It is with mixed feelings that I share with you the news that I have been accepted into the Master of Divinity Program at Yale Divinity School. I am very excited about the opportunity to study for ordination and to enhance my ministerial skills through academic work and internship experiences.
Where my mixed feelings come in is that it has become clear to me that after the coming academic year (2010-2011), I will need to work fewer hours. I have shared this with the Rev. Thomas Schade, the Rev. Barbara Merritt, the Prudential Committee, and the Religious Education Committee. Your elected leadership thus wisely decided to assemble an “RE Futures Team” to engage in a thoughtful process to consider and make recommendations regarding what will be best for the Religious Education/Faith Development ministries and the church, for the near-term and long-term. This team was assembled by our Moderator, David Spanagel, and has already shown its capacity to lead us through the decisions to come.
The team members are: Cindy Cordova (RE Committee Chairperson), Ken Mandile (who was on the DRE search team three years ago), Linnea Palmer Paton (a young adult member of the congregation), Paul Belanger (a newer member of the congregation), and Carrie West (who also served on the Future Ministries Task Force). This is a diverse and thoughtful team of varying ages and with varying experiences in the life of the church.
The questions facing First Unitarian Church of Worcester in this moment are: who do we want to be in five years in relationship to our Faith Development ministries, and how do we get there? Finally, what is the best way to create a Faith Development staff team that supports us in getting there? Fortuitously, the urgency of these questions has arisen at the same time that we have voted for a new five-year strategic vision that calls us to extend our hands across generations. The urgency of these questions has also arisen at a time of interdenominational re-examination of practices that create relevant Faith Formation opportunities for all generations in a rapidly changing and technology-centered world.
Recently, for example, a Christian organization called Lifelong Faith Associates has organized an effort to study demographic and societal trends and their implications on the course of religious growth and development throughout the lifespan. The result is a “Working Paper on Faith Formation 2020,” an initiative to help congregations speak to the deep needs of people of all ages in our society throughout the societal changes expected over the coming ten year period. You can read more about this effort at www.lifelongfaith.com/faithformation2020.htm.
Your RE Futures Team is incorporating this type of information into their process, which allows them to consider a wide breadth of options that have the potential to position the congregation well for depth and growth over the coming years.
I have expressed to the RE Futures Team and the other leadership of our congregation my willingness to be helpful in decisions regarding my employment. They may explore options which employ me on a staff team beyond July 2011, potentially through the up to six-year duration of my studies. The purpose of such an ongoing relationship would be to together carry out the strategic actions we have initiated for the progressive growth of our Faith Formation ministries. Alternatively, when it becomes clear that a new full-time DRE is what is most needed to carry this vision forward, whether sooner or later, the congregation has my full support in searching for that person. I want all the best for you!
You are a magnificent congregation, and you have my love, loyalties, best wishes, and affection. I am confident that a good path forward will be found, and whatever it is, I look forward to witnessing the continued growth and development of your ministries for people of all ages.
Warmly in Faith,
Sierra-Marie Gerfao
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