Rev. Schade announces that Kimberly Hampton has been chosen as the 2010-2011 Ministerial Intern. Ms. Hampton is a student at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana, a Quaker seminary. She is expecting to graduate in 2011.
Ms. Hampton is a 1997 graduate of Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas.
Ms. Hampton began her involvement with Unitarian Universalism in St. Louis becoming active in the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis. She has been lay member of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship for over 10 years, and served on their national Board of Directors from 2000-2008. During that same period, Rev. Schade served on that board and he and Kim became friends. Tom was one of many ministers who urged Kim to pursue a theological education and become a minister. Ms. Hampton now also serves on the General Assembly Planning Committee, a national elected body that organizes the Unitarian Universalist’s National Convention, the General Assembly, every year.
Ministerial Internship is a learning opportunity for the developing minister, and consequently, it is important that their learning experience is directed at meeting their goals. Ms. Hampton lists as her learning objectives:
First, I would like to learn more about the administrative side of the ministry. I am getting a bigger glimpse of it now that I am taking a Church Administration class, but I want to see how this is applied in a parish setting.
I haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time with children lately, so I would like to learn about the depth and breath of Religious Education options available to Unitarian Universalist congregations.
Another thing I want to learn is how one goes about giving pastoral care in a parish setting.
Finally, I would like to learn how good my preaching skills are in front of an audience that doesn’t know me as well as other audiences.
First Unitarian Church of Worcester is an excellent place to learn these aspects of ministry, and the long relationship between Tom and Kim predict success in the learning environment.
Kim also writes:
I am a native Mid-westerner, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and currently living in Richmond, Indiana (right on the Indiana/Ohio border). However I consider myself a transplanted Southerner; my father’s family is from Mississippi and my mother’s family is from Alabama. I also consider myself a Southerner because I went to college in Texas (in Denton, 35 miles north of Dallas-Ft. Worth).
I have been in or around Unitarian Universalism fifteen years. My home congregation is the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis and I am currently a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
For the past two-and-a-half years I have been a student at the Earlham School of Religion, the oldest Quaker seminary in the country.
I have a number of friends in the Northeast (my best friend lives in New York City) and New England (Vermont and Maine mostly). And I have a number of UU connections in the greater Boston area (heavily at the Winchester Unitarian Society, but also in other places).
I love reading, and my not-so-guilty pleasure is Harlequin romance novels. Rest assured though, I read in just about any subject. I also write, not much as I want, but I have lots of outlines for projects.
I am looking forward to being in Worcester and getting to know as many of you as I can.
Help is Needed.
An Intern support committee has been formed, composed of Christy Clark, Sue Stafford and Wendy Innis. The committee helped read through the many applications and helped Rev. Schade make the decision to offer the position to Ms. Hampton. If you are interested in helping our intern, discuss being on the intern committee with Rev. Schade.
Kim will be starting work on August 16, 2010. Before then, she will need to find a suitable living situation here in Worcester. If you have any information about an economical apartment that would be good for a low-paid intern, please contact Rev. Schade as soon as possible.
Same for a car. Kim does not now own a car, now and would need one to be effective here. Any information that can help?
Monday, June 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
"My Last Memo" by Rev. Barbara Merritt
We are like birds that spend the night in the same tree, and then, in the morning, fly off in different directions. At least that is the metaphor I heard in India to describe the transitory nature of all human relationships.
The Hassidic tradition tells of an enlightened Rabbi, who was visited in his home by a traveler. The visitor was startled to see that the apartment was furnished with only one small table, a chair, and a bed. He asked where all the rest of the Rabbi’s possessions were. The Rabbi replied, “ I am only a visitor in this world. I have no need to accumulate (or to take care of) a lot of extra baggage that I cannot take with me, when I leave this existence.”
Birds in mid-flight; a holy man living with intentional simplicity; neither of these images are any comfort to me now, as I leave the church. My career has spanned 27 years in Worcester, 35 years in parish ministry, and counting seminary, 38 years where my identity has been thoroughly invested in being a Unitarian Universalist minister.
