It is a great relief to know that Christina Kukuk is leaving Ashland, Oregon sometime soon. Rev. Kukuk’s six years of leadership as “Senior Minister” will end this month, April 2022. Rev. Kukuk’s ministry has been a painfully divisive and sad chapter at Ashland UCC. Not only did Rev. Kukuk begin her work at Ashland UCC by tirelessly striving to ban congregants from her buildings, but she has also shown real gusto for lying, spending church money and covering up her own record of behavior.
It has been stunning to watch her tear away at the fabric of the congregation and observe from a distance as the congregation has withered before our eyes.
By my reading of the Ashland UCC website, Christina had a poor performance review and finally decided to resign as a result. Apparently, her performance review has created even more division amid the withered congregation.
The church also has vacancies for a Music Director and a Childcare Assistant. Which is to say all Ashland UCC has is an embarrassing history they have tried hard to hide and Tege Phillips, who runs their office.
It sounds like finding an Interim Minister is going to be a tough fit, especially for the salary they are offering. It looks like they gave all the church money to the Kukuk’s, who are leaving a big divided, underfunded mess behind.
It seems clear that Rev. Kukuk does not plan to atone for her lies and apologize for her extremely bad behavior and ethical misconduct before she leaves town.
Apparently the council plans to hire a mediator to untangle the divisions that Christina sowed after the reverend has gone. The horrible ineffiency of this plan is not lost on us.
What an awkward position the church finds itself in now.
All the way around it has to be a positive change that Rev. Christina Kukuk and Adam Kukuk are leaving our little city. Perhaps this move alone with help return our town to some sense of civility.
The job listing for an Interim Minister actually sites “We are seeking someone with the ability to collaborate with staff and lay leaders in exploring the themes of loving our neighbors as ourselves and the spiritual practices of joy even (and especially) in times of trauma and loss.” That sentence came directly from their website and not from Christina. It states clearly their intention to remember the theme of loving thier neighbors.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself”, was one of Jesus’ most prominent teachings. Love thy neighbor is not Rev. Kukuk’s orientation. As David Schultz announced with confidence to Daniel way back in 2016, “She knows how to get rid of people.” And he was right, she did have a process: using mediators to help her, lying, never meeting with or allowing council to meet with the accused congregants, never allowing congregants to defend themselves, shaming the entire Congregational Meeting with numerous lies beginning with her false point of order followed by a truly horrifying display of rancor and bad faith. As though she did not realize that she had a sacred responsibility to the people of her church. The woman I came to know as Rev. Christina Kukuk is a tragically dispiriting minister.
I thank God she is leaving.
It is wonderful that by appearances it looks like the church that remains wants to resurrect Love thy neighbor. May they at least try to walk thier Jesus talk.
Happy Easter!
~L Citizen