This month’s spiritual theme is “Money and Life.” We will address this theme in February’s worship services and monthly Spiritual Practices Guide. However, I would like to set aside that topic here to talk about the announcement I made a few weeks ago.
I’ve been invited to preach to 500 Unitarian Universalist ministers at our biennial “Institute for Excellence.” In early February, members of the UU Minister’s Association will meet in Monterey, California for a full week of continuing education, worship, and fellowship. The theme of my sermon is not unrelated to my decision to conclude my ministry in Williamsburg at the end of June.
When I entered seminary in 2002, I had no idea where that decision would lead. Some of my classmates were certain that they would be parish ministers. All I knew was that I wanted a life that centered on God, even though I could not have told you what I meant by “God.” By the time I finished my internship in Walnut Creek, CA, I fell in love with the rhythms of church life.
Life as a parish minister is varied, challenging, and rewarding. As pastor, I have met people and have been invited to events that I would not have had access to as a layperson. I have served on two community boards and have been invited to deliver the invocation at a number of public events from the Girl Scouts’ 100th Anniversary to the Middle Passage Port Markers ceremonies. I had the pleasure of preaching the Thanksgiving sermon in Colonial Williamsburg and giving blessings on the installation of Rabbi Katz. I have also met the people who are least seen in our community–those for whom the church exists in the first place.
The tasks of ministry are virtually endless. There is always another Sunday to prepare for, another person to visit, another email to answer. I filled my days with the tasks of ministry, and I became the busy pastor of an active, vibrant congregation. I filled my mind with ideas, to-do lists, and worries about what was not getting done. I was full–so full that there was no stillness in my mind and no spaciousness in my soul. I had lost sight of God. Over the past few years, my constant busyness has pushed out many of my spiritual practices, especially prayer.
I’ll be spending the next year in search for my next ministry. One of the first things I will do is engage a spiritual director to help me to cultivate my relationship with God. As for that next ministry–will it be a large church with lots of support staff? Will it be a very small, rural church? Will it be in a hospital or hospice, in the streets or in a shelter? Those are the pathways I will be exploring, just as you will be exploring your pathways with your Interim Minister.
WUU is a wonderful congregation, and this is the right time for both of us to make a change.
With a heart overflowing with love and thankfulness, Jennifer