Geneva church elects new minister via Zoom

After a yearlong search process, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva welcomed the Rev. Scot Hull of Frederick, Md., to serve as its settled minister. The previous settled minister, Rev. Dr. Lindsay Bates, spent 40 years with the society from 1978 to 2018 before retiring, making Rev. Hull the first new settled minister in 42 years.

From 2018 to Aug. 1, 2020, Revs. Jennifer Innis and Patrick Price will have fulfilled the society's needs as interim ministers. As opposed to an interim minister, a settled minister dedicates themself to a single congregation for the long term, just as Rev. Hull plans to do at UUSG. Excited to join the community, he said, "For me, it was love at first sight."

A lifetime Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Hull described himself as a bit of a nerd with a love for comparative religious studies and science fiction. He attended Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago, served as an intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reston, Va., and was ordained in February of this year. His wife, Julia Jones, is a certified life coach, professional singer, and is also a seminarian at Meadville-Lombard Theological School. Their twins, Naomi and Zachary, are in middle school.

Honoring social-distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines, the society used a virtual platform, Zoom, to meet Rev. Hull through a two-week period and called a vote for his service on May 3. Hiring processes for a settled minister have never taken place online in Unitarian Universalist history, adding to the novelty of Rev. Hull's call. Despite uncertainty of how the online process would pan out, the congregation was relieved to have found stability and hope during a time of Zoom meetings and worldwide turmoil. The vote for Rev. Hull's call was unanimous.

Rev. Hull's former 22-year career in information technology was a welcome surprise for congregants. The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva had been using Zoom and various other technology tools for Sunday worship and all other gatherings since word of the pandemic first hit the United States. When Rev. Hull interviewed via Zoom, he wowed congregants with his extravagant library of Zoom backgrounds including a library, a cafe, Star Wars animated backgrounds, and, most importantly, a photo of the inside of UUSG - a place long-missed by congregants due to services becoming purely virtual.

Eleven days after Rev. Hull's election, the Unitarian Universalist Association (the governing body of all Unitarian Universalist societies) sent out a letter from its president recommending that societies plan to use virtual means for worship and gatherings until May 2021. The society's choice of Rev. Hull for minister proved even more fruitful.

UUA President Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray wrote, "In making our recommendations, we are guided by science and our deepest held values. This pandemic teaches us that our actions directly impact the health and well-being of our neighbors and so it is imperative that we make choices that keep our congregations and larger community safer. As COVID-19 disproportionately impacts people with disabilities, black people, indigenous communities, latinx people, the elderly, and essential workers (a majority of whom are women and women of color) religious communities have a moral responsibility to do all we can to reduce risks for those already at such high risk."

Rev. Hull said he is up to the task of leadership during this trying time: "I want our community to grow, not just in number, but more in terms of 'becoming.' We have so much potential - for kindness, for love, for connection, for meaningfulness - and yet we live in a world where such things are not regularly encouraged, much less celebrated."

Then, Rev. Hull reflected on a word he learned from South African Bishop, Desmond Tutu. According to Bishop Tutu, the word, "ubuntu," translates as "I am because we are."

Rev. Hull continued, "Realizing a healthy, vibrant, supportive community can be absolutely transformative to how we live, work, and play; to our vision for ourselves, and to our aspirations for our world. We are better together, and together we can be more than we ever could be apart. To me, that's what 'church' is - a vehicle for growth, for transformation, for wonder and possibility."

Rev. Hull had this message to send to anyone considering joining UUSG: "The folks that make up a UU congregation come from all walks of life and come from many different faith traditions. We are a people that come together searching for meaning, for connection, for hope, and even a sense of mystery, wonder, and awe. I've heard it said that we don't come to Unitarian Universalism to answer our questions so much as to question our answers. At root, we are seekers. We tend to not be of one mind about the ultimate truths - and that's OK! I like the saying that goes, 'we don't have to think alike to love alike.'"

While UUSG was searching for a new settled minister, Rev. Hull conducted a search of his own - a search for the right church to settle down in. "We'd been told about this 'cute little church' in a 'charming little town,' so we had to go check it out." He continued, "My first thought was, 'What a treasure!'" He noted that most UU churches are hidden away, "yet here was this church right in the center of things. I love the idea of 'church' being part of civic life - of living our values out loud, of participating and being 'there' with our friends and neighbors - all of us doing the work of community."

Kevin O'Neill of Aurora chaired the search team's effort in finding Rev. Hull. Along with six other team members, O'Neill kept UUSG's unique covenant in mind while working to finalize a settled minister candidate. "One of the most attractive features of UUSG is its covenant, written in 1842, and how it lays out the goal of 'promoting practical goodness in the world,' through inclusion and celebration of members with different faith traditions, beliefs, identities, and statuses," he said. "We not only wanted a minister that could help us best serve the needs of UUSG and Geneva, but also the needs of the broader Fox River Valley region." Community members said the search team's efforts were successful.

"I am just so pleased. Rev. Hull is going to be such a breath of fresh air," said Geneva resident Page Poris, an 18-year member. "Rev. Hull and UUSG are bright lights in my life right now."

Will Sapet, age 8, agreed: "I like Rev. Hull. He seems cool, for a minister. I think he'll be really good." Will's family has been attending UUSG since 2013. Kerry Sapet, a writer, and Jason Sapet, an analyst, were just as excited as their third-grader. They mentioned Rev. Hull's enthusiasm, humor, and warmth as indicators of his fitness for community leadership.

On Aug. 1, Rev. Hull will officially begin his duties as settled minister. The engraved bricks outside the UUSG sanctuary, and the congregants online, will welcome Rev. Hull and other visitors to call the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, "Home."

All are welcomed to join Virtual Sunday Service from 10 to 11 a.m. For details on how to join worship or how to visit an educational, children's, community, or small group program, visit www.uusg.org. Additional biographical information for Rev. Scot Hull, as well as the history of UUSG, its mission, and its famous 1842 covenant, can be found on the website.

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva and its former settled minister, Rev. Dr. Lindsay Bates, had a brief appearance in the new 2020 Netflix documentary "A Secret Love," which tells the true story of a famous baseball player and her secret lesbian relationship of seven decades.

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva provides members, friends and newcomers a welcoming, supportive and nonjudgmental place to explore diverse religious and spiritual concepts, advance social justice causes, and share the gift of fellowship with one another. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest church in Geneva, part of a centuries-old liberal religious tradition that values reason and free thought over dogma and creed.