You cannot imagine how many books I have accumulated in this time period. (Talk about not traveling light!) Old sermons fill several file cabinets. After so many years at one church, things felt pretty comfortable at 90 Main St. Here, there were rituals and routines and relationships that seemed like they might go on forever. Nevertheless, even the endless discipline of a weekly memo (or a semi-weekly memo) is coming to a close for me. This is my last memo as the senior minister of First Unitarian.
I sincerely thought that saying good-by would be easier. I have been ready, for a while, to say good-by to committee meetings, and evening meetings and denominational politics. I have given my entire adult life to this profession, and it was a good run. But I knew in my heart, and in my bones when it was completed and over. Yet I find myself utterly unprepared to say good-by to the people of this parish: to you, the members and friends, to the staff, to Tom. THIS is formidable. THIS part I simply don’t understand how to do.
The Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association has an ethical code which I must, and I willingly, submit myself to. It gives clear instructions for a minister upon retirement, and concrete expectations for a Minister Emerita.
These “best practices” have been honed through decades of accumulated experience around the departure of clergy, and the start-ups of new ministries.
The rules can be briefly summarized as follows:
1) I am no longer the settled minister at First Unitarian. The Rev. Thomas Schade is now “the one and only” minister of this parish. All requests for marriages, christenings and funerals must go directly to him.
2) For the first year, I am to have no contact with parishioners, with the exception of a handful of personal friends. (Friends, in this situation, are strictly defined as those I have previously vacationed with.)
3) My central job as Minister Emerita is to support the ministry of the settled minister, in this case, my colleague and friend, The Rev. Schade. We have worked with remarkable co-operation over the last 11 years. In order to continue to live in that “right relationship” I will not be available for any consultations, or commentaries on what is happening in the church, now that I am gone. I can greet you at the grocery store, and talk about the weather, or the environmental devastation in the Gulf of Mexico. But I am not permitted to share my opinions (favorable or unfavorable) about the radical new placement of the furniture in the Bancroft Room, or anything else about the parish.
These strict rules were not invented by Tom, or the Prudential Committee. They have been shown to increase the health of churches, as ministers and congregations navigate through the real and complex emotions that arise, as we face the challenging task of letting one another go.
Up until this week, I had thought that such severe boundary settings were good protection for the congregation, the institutional church and the new minister. Now I discover that I need them too. Frankly, I don’t want to say good-by to members or staff. I don’t want to have to wait a year before I can listen to our wonderful choir again. Having gotten exceptionally comfortable, over these many years, in this present constellation of relationships, it is extremely tempting to put my faith in what has been. In times of change, it is natural to be nostalgic about the past, and to wonder why we can’t just say in the same tree, for all time. Here, we might build some permanent nests! Here, we might capture, and preserve a reality we have come to appreciate!
But no one, not even long-tenured ministers, or 225 year-old congregations can stay static in any one time or place. This creation, being what it is, is always changing, always presenting us with new challenges, new opportunities for growth, new limitations, and new horizons.
So let my last benediction, not be about what has passed between us. Let it be about what is to be. A future that I truly believe contains more joy than the past could ever hold. The words from a Broadway song, said it best:
The Sweetest Sounds, I'll ever hear
are still inside my head
The Kindest Words I'll ever know
are waiting to be said
The most entrancing sight of all
is yet for me to see....
and the dearest love in all the world
is waiting somewhere for me.
That song has always reminded me, that someday we may experience the love that God has for each of us. What I wish for all of you, and for myself as well, is to move closer to that love: to hear more music, to experience greater kindness, to see more beauty. All of that possibility lies in front of us. Thank you for providing me (and my family) with a wonderful, if temporary, spiritual home. May your love of truth, and your willingness to take seriously the spirit of Jesus, allow you to worship God, (as you understand the holy), and enable you to be in the service to humanity, and to all that lives. May you experience God’s greatest blessings in the days and years ahead.
The Hassidic tradition tells of an enlightened Rabbi, who was visited in his home by a traveler. The visitor was startled to see that the apartment was furnished with only one small table, a chair, and a bed. He asked where all the rest of the Rabbi’s possessions were. The Rabbi replied, “ I am only a visitor in this world. I have no need to accumulate (or to take care of) a lot of extra baggage that I cannot take with me, when I leave this existence.”
