Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Weaving the Web

November 22, 2009
Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern

I do my best to ignore “___ shopping days ’til Christmas” countdowns, but this year I’m doing my own countdown. It’s only five weeks to my sabbatical, which begins Christmas Day, and I’m busy working my way down a long list of to-dos. The several months that follow — sabbatical plus my annual leave taking us through to early August — will be a time of renewal for me and the ministry I bring to this congregation. A question for everyone in the congregation to ponder is what the sabbatical means for UUCPA. Interconnections, the UU leadership magazine, counsels, “To congregations that plan with care, a sabbatical not only gives the minister time for rest, reflection, and renewal, but improves a congregation’s lay leadership skills.” Ours are already impressive, and with the support of our excellent staff, including half-time sabbatical minister Sean Dennison, these months will be a time of renewal for the congregation as well.

Three years ago, we weren’t so sure. When I went on maternity leave in February 2007, many at church, while supportive of my leave and celebratory of my baby’s arrival, expressed apprehension about how things would go in my absence. When I returned at half-time for a year, the Committee on Ministry and the Board shared their concerns that the congregation wouldn’t be ready for my sabbatical. We had just said goodbye to Darcey Laine, a new interim MRE (Eva Ceskava) had just arrived, and we knew we’d be going through yet another transition in the year that I was to take my sabbatical, with a new professional religious educator. We were all pretty nervous. But that has eased: Eva’s humor and common sense were healing, Kurt Kuhwald’s familiar presence reassured us even as he prodded us to recommit to justice work, Jeff Cashdollar’s has been a steady hand all along, and Dan is already at home here. Just as important has been the growth in our sense of ourselves as a beloved community. A congregation once beset by unkind gossip is increasingly guided by its relational covenant; people often remind each other and themselves that they have “accept[ed] responsibility for making our community everything we want it to be.” (Jenise Fuess recently shared a moving story of taking this covenant to heart and repairing a breach in a friendship with someone at church.)

The church will not tread water while I’m gone. The Caring Network has two new pastoral caregivers, Sylvia Whitcher and Nancy Jensen, and will work closely with Sean and Dan to care for the church. Sean will take the lead on our Sunday services, with the able support of the Pulpit Committee, Worship Associates, and music program, and with a variety of interesting guests. We have changes underway, such as new plans drawn up by the Board in response to our October workshops with Alice Mann, the creation of new small groups and the expansion of the role of music in our lives together, all of which I’ll be doing my part to implement upon my return. I’ll be very excited to see what’s happened in the life of my beloved congregation and to be back together again.

— Blessings,
Amy