Ministry Call & Co-Ministry
Updates from the Ministerial Call Discernment Team
Fellowship Special Meeting: Vote to call Rev. Hannah this Sunday, November 17!
This Sunday, November 17, at 11:15 AM, the Fellowship will hold a Special Meeting at which we will vote to call the Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave as Co-Minister alongside the Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy.
There will be a single service at 10:00 AM, followed by the Special Meeting at 11:15 AM. Free childcare will be available for both. Please stay for coffee and dessert in the Fellowship Hall afterward!
Per our bylaws, a quorum is required for this Special Meeting. We need a minimum of 25% of our membership in attendance (in person or online) to proceed with the vote – this means 124 members must be present on Sunday, November 17 at 11:15 AM. Your attendance and participation is vital to the future of the Fellowship.
If you plan to attend in person (strongly encouraged):
All eligible voting members attending in person MUST stop by the registration table in the lobby on Sunday, November 17 prior to the start of the Special Meeting to confirm their attendance and receive a paper ballot. The registration table will be open from 9:30 AM until the start of the service at 10:00 AM, and will reopen after the service until the start of the Special Meeting at 11:15 AM. Anyone can attend the meeting in person, but you must be an eligible voter in accordance with the bylaws to cast a ballot.
If you plan to attend online:
All eligible voting members joining via Zoom MUST register in advance at this link (HERE). To preserve the integrity of our voting process, Zoom attendance is not available to those friends and new members who are not eligible voters in accordance with the bylaws.
All members in one household joining via Zoom MUST register each voting member separately and should participate on separate devices to allow for proper voting options – you may only vote once per signed-in user. After registering to attend via Zoom, your eligibility to vote will be verified and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Special Meeting at 11:15 AM. Please note that verification of eligibility is a manual process and may take some time.
How do I know if I’m eligible to vote?
All members with a joined date as of September 22, 2024, are eligible to vote. All friends and members who joined after September 22, 2024, are welcome to attend the meeting in person, but may not vote or make motions.
Can I vote absentee?
Ministerial call requires an immediate voting process, meaning a confidential vote will be taken at the meeting, tallied, and results shared prior to the adjournment of the meeting. Absentee ballots are available by calling the Fellowship office; however, absentee ballots do NOT count towards quorum. If you elect to vote absentee, your ballot must be received by 10:00 AM on Sunday, November 17.
If you have questions:
Please contact Phyllis Schmitt, Director of Finance & Operations, at [email protected] or (920) 731-0849 if you have questions about the in-person meeting or Zoom registration process. Phyllis will also be available via email on Sunday, November 17 to help troubleshoot any technical difficulties for those participating via Zoom.
This is an important and exciting day for all of us at the Fellowship – see you Sunday!
Ministerial Call Discernment Team
Dave Gerlach, Brian Murton, Tim Watson, Marti Wheeler and Sam Zinth
Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave
Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave’s ministry reflects the places she lives and works, and she is passionate about building religious communities that are grounded in local context while holding a radical vision for a more just and compassionate world.
Born and raised as a UU in Racine, WI, Hannah’s first taste of religious community was at Olympia Brown UU Church where she taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and was an all-around Church Nerd. Between her growing up years in Racine and today, Rev. Hannah has done everything from teaching middle school to packing boxes in a warehouse to working as a restaurant host. She eventually earned her Master of Divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and served from 2017-2022 as the settled minister at the UU Church of Cheyenne, WY.
Rev. Hannah lives in Appleton with her wife, Catherine, and their two kiddos, Adah and Benjamin. With the two minutes each day they aren’t working or parenting, they enjoy doing crosswords, sampling local food and beer, and cheering on the Baltimore Orioles.
Important Date
- Sunday, November 17: Congregational vote on a proposal to call Rev. Hannah as our co-minister
