This afternoon, the Board of Trustees is thrilled to announce the results of the special election for Calling Reverend Lee Paczulla as our Settled Minister. In January, we made a momentous decision to call a vote and then conducted several listening circles, both in person and on Zoom, to ensure all voices were heard.
Voting commenced two weeks ago on April 7 and closed Friday, April 19, at 11:59 pm. Yesterday, the Board formally certified the results of the vote.
WellSprings currently has 164 voting members. As a result, we had to reach a quorum of 40% of those members, or 74 participants.
We are pleased to report that we reached quorum, with 92 members voting. Bravo to you for exercising your democratic muscles!
We asked members to vote on the following question: “I vote in favor of Calling Reverend Lee Paczulla as our settled minister.” Our bylaws identify we needed ⅘ of those participating to Affirm the Vote to call a Minister; with 92 votes cast, we needed 74 affirmative votes.
And now, we are pleased to announce the voting results.
Of the 92 votes cast, an overwhelming 92 voted YES, and 0 voted NO. This unanimous decision is a testament to our congregation’s strong support and faith in Reverend Lee Paczulla, and we are delighted to announce that she is now our Settled Minister!
along with Board member Sandy Tucker.
The next step is for our congregation to plan and hold an installation ceremony. We will be forming a team to oversee the planning. The installation will occur later this year. It is a reverential milestone event where other local clergy are invited to participate, in some ways similar to an ordination. If you are interested in serving on this team, please get in touch with the Board of Trustees at board@wellspringsuu.org. More information on the installation team will be posted soon.
Last but not at all least, today was also our Belonging Sunday service, where we recognize new members who have joined in the previous year! Eleven new members were formally welcomed into our community today – you can see a few photos from the ceremony below, or watch the whole service anytime on our YouTube channel.
Congratulations to WellSprings, on this milestone step for our congregation!