Candidating Week Plans & Schedule

The Reverend James Galasinski is our ministerial candidate and we are so excited! Learn more about James here.

James and his wife Ulrike and their son Miles will be flying in from Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, May 6, arriving in Canton late that night. On Saturday, May 7, the Search Committee and Church Council will officially welcome James and his family to Canton. The week of May 8 to 15 will be full! Everyone is strongly encouraged to attend Candidating Week activities. The Search Committee has worked to create multiple opportunities for members of our congregation to meet, speak with, and answer questions of James.

Candidating Week Calendar 

Everyone is welcome to those events in yellow highlight; we encourage you to come to as many of these events as you are able! Events in blue highlight are small-group meetings for James with our committees, staff, etc. Details about some of these events can be found below.

“Blank” areas are scheduled to give James time to prepare and to have time with his family. He and Ulrike will do some exploring of the area on their own and have meetings with realtors. Throughout the week, Search Committee and Church Council members will be checking in with James and his family.

Candidating Events for the Congregation

Sunday, May 8
10:30 a.m. Church Service
12 noon Potluck lunch for all! Please bring your own dishes and the following, based on the first letter of your last name: A – G: salad, H – R: main dish, S – Z: dessert.

Tuesday, May 10
10:30 a.m. Morning coffee with James for our senior members; this event will be held at the church.
8:00 p.m. “Theology on Tap” at the St. Lawrence Brewing Company (19 Commerce Lane #4, Canton). James has done numerous sessions of Theology on Tap in his ministry – “Come for a libation and stay for the conversation.” Ken Hebb will generously open the place just for us (the Brewery is not normally open on Tuesdays). Please bring some friends – UU or “other!”

Wednesday, May 11
5:30 p.m. Pizza party for all in our Social Room, provided by the Search Committee and Church Council.

Friday, May 13
5:30 p.m. Potluck dinner for all! Please bring your own dishes and the following, based on the first letter of your last name (note, these are different “assignments” from the previous potluck): A – F: dessert, G – Q: salad, R – Z: main dish.

Saturday, May 14
8:30 a.m. – 12 noon B&G Spring Clean-Up Work Day

Sunday May 15
10:30 a.m. Church Service
12 noon Congregational Meeting and vote to call James to be our minister.

Vote To Call Our New Minister

After the Sunday service on May 15, the congregation-wide vote will be conducted by Church Council. To comply with the Church’s bylaws and ensure a valid ministerial selection, we emphatically urge you to be present for the vote if you are able. Voting to accept a minister is a longstanding practice and important historical principle in Unitarian Universalism. This distinguishes us from many other religious traditions whose ministers are appointed from a central authority. The UU idea of congregational polity, where each congregation votes for its own minister, is still a radical idea in 21st century USA. It is also essential to our fifth principle, “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” For more on congregational polity visit www.uua.org/governance/polity/47000.shtml.

Thank Yous!

Many thanks to those who have offered housing, transportation, and food during Candidating Week. We have most of these requests filled by your generous offers. We do still need a car seat for a 20- to 25-pound child. Is there one in your attic, garage, or basement? Contact anyone on the Search Committee if you find one.

More thanks to all who cooked, baked, and delivered delicious dinners and lunches during the four pre-candidating weekends. They not only “showed-off” our thoughtful and culinarily-talented congregation, the meals were enjoyed by each pre-candidate and the Search Committee. This is stimulating work – apparently for our appetites as well!

Search Process Goes On…

To see where we are in the process, you have several options: (1) look at the huge Timeline in the Social Room; (2) see the Timeline online here, (3) view the entire Search Process, which began in November 2014, here; or (4) take copies of our latest updates from the document box next to our bulletin board in the Social Room.

You can contact the Search Committee with any questions at search@uucantonny.org.

Jon Montan (chair), Erika Barthelmess, Kim Bouchard, Rajiv Narula, Jenn Whittaker, Theresa Witmer, Pete Wyckoff