ST. PETERSBURG -- Trying to lead Unitarian Universalists is like trying to herd cats, a member of the free-thinking tradition is said to have quipped.

Such may be the exasperation awaiting a consultant and two new part-time ministers hired by the Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg to help its congregation find direction in the wake of simmering discord, financial problems and the departure of its well-known minister.

Church leaders think otherwise.

"I think that the congregation as a whole has come to realize what the church means to them, individually and collectively. A lot of people have decided it is really worth fighting for," said Greg Burton, president of the board of trustees.

"Attendance is up, contributions are up, involvement is up, and laughter is up," he said.

Burton blamed plummeting income for the departure of the Rev. Dee Graham, who had been with the church since mid 1995 and left last June. Reached at her home this week, Graham would say little about her reasons for leaving.

"We don't necessarily agree as Unitarian Universalists. That's part of why I hesitate in what I am saying, so that everyone is respected and allowed to disagree," she said.

But Rade Radosevich, a friend and past president of the board of trustees, said Graham was forced out by a faction of retirees who used the church's deteriorating finances as an excuse to let her go.

The congregation knew that Graham was a lesbian when it hired her, but her sexuality might have been "an underlying issue with the people voting for the budget to get rid of her," he added.

"They said we don't have the money to pay for a full-time minister, even after my committee came back and said that we have a way to make it work," said Radosevich, who is no longer a member of the congregation.

"My partner and I have moved on. Dee has moved on," he said.

Burton disputes Radosevich's version of what happened.

"It is real obvious that the church has always been an inclusive church and continues to be so, and we've had elected people of different races, sexual orientation and socioeconomic backgrounds in leadership positions, including the board," Burton said.

"As for the budget, we had a significant budget deficit last year, and I think the fact that there was a deficit speaks for itself."

Addressing Graham's departure, Charles Hinton, the church's attorney, said: "The church and Rev. Graham reached a point in their relationship where both sides felt that it would be mutually beneficial for Rev. Graham to depart. The church and Rev. Graham reached an agreement on how the departure would be structured. I think that it has worked out very well."

Since leaving her position, Graham, vice president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Association and past president of the St. Petersburg Ministerial Association, has been working as a substitute teacher and supply pastor and continuing to pursue social justice causes. Next month she will begin teaching liturgical arts at the Galaxy, a performing arts center at 8045 46th Ave. N in the Lealman area.

Still, she misses her old church.

"You don't do ministry with people and put your heart into it for six years and turn it all off. I care for the people of that church," said Graham, who brought the church international attention in 1998 when she held a memorial service for the victims of the long-sunk Titanic.

In January, the board of trustees voted to hire two part-time ministers, the Rev. Susanne Nazian and the Rev. Alexander Craig, to replace Graham. They have a six-month contract to serve at Sunday services and provide pastoral care on an hourly basis.

"We jokingly call ourselves the "rent-a-revs,' " said Nazian, who also is a part-time minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice.

Craig, a retired minister from Maine, said he believes his job is to help guide the congregation through its time of change and assist in its healing.

"They have done a lot of that on their own," he said.

"All congregations that I know of go through periods of change and discernment," Nazian said.

"I see the congregation as going through a healthy and well-thought-out process. I find a can-do spirit among them."

The church also has hired a consultant, the Rev. Charles Gaines, who arrived in St. Petersburg this week and will remain for a month, giving sermons and meeting with the congregation. Gaines' stay will be used as a time of "reflection" for the church, Burton said.

"He does what he calls a health assessment of congregations, and he will be meeting with small groups . . . to talk about what it is that the members are looking for from a minister, what are the problem areas and what are the areas of strength," said Sandi Weeks, vice president of the board of trustees.

Gaines also will advise members about canvassing and fundraising, she said.

In 1914, founders of the Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg met in homes and rented property. These days its Spanish mission revival building, at 719 Arlington Ave. N, overlooking Mirror Lake, also is used for worship by members of Beth Rachamim Synagogue, a primarily gay and lesbian Jewish congregation.

Unitarian Universalists ascribe to no creed, but accept all faiths and all beliefs. Among other things, their covenant requires followers of the tradition to "affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person."

Sunday attendance at the local church, which had declined, has returned to precrisis levels, said Burton, adding that about 80 or more people attend Sunday services.

The church had been using an inaccurate membership list to plan its finances, Burton said.

"What we did find out last year was that the membership list was a little overly optimistic." Ms. Weeks sees a bright future for the church. "In fact, the Rev. Nazian told me that she felt a very strong spirit in the congregation, and she is very pleased with that," the vice president of the board of trustees said.

"Last year, I would say, it was a rather difficult period, because it became apparent that there were some major communication problems. In the last six months, people have returned to services and have returned to being active in the church."

Burton, a member since 1998, said members will work to "identify what we have in common and use that commonality to grow."

Such a goal will not be simple for those who ascribe to the Unitarian Universalist tradition, he acknowledged, "because it is such a large umbrella and because it really does allow the individual to discover his own path toward spirituality, toward personal truth."

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