As we announced back in February, we petitioned the Eliot Board to have a congregational vote this May to have Barbara Gadon appointed Minister Emerita. We then publicized and conducted six separate discussion sessions regarding this proposal during coffee hours on February 16 and 23, and March 9. Many people just came to listen and learn more. Some had comments to share in support of the proposed appointment, others had comments in opposition. These are summarized below.

The comments in support focused on her passion for social justice, her handling of Michael Brown and the aftermath thereof, her sermons, her approachability, her leadership through a pandemic – especially given her vulnerable health condition, her compassion, her networking with other organizations in the community, her reestablishing ties with Eliot’s sister church in Transylvania, her making people feel at home at Eliot, and her launching of the adult enrichment and spiritual development program, which was piloted under her leadership and now fully implemented under Krista‘s.

The comments in opposition focused on her short tenure of just nine years,* declines in membership and in revenue during her tenure,** her handling of the acquisition of the property next door (222), issues with communication and transparency, her health condition perhaps getting in the way of what was best for Eliot, her handling of the COVID-19 lockdown and her reluctance to reopen in a timely fashion. 

*It is worth noting that Barbara Gadon's tenure was much shorter than our previous Minister Emeritus, John Robinson, who served as lead minister at Eliot for 29 years, but her tenure was about twice the length of an average tenure in today’s UU world. There is currently nothing in Eliot's bylaws regarding minimum length of tenure for Minister Emeritus/Emerita candidates.

**It is also worth noting that almost all UU congregations across the country experienced similar declines in membership and revenues during those years.