MINISTER SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Congratulations! The church now has an excellent search committee of 7 members who will lead us through the next phase of finding a new called and settled minister. The search committee members are:
– Beth Hammer
– Bill Hammons
– Ken McLeod
– Kris Taylor
– Zena Taylor
– Judy Williams
– Deborah Wotring
We are filled with gratitude that we had such an amazing slate of 14 candidates willing to be on the ballot – thank you to all who were willing to serve the church in this critical way. Thanks also to Ian Sachs, Greg Hunt and Cynthia Miller for preparing us all for this important vote and for Reverend Michelle’s guidance in the process. As was pointed out during the meeting, we followed our new governance documents which in turn follow the UUA process – so our thanks extend to the great work done by the Governance Task Force over the past two years.
We are truly blessed in so many ways.
In peace,
Dori Wolfe
President (now duly elected)
Board of Trustees

Beth is honored to be asked to help with Emerson’s search for a new settled minister. Emerson continues to be a place for spiritual growth for Beth and her family. The Children’s Religious Education program at Emerson has had a wonderful positive influence on her children’s lives and has been a source of spiritual nourishment for her and her husband. Emerson has so much to offer its members, future members, and the wider community. It is a place people can grow, learn, and find support in living their beliefs in the world.

I am retired after a career in environmental affairs and energy regulatory matters. If I am selected to serve on the Minister Search Committee, my primary objective will be to settle a minister who will help Emerson Church achieve its full potential.

Active at local, district and national levels of Unitarian Universalism for >45years. Active member of the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge (1977-1996) and Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church.
Active at Emerson UU Church for 18 years total; member 13 years.
• Elected to the Nomination Committee (January 2021) for a 2-year term
• Worship Team: Chair for 3 years. Currently serving as member of the Worship Team for a second year.
• Member, Staffing Analysis Task Force in recent Visioning Process.
• Member of Committee on Ministry for 2 years, plus chair for 3 years.
• Member of Personnel Committee for 2 years, plus chair for 2 years.
• Chair, Emerson’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.
• Member, numerous search committees for Emerson staff.
• Director, LOVE LETTERS for the Emerson Players.
• Frequent speaker for Adult Religious Education and for Worship at Emerson.
• Occasional speaker at other UU churches.
•Co-chair, the LGBT film/discussion series at Emerson (Welcome MAT) for 3 years.
Active at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge from 1977-1996.
• Served on the Board as a Long Term Planning Member.
• Developed a visioning process for the board that was then replicated for all members in small cottage meetings. This led to building new worship and classroom spaces.
• Served as Director of Religious Education, 7 years.
• Served on the Southwest District RE committee, 5 years.
• Completed UU Renaissance certification in RE.
• Served one year on Religious Education Committee before becoming DRE.
• Served one year as Adult Education chair.
• Developed a program with the minister for talking across the sexual orientation boundaries. Designed for 6 weeks. Ran effectively for 2.5 years, meeting weekly.
• Chaired, Worship Committee (the year between called ministers), served on the committee 2 years more.
• Served on Ministerial Relations Committee, 2 years.
• Frequent speaker for Worship, both at the BR church as well as in New Orleans and Lafayette.
Denominational Activity
• Active in the early days (1985-1992) of UULGC (Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian and Gay Concerns) which became Interweave.
• Edited the UULGC Newsletter, 2 years.
• Spoke in Worship at the Arlington Street Church (Boston) on “The Call to Ministry in the Face of AIDS” (1989).
• One of a dozen UU national leaders invited to Boston by the UUA in 1989 to analyze data concerning congregational attitudes toward LGBTQ clergy, DREs and congregants. The outcome of that working group was The Welcoming Congregation program.


Like many long-time members at Emerson, I’ve taken on a variety of roles through the years. I was active in RE, serving on the RE Committee, being a Coming-of-Age program coordinator and mentor, teaching Sunday School, and acting as a rally rover in the wee hours of the morning at district youth rallies. I’ve been interested in Emerson’s financial life from the beginning. After serving on the Stewardship Committee, I chaired the Finance Committee for several years and then rejoined that committee a few years later for some handwringing about how we’d make the balloon payment on the Delaney Hall mortgage. I’ve been on the Investment Committee for about 9 years now; it’s been one of my favorite volunteer roles at Emerson in part because I’ve learned so much. I’ve also volunteered at Emerson in various other ways: chairing the Membership Committee, gardening, bringing food to memorial service receptions, creating labyrinths for the New Year’s Eve gatherings, mentoring four Groppe Scholars, and ushering. I have become a better collaborator through these volunteer roles. Listening to understand is a skill that I need to work on continually.
One asset that I can bring to the Minister Search Committee is a perspective on what Emerson is and has been like on all kinds of days – good, bad, sad. I’ve been around through four senior ministers, five interim ministers, and three ministerial interns and so have seen how ministerial style affects the congregation. At this point in my life and career, I can set aside the time required for this important work.
My personal “vivid vision” for Emerson’s future is becoming a little less hazy and a little more vivid. We live in a high-need world, and a question facing Emerson is how we can best address the needs of our own congregation as well as needs in the larger world. Whom can we best serve, and how? I look forward to our collective work to figure that out and to find a minister who can walk with us as we do.

Deborah wants to serve on the minister search committee due to her love for the church and her strong desire to see the church grow and thrive for generations to come. Her father was a Methodist minister throughout her childhood. The experience of growing up with a minister father gives her a unique perspective and understanding of the life of a minister and the role ministers can play in bringing energy and enthusiasm to a church community.