Skip Berrien

I bring to the FUUSE Search Committee experience in six UU congregations where I have observed varying degrees of success with transitions in ministerial leadership.  I expect minister-led Sunday worship to provide an inspirational touchstone through the week.  As such I would strive to have a minister who embodies spiritual guidance, inspiring words and actions while acknowledging our challenges to pursue the UU principles. In addition, our minister must have organizational experience to address the multiplicity of needs for effective congregational relationships, administration and communication.

I have been a UU for almost 50 years with membership at FUUSE for the past fifteen years where I have served on the Board of Trustees, the Personnel Committee, Stewardship Committee and the Social Justice Committee.  Ginny and I have raised three children and have three grandchildren all of whom live in Massachusetts 

Before retirement 15 years ago, I was on the faculty at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. During my retirement I have served on the Board of Directors of the Rockingham County Children’s Advocacy Center and the NH Children’s Trust while serving three terms in the NH House of Representatives and being a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in state care. 

In retirement, I have time, energy and organizational experience to carry out the task of selecting a new minister who will be caring and inspiring for each of us and bring the FUUSE congregation to its full spiritual potential for the betterment of the larger community.

Sarah DeWitt

I have been with FUUSE since 2017 and live in Exeter with my husband, Jon, and two children Cailin and Kai. Prior to coming to FUUSE, I grew up in the Unitarian Universalist church in Melrose and attended RE through high school. Over the past five years, I have served on the Religious Education committee including leading the Junior Youth group in community projects. Last year, I held a leadership position on Program Council which included facilitating the different committees and organizing the end of the year celebration. 

It’s important to take the time and find the right fit for our next minister. I am especially looking for a person who can collaborate with RE, is comfortable with outreach and will bring in more families to FUUSE. As someone who is involved with the community, finding a candidate who is connected and able to grow the congregation is key.

Kate Grimm

I am a recent member of FUUSE, having joined this community in March 2022 though I have been a part of the Unitarian Universalist Society since the early 1980s. My identity is deeply entwined with the principles of Unitarian Universalism, Buddhism & other spiritual philosophies. These principles have guided me throughout my personal and professional life, with an emphasis on service always at the core of my being. My life’s trajectory has provided me with unique perspectives and skills that I feel I can apply in holistic and positive ways to the search process for a settled Minister. I offer my service to this important work.

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Gwen Kenney

My husband Steve and I starting attending FUUSE twenty-four years ago when our kids were young. They went through most of the RE programming here, and it had a big impact on them and us. I became involved in RE early on, and since then have chaired the Program Council, recently finished a term on the Board, and continue to be a member of the wonderful Outreach, Caring , and Personnel committees . A team of us worked on recreating the garden after the renovation, thanks to Susan Scott and the Property Committee- which I enjoyed very much. There are so many things I love about FUUSE, but first and foremost are the people. I have met some incredibly interesting, vibrant people through the years, and continue to be astonished by the effort and time invested by volunteers and staff to keep FUUSE on track. This commitment inspired me to be on the search team.

A few quick things about me- I love to be outdoors, so I enjoy hiking, biking, walking , and gardening. I do like to read and cook as well. I feel confident that the Transition team’s hard work and the guidance from the Board and Rev. Terry have put us in good shape to move forward with this next step. I’m looking forward to doing this important work with the search team and the help of everyone at FUUSE.

Bob Moore

My interest in serving on the committee is to find a minister that can serve the community to meet its spiritual needs as well as create a space for important social justice work including racial and environmental justice. I’m interested in working with a team that can identify a minister with qualities of compassion and a commitment to spiritual growth. I like that the church is in a position to invest time in this work, is committed to it, is on a mission to work together to find the best in a candidate that can meet these needs.

I’ve been a witness to many changes at FUUSE since the mid-nineties. I’ve served on the FUUSE Board, have sung in the choir, contributed to property maintenance, and serve as the current Social Justice Committee chairperson. I’ve been impressed by the loyalty of members committed to just causes and to their help and caring for each other, for their understanding. The gifts members bring to FUUSE cannot be measured. Their generosity is a testament to their caring about the health of the church. I wish for this work to continue by finding a leader that can embrace FUUSE’s history and its members who have individual needs, sometimes unexpected, sometimes visionary, but always valued.

Margery Prazar

My husband Greg and I have been members of FUUSE since 1984 when we joined with our two young children, Andrew and Karen. We were looking for a spiritual home with values which would support our efforts to raise thoughtful, socially conscious, and principled young people. We believe that the FUUSE community provided us with all of that as well as a wonderful circle of friends.

My work career was as a clinical administrator at community health centers in the seacoast area. My biggest achievement was adapting and implementing electronic medical records across multiple sites. At FUUSE, I was the organist (and sometimes choir director) for about fifteen years. I also served as Board Chair, Board member, Treasurer, and Chair of Personnel. I am currently a Welcoming Circle Leader and a member of the Caring Committee. I have served on two prior Search Committees – the first resulted in Neal Ferris’s ten-year ministry and the second in Kendra Ford’s twenty-one year ministry.

I look forward to undertaking this search with the other excellent committee members and everyone at FUUSE. Much has changed about the process, but the underlying principles and values that guide all of our activities will bring us to a successful conclusion.

Search Committee Update (November 19, 2023)

FUUSE has reached the first of several milestones in the Ministerial Search process.  We have submitted to the Unitarian Universalist Association our Congregational Record which becomes available to all prospective ministers on December 1. 

This 50-page document is the compilation of all of the information the Search Committee has collected over the last two months in the survey, cottage meetings, focus groups and individual conversations.  This document highlights who we are, what we would value in a minister as well as our challenges.  Our regional consultant remarked that the FUUSE document “reflects a thriving congregation ready to be a great partner to a new minister”.

Over the next month the Search Committee will be collecting all of the numerous  church documents and reports for prospective Ministers to review.  In addition we will start the discernment process to determine the essential ministerial qualifications which meet our needs and desires. After the holidays the Search Committee goes into the confidential phase of our work as we review the candidate’s records and start the interviewing process.

The Search Committee is grateful to all who have generously participated in contributing timely information to our process which truly reflects that we are “a thriving congregation”.