Three congregations in the Pacific Northwest District have chosen Interim Ministers to serve them following ministerial transitions.
The Rev. Ken Jones began with Mid-Columbia UU Fellowship (Hood River, OR) in December, and will serve at least through June, 2012. The congregation may extend their transition period through an additional year to prepare for a thoughtful search and settlement of a successor minister, following the resignation of Cathy Rion-Starr last spring.
This is a half-time position; Rev. Jones also serves the UU Church of Yakima (WA) half-time. He previously served the Tahoma UU Congregation (Tacoma, WA), 2000 – 2008.
The Rev. Linda Hart will begin an Interim Ministry with the Evergreen UU Fellowship (Marysville, WA) as of February 3, 2013, following the retirement of the Rev. Bruce Davis. The congregation plans an 18-month transitional period.
Rev. Hart has been serving the Unitarian Church of Richmond and Putney, in England, for the past five years. She was previously a resident of Olympia, WA, and a member of the Olympia UU Congregation. She has served All Souls UU Community (Olympia, WA), Rainier Valley UU Congregation (Seattle, WA) and the UU Church of Spokane (WA), among others.
Eastrose Fellowship UU (Portland/ Gresham, OR) has selected the Rev. Heather Lynn Hanson to begin an Interim Ministry as of February 1, 2013. An interim period of at least 18-months is anticipated. This position is half-time, and follows the retirement of the Rev. David Maynard.
Rev. Hanson has served several PNWD congregations as Interim Minister. Most recently, she completed service with Shoreline UU Church. She has also served UU congregations in Tacoma WA, Ashland OR, and Eugene OR, as well as several outside the Pacific Northwest. She currently lives in Forest Grove, OR.