Hello and happy new year, WUU Community!
This past month, our sabbatical committee has been extremely helpful in getting me caught up with how the fall was for you. I heard about the excitement of the Fall Arts Festival and the Auction, a newly forming Welcoming Congregation team, and inspiring worship services led by some really brilliant guests. I’m so happy you had a good time!
Meanwhile, the sabbatical committee has invited me to share what the fall was like for me too, based on the four framing questions our leaders have been reflecting on as well. So here we go:
What was the best part of the sabbatical experience?
Honestly, it was wonderful to have the opportunity for deep rest. As we all know, the last couple of years have been so taxing for many congregations and clergy, with the pandemic and so much political and social upheaval. I’m grateful to have had the chance to set down my responsibilities for a time so that I could rest and heal.
What was the most difficult part of the sabbatical experience?
When I began the sabbatical, I didn’t expect that this would become my last year with you. Though I know it’s the right thing to do, I am sorry to be saying goodbye to you. I’m truly grateful for the warmth and understanding you’ve shown me over the last month.
What have I learned/how have I grown as a result of the sabbatical experience?
I think the deepest learning and growth, for me, has been about trusting more fully in what our UU tradition often calls the Spirit of Life and Love. Over the sabbatical time, I went back again and again to this passage by Thomas Merton (and please feel free to translate his Christian vocabulary into your own spiritual language, as I do):
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
For me, it’s a work in progress. But the closer I get to trust, the more I can live with a peaceful heart.
What do you see as challenges for our congregation based on our sabbatical experience?
I will take this question in a different direction and let you know about an important way my role as your minister is changing, now that I’ve announced my departure. The UUA’s Transitional Ministry Handbook lays out clear guidelines for ministers in the months before they depart a congregation: “The scope of ministry lessens to a focus on preaching, pastoral care, one-on-one conversations as requested by congregants, appropriate staff supervision, abiding by the covenant(s) in place, readying information for the next minister, and setting boundaries around their role with the congregation once the ministry has concluded” (p. 8).
One of the things that means is, it’s no longer appropriate for me to advocate for any particular action you should take, or any particular direction you should go. But, I can still help you explore options. For example, if one of our ministry teams wants to try a new way of doing something, I won’t take a position on whether you should or shouldn’t try that particular thing. But, I can help you think through what you’re hoping to accomplish and options for getting there. I can help connect you with other congregations that have tried different approaches. I can definitely listen and cheer you on!
In the months we have left together, I look forward to many more adventures and discoveries with you. Be well and hope to see you soon.
In faith,
Rev. Laura