Williston-West Church

Dear Church Friends:

It is with a sense of joy and gratitude to God that we unanimously recommend The Rev. Gina M. Finocchiaro as the candidate for Pastor of Williston-West Church, United Church of Christ.

We were very fortunate to have a number of top notch candidates presented to us. As we met and came to know Gina, we found our thinking changing from seeing ourselves involved in the “hiring” of a minister, to a deeper sense that we were participating in the act of calling a minister. For us, out of all the names that we have received, Gina Finocchiaro brings the gifts and qualities which we believe will guide us well as we move into the coming years.
Roxanna Brophy, Paula Costin
                Co-Chairs
Marie Ahearn, Ken Barber, Ted Malette, Shone McGirr,
Karl Parker, Linda Riddell, Maggie Robinson, Bob Witham

About Gina

Gina Finocchiaro (fin-ah-car-o) is a native of Massachusetts and a graduate of Phillips Academy, Mount Holyoke College and Yale Divinity School. She recently completed five years on the pastoral staff of the First Congregational Church in Madison, CT, the first two years as Pastoral Assistant for Youth, and then three years as Associate Pastor. She was ordained in 2004 and currently holds ministerial standing in the New Haven East Association of the Connecticut Conference.

During her years at Madison, she invigorated a youth program for grades 5-12, led the Confirmation Class, participated in the oversight of a $2.4 million renovation project and provided staff support for the $1.2 million capital funds campaign. During multiple transition times in the congregation’s life, she facilitated several pastoral and staff changes, supervised both the hiring and work of church staff and carried out considerable pastoral responsibilities, including worship leadership, visitation and counseling.

Reflections about Gina. . .
from Gina

"Characteristics and personal qualities that commend me for ministry are varied. entrally, I am a person of deep faith and a sincere connection to the divine and spiritual world. I am a sensitive and loving listener who is present in the essence of the moment when meeting with someone, or with a group. I am compassionate and empathetic. I believe in the value of team ministry, whether working with other clergy, staff or lay persons. My energetic vigor spills into all of my work, and along with my laughter, they are contagious. I have a love for learning and for education, in all moments and stages of life. I am passionate about my work with young people. I am organized and reliable, flexible and creative. Even in the midst of change and tumult, I can find a deep and abiding peace to stabilize me and others. Though I am still relatively young, I have already led a congregation through a number of difficult times and gained a wisdom and perspective far beyond my years as a pastor, a leader and a person. Additionally, I bring to my ministry a passion for music. I love to sing and feel closest to God when doing so. I share my gift of music often and boldly."

Reference Comments about Gina, from Colleagues, Church Members and Friends

• "Gina is a remarkable young woman. She is creative in her approach to teaching and preaching. Her sermons are well thought out and push folks to think about themselves in a daily faith context. She is very bright - and very articulate. She can be witty, funny, and serious without being pedantic or heavily solemn. She consistently expresses herself well in public situations. No matter the challenge to her opinion or practice, no matter the age of the challenger, she thinks carefully and responds appropriately and gracefully."
• "She knows how to listen to what people say with and without words. She shows deep compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others and is able to work with all sorts of people to help them better their lives. Gina is a very hard working person, but she is also a fun-loving spirit."
• "Gina makes a wonderful first impression: warmly and cheerfully extroverted; ready smiles and laughs draw you in. Scholastically learned and whip smart, Gina proves to be wise beyond her years. Her sense of commitment and dedication confirm and strengthen a lasting positive impression. Her enthusiasm and zest for Jesus, church, and life attract young and old alike. And can the girl sing! Glorious Soprano, anthems and hymns, classical to modern, all uplifting!"
• "Gina is an effective preacher and leader of worship. She is very bright and gifted. She cares deeply for the people of the parish regardless of age and is a very fine pastor."

Next Steps
From the Bylaws of the Williston-West Church:

The Pastoral Search Committee shall present to the Covenant membership of the church the name of the candidate it recommends to fill the vacancy. An 80% majority vote of the Covenant membership at a special of the Church constitutes a call to serve as minister. (Article VII, A8)

Last Sunday, the Church Council voted to call a special meeting of the Williston-West Church on Sunday, September 30 , immediately th following morning worship, for the purpose of receiving and acting on the recommendation of the Search Committee. The candidate will be leading worship on that day. A pot luck family dinner will be held on Saturday evening, September 28 , th beginning at 5:30 PM. Mark your calendars, and do plan to attend. This will be an opportunity for members and friends of Williston-West to meet Gina. Additional information about the meal will be provided this Sunday during announcement time.

THE SEARCH PROCESS

The Search Committee held its first meeting in October, 2006. Roxanna Brophy and Paula Costin were elected co-chairs. An initial meeting with the Rev. David Gaewski, Conference Minister of the Maine Conference, UCC introduced us to the pastoral search process. The committee agreed to survey members and friends of Williston-West, using the Hartford Inventory as our primary tool. The Inventories were distributed in early December, and returned to Hartford by mid January for collation and summarizing. While the Inventories were being summarized in Hartford, we worked on our local church profile, which would provide a "picture" of Williston-West, our ministry, our membership, our community, our history, our program.

Hartford Seminary returned the summaries of the Inventories to us in late February. During March and early April, that report became our major resource as we prepared a brochure about Williston-West, and completed work on our local church profile. Both items were to be given to potential candidates. We also prepared a brief description of our pastoral opening for inclusion in the national UCC Employment Opportunities, a monthly listing of all positions open in the United Church of Christ. Our listing was posted for the first time in the May edition.

Response to our announced opening was quite rapid. In early May, Conference Minister Gaewski met with us again to introduce us to the pastoral profile, and present an initial 28 profiles of individuals who had requested that their name be submitted to us for consideration. In the next two months we received a total of 54 profiles of potential candidates. By mid-July we had reviewed all of the profiles received, and had selected 10 that we wished to pursue further. We sent our brochure and profile to these individuals, requesting additional information from them. We then selected six to be interviewed, began to check their references, and requested an audio or video recording of their preaching. After these interviews, and the review of the recordings, we set up a neutral pulpit for our primary candidate. The whole committee attended that service, and met with the candidate after worship for another interview.

On September 4th the committee met to review its work, discuss our responses and to test whether we were ready to move to a decision about a recommended candidate. At that meeting, the committee voted unanimously to present the Rev. Gina Finocchiaro as our recommended candidate for pastor of Williston-West.