[Poster's Note: This circular was found on cars in the UUCF parking lot. This HTML rendition only approximates the original in format, but the content is unchanged except for a little editing of contact information. Also, some obvious scan errors were corrected.]
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Dear Friend,
This is a personal message from a long-time UU family spanning two generations who feel we have been blind-sided by the recent attempt by some 47 unhappy members to quietly force Jim Nelson to resign through a letter they signed.
This effort has been underway for more than a month, with little attempt by the board to proactively publicize these grave issues or processes until late last week. A new report on the troubled relationship between the board and Jim Nelson apparently is largely based on testimony of unhappy members, rather than a representative cross-section of the church population. Previous to this week, the board's attempts to inform church attendees have included only vague references to the board's "difficulties" with Jim Nelson, buried in the UU newsletter, or in the board meeting minutes where many people might fail to see the information.
We wonder if there are 47, or even 247, others out there who, like us, are very happy with Jim's ministry, his personal pastoral support to families over the years, and the growth of the church under his leadership. We wonder if there might be others who feel that, out of a sense of fair play, both to Jim and the congregation, this matter should be discussed and publicized actively.
We hope there are others who feel that, even if the church decides to seek another minister after thoughtful discussion and with sufficient time for ALL members to have input, Jim should be given a year to find another UU post and to allow his family to transition without undue hardship. Please remember that the season for UU new minister searches for next year ended this spring. Jim would be without job prospects for over a year. Surely we owe the man we searched out 10 years ago and enthusiastically wooed to uproot his career and his family the chance to find another ministerial posting with the same due process and fair time we had when we sought him out.
We have no other way of communicating with others who may feel as we do, so we have decided to distribute this flyer today. To facilitate communication - and to provide an avenue for others like us to be heard - we have set up an electronic petition at www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Jim. Simply type the link into your web browser (please note that the address is case-sensitive). In addition, we urge you to attend the May 20 congregational forum at 7:30 pm in the sanctuary regarding this matter, where you can participate in discussion groups and voice your opinion. Feel free to share any comments with us by email, mail or phone. See contact information on the reverse.
Yours sincerely,
Marsha Stanley
Melinda Curiey
Scott Wayne
Laura Wayne