May 13, 2020

Dear TJMC Members, Friends and Staff,

The Interim Minister Search Committee is pleased to report they have received the names of eight excellent candidates for full-time interim ministry at TJMC.

The committee will begin interviews and proceed with the search.  The Committee consists of Pam McIntire, Kelsey Cowger, Beth Jaeger-Landis, Greg Townsend, Larry Moulis and Matthew Diasio.

Here are some highlights from their timeline:

**interviews start on May 6 and candidates may contact congregations May 7
**interviews run May 6 to 14
**the committee will choose candidates May 16-18 and notify the Transitions Office of their choices by midnight May 18
**employment offers go out May 20 at noon

As of this writing the TJMC budget continues to project a minimum $25K deficit for FY2020-21 and the Board is concerned that the shortfall may increase substantially because of the global disruption surrounding the pandemic and the economic uncertainty many of us are facing.   In the previous update, the Board pledged to have a plan in place to fund the salary for the interim minister before the Search Committee began interviews. Here is what we are doing:

1.  The UUA recommended salary range for a lead minister in a church with demographics similar to TJMC is $126,300 – $86,400 and TJMC is offering the minimum compensation package for this position— $86,400 salary / $30,240 benefits.   The Board would like to offer a more appropriate package but we feel must first consider other factors including a looming nationwide economic recession, potential pledge shrinkage and the $40K no-interest loan TJMC received last year.  Despite the lower salary, we hope to still attract an experienced interim minister.

2. TJMC has received $6000 from the Small Business Association in the form of an Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance. We do not have to pay this money back.

3. TJMC banks at Wells Fargo and our local loan officer is recommending TJMC for an $82K Paycheck Protection Plan loan. He is confident we will be approved. This is great news. The bad news is Wells Fargo is no longer accepting PPP applications because they have used up their funds and additional funding requires an act of Congress. Also Wells Fargo is under investigation for it’s handling of the PPP and only a small percentage of businesses of our size (2-9 employees) have actually received their money even after they have been approved. The Board is cautiously optimistic our loan will be funded.

4. As last resorts, we will rent Summit House to a long term tenant or we will furlough some of our current staff. No one on the Board wants to implement either of these options and we will do everything possible to avoid them. While they both may raise the money necessary to pay an interim minister, they come at a high cost. It may be challenging given the uncertainty of the rental market to find a tenant for an unusual property like Summit House and furloughs will be heartbreaking for the congregation and demoralizing to the staff.

Having said all this, the Board remains committed to the belief that our church needs an interim minister and despite the challenges, we have made hiring someone for the fall our priority. We are hopeful for a successful interim search. We welcome your comments and suggestions at board@uucharlottesville.org.

Thanks to all.

Lorie Craddock
President, TJMC Board of Trustees

April 30, 2020

The TJMC Board of Trustees met virtually on Monday, April 27th for a special work session.  We decided to proceed with our Interim Minister search even in this time of economic uncertainty. The UUA Transitions Office will send the Interim Search Committee a slate of interested ministers on May 4th.

Prior to the effects of the global pandemic hitting our area, our church wrapped up the 2020-21 Pledge Drive with approximately $375K in pledges. This pledge amount was about $40K short of our pledge goal and indicated a $25,000 deficit in our projected 2020-21 budget. With this in mind, the Board is considering how to hire a much-needed Interim Minister at a time when we all may begin to feel the detrimental financial effects of a possible recession.

The Board feels that our congregation and staff need to have a full-time interim minister to help guide us through this anxious and confusing time and allow us to  heal from events of our recent past and continue to grow together as a community. We also believe we need to be truthful when interviewing candidates about the financial uncertainty which may limit the salary that TJMC can offer. To that end, the Board is committed to securing the funds to hire an interim before we begin the interview process with the candidates.

The minimum salary and benefits for an interim minister at TJMC is approximately $116,000. You can learn more about how we reached that number here.  In plain terms, we need to find an extra $25K in our projected 2020-21 budget to fully fund the $116K package ($86,400 salary / $30,240 benefits). The Board is committed to bringing a balanced budget to the congregation for a vote.

(If you haven’t made your pledge for the 2020-2021 year yet or would like to increase your pledge to help close the $25K gap, please contact Cathey Polly, our Pledge Tracker, and give as generously as possible.)

Our Director of Administration and Finance, Sean Skally, has applied for two Federal Loans (PPP and EIDL) to help support salaries and other costs. You can find out more about these loans here and here and here. It appears the entire amount of the PPP will be forgiven as long as we spend at least 75% of the loan on payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent, and utilities and no more than 25% of the loans on anything else. If we do not receive the loans, the Board is open to other ways, including staff furloughs, renting out Summit House, or tapping into our endowment, to  fully cover the $25K shortfall and allow TJMC to hire an interim minister.

In early May, the Board will make a final decision on how to fund the interim minister before the Search Committee begins interviewing.

We have been in consultation with Keith Kron, the Director of Transitions from the UUA.  You may remember Keith giving a sermon at TJMC in the fall of 2019. He has answered many of our questions and has been very supportive of our congregation.

In sharing this information, the Board is working to be as transparent as possible, even if this news is difficult to hear.

Yours in Faith,

Lorie Craddock
President, Board of Trustees

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TJMC Covenant of Right Relations

In order to create the beloved community we all desire for ourselves, we, the Congregation of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist covenant to:
Communicate with compassion and respect, especially when we disagree
Celebrate diversity and nurture our inclusivity,
Promote social justice within our congregation and the larger community,
Generously support the ministries of the church with time, money and enthusiasm, and
Lovingly call each other back into covenant when we have fallen short.