Bis Thornton will be Wildflower’s New Chaplain Starting June 9!

05/30/2024

It is with tremendous joy that we share with you that the Board has hired Bis Thornton (he/him, she/her) to be Wildflower’s Chaplain! Bis will start on June 9 and will be present at our Zoom service that day, so please attend to welcome him!

A chaplain provides a caring presence for people. They offer spiritual guidance, education and resources. And they can support those who are experiencing a challenging time, or those who might simply need some extra care. We are aware that it may be difficult for a part-time chaplain to fully meet the diverse needs of our members, community, staff, and our diverse intersectional identities. However, based on Bis’s experience, we believe that he is the right person for the job!

Bis is an aspirant to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. She is a graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and received clinical pastoral education at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. He can often be seen serving as a volunteer chaplain during social justice actions or preaching from a local pulpit. Since 2016, Bis has been an organizer with Gender Unbound, an organization that uplifts and advocates for transgender and intersex artists. Bis’s interests include vegan cooking, Tarot cards, horror movies, drawing, making prayer beads and jewelry, and learning new art skills.

Bis has a lot going on this summer, so while she starts on June 9 (with very limited hours, including training and staff orientation, in parts of June and July), she won’t be fully available in the role until August 9, when she will begin working 5 to 6 hours per week. We’ll send a follow up announcement after Bis starts with his new email address.

We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to the Care Team Volunteers, Jan Austin and Amelia Koford for their time, energy and love in providing care and support to our congregants for the last year. We are extremely grateful for and appreciate our Chaplain Hiring Committee (Elke Baitis, Wendy Eickstaedt, and Cathy Cramer) and our Director of Membership and Spiritual Life (Simone Monique Barnes) for all their work!

We are extremely excited that Bis will be joining our Wildflower family!!

Director of Membership and Spiritual Life

07/25/2023

Reports to:  Wildflower Church Board of Trustees

Status:  Part-time, 20-30 hours/week

Pay:  $32,000 – $49,000 per year, depending on hours, education, and experience. Benefits included.

Start Date: Negotiable.

Overview:  The Director of Membership and Spiritual Life is an in-person position that engages with Wildflower members and the wider community to increase the church’s membership and financial sustainability.  They will also lead one or two worship services per month. 

Background:

Wildflower Unitarian Universalist Church is seeking a Director of Membership and Spiritual Life.  

Unitarian Universalism is a theologically diverse religion that encourages people to seek their own spiritual path guided by our covenantal principles. We are united in our desire to make the most of our time on earth and to side with love and justice.

Our congregants have many different beliefs. We are committed to anti-racism and anti-oppression and have adopted the 8th Principle. Our mission is “Growing spiritually together, spreading love, justice and joy!” We are a social justice based community fighting oppression in all its forms.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. Develops and implements a plan for growing the church’s membership, including but not limited to:
    • planning and assisting with special events;
    • connecting Wildflower with other Austin organizations;
    • expanding Wildflower’s presence in the community; and
    • collaborating with the Board, Teams, Music Director, Director of Children’s Religious Education, and Office Administrator.
  2. Leads one – two worship services per month, including but not limited to:
    • working with the Worship Team to develop monthly service themes that support Wildflower’s goals and support the spiritual engagement and growth of congregants; 
    • creating services with a sermon, hymns, readings, and Time for All Ages that fits that month’s theme and engages with Wildflower’s mission statement of growing spiritually together, spreading love, justice, and joy; 
    • connecting personally with Wildflowers after each worship service; and
    • collaborating with the Music Director and Director of Children’s Religious Education.
  3. Builds a strong team amongst, and provides spiritual guidance to, the staff. 
  4. Covenants with the Pastoral Care Chaplain and Community Minister.
  5. Provides a monthly update to the Wildflower Church Board of Trustees.

Desired Qualifications:

A good candidate will meet many of the following qualifications, but is not required to meet them all.

  • Commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, including successful outcomes that demonstrate this commitment.
  • Experience attracting and retaining people through community outreach activities and relationship building.
  • Experience with public speaking, such as leading church services or  inspirational speaking.
  • Experience writing sermons or other inspirational work.
  • Experience working with children, young families, and young adults.
  • Experience as a community organizer, minister, chaplain, educator, or in another leadership role.
  • Working knowledge of and values alignment with Unitarian Universalism.

Qualifications may be met as a result of lived experience, volunteer work, professional experience, community engagement, and/or formal or informal training.   

