mUUsings from joan,
Over the past few days I have been struggling to find the words to express how
humbled and empowered I feel in receiving and accepting your invitation to be
the second settled minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of
Indiana, PA. One family life lesson I carry with me, when words don’t
come, turn to hallmark J A congratulations card
from my sister arrived in the mail today, it reads: “every so often, the right
thing happens to the right person for the right reason (and
congregations, too)!!
I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Committee on Ministry, the
Board, and Office Assistant, Pat Rawls for your hard work and commitment to
this process and the positive outcome. I have heard it said that success
is in the details. The amount of time spent interpreting our bylaws,
creating the intricate process used last Sunday, developing absentee ballots,
calling individuals with reminders, keeping track of the votes, etc., etc.,
etc. all took your time and commitment. Thank you.
Earlier this month Josiah shared with me the results of his New Year’s Eve
Quest for our congregation (printed elsewhere in this newsletter). I was
astonished by how closely Josiah’s interpretations matched my understanding of
the “state of our congregation.”
As
we move through the last half of this church year (Jan-June 30, 2007) we will
all be kept busy planning the May 6 celebration, raising funds for our next
church year, having fun while we spend lots of money at our annual service
auction, and planning for additional temporary space for our children and youth
(and more we hope) to sustain us while we work towards a permanent building
expansion. Working together on these and other projects, I hope we will
remember that creating and maintaining our sense of beloved community (caring
for one another in mind, body, and spirit) is the most important reason for our
coming together.
Since
the analogy of a marriage is now familiar language to us, I will close with an
adaptation of a reading I often use during wedding ceremonies. May ours be an adventure, rich moments of
serenity, as well as excitement, vital with problems that test, as well, as
success that lift; marked by a sense of personal freedom, as well as, mutual responsibility. May the warmth of human love put both
crisis and dullness into perspective. And may we
find an ever-richer meaning and joy in the high adventure of lifelong loving
and learning together.
Fondly,
joan