Birds in mid-flight; a holy man living with intentional simplicity; neither of these images are any comfort to me now, as I leave the church. My career has spanned 27 years in Worcester, 35 years in parish ministry, and counting seminary, 38 years where my identity has been thoroughly invested in being a Unitarian Universalist minister.
You cannot imagine how many books I have accumulated in this time period. (Talk about not traveling light!) Old sermons fill several file cabinets. After so many years at one church, things felt pretty comfortable at 90 Main St. Here, there were rituals and routines and relationships that seemed like they might go on forever. Nevertheless, even the endless discipline of a weekly memo (or a semi-weekly memo) is coming to a close for me. This is my last memo as the senior minister of First Unitarian.
I sincerely thought that saying good-by would be easier. I have been ready, for a while, to say good-by to committee meetings, and evening meetings and denominational politics. I have given my entire adult life to this profession, and it was a good run. But I knew in my heart, and in my bones when it was completed and over. Yet I find myself utterly unprepared to say good-by to the people of this parish: to you, the members and friends, to the staff, to Tom. THIS is formidable. THIS part I simply don’t understand how to do.
The Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association has an ethical code which I must, and I willingly, submit myself to. It gives clear instructions for a minister upon retirement, and concrete expectations for a Minister Emerita.
These “best practices” have been honed through decades of accumulated experience around the departure of clergy, and the start-ups of new ministries.
The rules can be briefly summarized as follows:
1) I am no longer the settled minister at First Unitarian. The Rev. Thomas Schade is now “the one and only” minister of this parish. All requests for marriages, christenings and funerals must go directly to him.
2) For the first year, I am to have no contact with parishioners, with the exception of a handful of personal friends. (Friends, in this situation, are strictly defined as those I have previously vacationed with.)
3) My central job as Minister Emerita is to support the ministry of the settled minister, in this case, my colleague and friend, The Rev. Schade. We have worked with remarkable co-operation over the last 11 years. In order to continue to live in that “right relationship” I will not be available for any consultations, or commentaries on what is happening in the church, now that I am gone. I can greet you at the grocery store, and talk about the weather, or the environmental devastation in the Gulf of Mexico. But I am not permitted to share my opinions (favorable or unfavorable) about the radical new placement of the furniture in the Bancroft Room, or anything else about the parish.
These strict rules were not invented by Tom, or the Prudential Committee. They have been shown to increase the health of churches, as ministers and congregations navigate through the real and complex emotions that arise, as we face the challenging task of letting one another go.
Up until this week, I had thought that such severe boundary settings were good protection for the congregation, the institutional church and the new minister. Now I discover that I need them too. Frankly, I don’t want to say good-by to members or staff. I don’t want to have to wait a year before I can listen to our wonderful choir again. Having gotten exceptionally comfortable, over these many years, in this present constellation of relationships, it is extremely tempting to put my faith in what has been. In times of change, it is natural to be nostalgic about the past, and to wonder why we can’t just say in the same tree, for all time. Here, we might build some permanent nests! Here, we might capture, and preserve a reality we have come to appreciate!
But no one, not even long-tenured ministers, or 225 year-old congregations can stay static in any one time or place. This creation, being what it is, is always changing, always presenting us with new challenges, new opportunities for growth, new limitations, and new horizons.
So let my last benediction, not be about what has passed between us. Let it be about what is to be. A future that I truly believe contains more joy than the past could ever hold. The words from a Broadway song, said it best:
The Sweetest Sounds, I'll ever hear
are still inside my head
The Kindest Words I'll ever know
are waiting to be said
The most entrancing sight of all
is yet for me to see....
and the dearest love in all the world
is waiting somewhere for me.
That song has always reminded me, that someday we may experience the love that God has for each of us. What I wish for all of you, and for myself as well, is to move closer to that love: to hear more music, to experience greater kindness, to see more beauty. All of that possibility lies in front of us. Thank you for providing me (and my family) with a wonderful, if temporary, spiritual home. May your love of truth, and your willingness to take seriously the spirit of Jesus, allow you to worship God, (as you understand the holy), and enable you to be in the service to humanity, and to all that lives. May you experience God’s greatest blessings in the days and years ahead.
"Faith Formation and the Future" by Sierra-Marie Gerfao
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
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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