The deadline to apply is Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

For questions, contact hiring@wildflowerchurch.org.

To apply, fill out this form.

Director of Membership and Spiritual Life

04/07/2023

Reports to:  Wildflower Church Board of Trustees

Status:  Part-time, 20-30 hours/week

Pay:  $32,000 – $49,000 per year, depending on hours, education, and experience.

Overview:  The Director of Membership and Spiritual Life is an in-person position that engages with Wildflower members and the wider community to increase the church’s membership and financial sustainability.  They will also lead one or two worship services per month. 

Background:

Wildflower Unitarian Universalist Church is seeking a Director of Membership and Spiritual Life.  

Unitarian Universalism is a theologically diverse religion that encourages people to seek their own spiritual path guided by our covenantal principles. We are united in our desire to make the most of our time on earth and to side with love and justice.

Our congregants have many different beliefs. We are committed to anti-racism and anti-oppression and have adopted the 8th Principle. Our mission is “Growing spiritually together, spreading love, justice and joy!” We are a social justice based community fighting oppression in all its forms.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Develops and implements a plan for growing the church’s membership, including but not limited to:
  • planning and assisting with special events;
    1. connecting Wildflower with other Austin organizations;
    2. expanding Wildflower’s presence in the community; and
    3. collaborating with the Board, Teams, Music Director, Director of Children’s Religious Education, and Office Administrator.
  • Leads one – two worship services per month, including but not limited to:
    1. working with the Worship Team to develop monthly service themes that support Wildflower’s goals and support the spiritual engagement and growth of congregants; 
    2. creating services with a sermon, hymns, readings, and Time for All Ages that fits that month’s theme and engages with Wildflower’s mission statement of growing spiritually together, spreading love, justice, and joy; 
    3. connecting personally with Wildflowers after each worship service; and
    4. collaborating with the Music Director and Director of Children’s Religious Education.
  • Builds a strong team amongst, and provides spiritual guidance to, the staff. 
  • Covenants with the Pastoral Care Chaplain and Community Minister.
  • Provides a monthly update to the Wildflower Church Board of Trustees.

Desired Qualifications:

A good candidate will meet many of the following qualifications, but is not required to meet them all.

  • Commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, including successful outcomes that demonstrate this commitment.
  • Experience attracting and retaining people through community outreach activities and relationship building.
  • Experience with leading church services, including writing and delivering sermons, or similar experience, such as inspirational speaking.
  • Experience with public speaking, such as leading church services or  inspirational speaking.
  • Experience writing sermons or other inspirational work.
  • Experience working with children, young families, and young adults.
  • Experience as a community organizer, minister, chaplain, educator, or in another leadership role.
  • Working knowledge of and values alignment with Unitarian Universalism.

Qualifications may be met as a result of lived experience, volunteer work, professional experience, community engagement, and/or formal or informal training.   

To apply, fill out this form.

11/10/2021

Tentative Schedule for Upcoming Worship Services

November 14: Multi-platform (In person and on Zoom)

November 21: Zoom only

November 28: Zoom only

December 5: Multi-platform

 

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November 14: Multi-platform (In person and on Zoom)

November 21: Zoom only

November 28: Zoom only

December 5: Multi-platform

 

A Note of Goodbye

04/29/2020

Hello, I am Esmeralda. It has been an honor and privilege to work with Cathy, Tommy, Michelle, David, Laurie, and Libby. They are stellar. Sarah Skochko is an awesome person. Sarah is a great candidate that would be of outstanding benefit to Wildflower or wherever she may go. Wildflower has been a lovely spiritual home. It is time to move on from the MST, earlier than anticipated, because a truly inclusive culture doesn’t let a few people force the entire congregation or one ministerial candidate into a conversation about race framed by their particular view point.

Wildflower has room to grow in terms of centering the experiences of marginalized identities on certain matters. I have a favor to ask (on the way out, how rude.) When someone posts or references a work you find questionable, please question them publicly. It is important not just for your relationship with the person who posts but also for the Wildflowers on the sidelines. I have been disheartened by the lack of push back at harmful writing.

As a warning, I’m about to say the words white supremacy. Now you can’t tell but I am saying it out loud: WHITE SUPREMACY. I need to be at a church where I can describe my personal experiences of living within white supremacy culture without anyone clutching their pearls. Everyone is in a different place with social justice. I’m in a place where the need to feel safe and supported is paramount. I don’t feel that way at Wildflower.