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April 26, 1999

Dear Friends,

Rob Zuckerman assumed the chairmanship of our Board of Trustees at our
annual meeting in February. A lot has happened under his watch! On
Sunday Rob took the lectern to make the announcements, so that he could talk about our Search Committee's work, their recent report, and the Board's decision in response to it.

"The Search Committee worked diligently, investing a great amount of
time and energy in this effort," he said. "They looked at twenty three
resumes which they narrowed down to four prospective candidates. Each
of those four spent an entire weekend with our Search Committee getting
to know each other in person. The committee felt that one candidate
stood out, and an offer for the position was made."

Rob explained, "After ten days this candidate decided not to accept the
position because she and her husband had too many conflicts about the
move." Then he said, "This past Tuesday evening I called a special
meeting of the Board of Trustees, the Search Committee and Frank Hall.
We all discussed the current situation and what emerged out of that
meeting is that we should ask Barbara Fast to extend her internship with
us. She would be an assistant to Frank while continuing her supervision
of the R. E. program, as she prepares to meet the Ministerial Fellowship
Committee next winter."

He reported, "Our Board voted, almost unanimously, to have Barbara
continue her work here. When the time comes, the congregation will vote
to decide if we want to formalize this relationship."

Rob's announcement was a clear, concise expression of the situation,
and a precise reporting of our Board's decision. Many hours have been
spent behind the scenes, of course, as the Search Committee did its
work, involving me in appropriate but minimal ways. They were clearly in
charge. When the Search Committee asked me to summarize what I need in
a ministerial colleague I said, "A generalist with a good attitude." I
interviewed each of the four finalists, and agreed with their choice.

I did not know that Barbara could be an eligible candidate for the
position, given the Ministerial Fellowship Committee's rules, but I was
glad to learn that she could.

There's no question in my mind that Barbara is most qualified to fill
the bill. She came up through the ranks, having served us first as a
lay member, then as our Congregation Coordinator, then Director of
Religious Education, and Ministerial Intern. She has the experience,
talent, skills and energy we need in a minister.

In Barbara Fast we have a generalist with a good attitude! I'm very,
very pleased! And I'm confident that she and I will continue to work
together to serve the ministerial needs and aspirations of our
congregation. Thanks to the Search Committee and our Board of Trustees, and thanks for your confidence and support.

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