries.  The chapter has been an incredible resource to my own renewal, joy, and professional growth.

We meet as a Chapter three times a year, in late September for a three-day retreat, and in January for a four-day program-focused retreat, and in April for a day and a half meeting just prior to District Assembly.  Ministers in this chapter are involved in leadership in the District and in the Pacific Western Region.  We have very high and engaged attendance at District Assemblies and at the first regional assembly three years ago.  In addition, our chapter is also grouped into area clusters for collegial partnership and support throughout the year.

Should you decide to pursue this ministry position, I hope to be among the first to welcome you to your new role in the PSWUUMA Chapter.  If I can be of help to you in the search process, please do not hesitate to be in contact with me.

I wish you all the best in your search process!

Yours,
Rev. Susan Frederick Gray
President, PSWD UUMA Chapter
Lead Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix