Dear UUCPA folks,
Rev. Cat and I have been making plans that are still a little too nebulous to have a spot on this site’s calendar, but that we want you to know about.
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On March 25, the Sunday service will be about Israel and Palestine, the heartbreaking war in Gaza, and how we can talk about this and other divisive issues with respect. We’re exploring opportunities beyond this date for learning about the decades-long conflict, the history and layers of traumatic displacement that make it so intractable, and some possible paths to a just peace. We’d love to know what you want to learn and do.
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We are delighted to bring the Human Library here with a likely date of May 5. In most libraries, you check out a book to read or a movie to watch. In the Human Library, the books the readers read are human beings, ready to answer questions and tell their stories. We hope you’ll be a reader and invite friends to do the same. If you’re interested in being a book, let me know and you can have your orientation to do that as well. I’m a book in the Human Library myself–twice, now, under several different “titles”–and find the experience a rich one.
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And very close to home, our education ministry is in the midst of an important discernment process. Did you know that Rev. Cat came to UUCPA as a contract minister? That is a short-term, time-limited arrangement, as distinct from the call that was offered me (and that I joyfully accepted) in 2003, for a settled position with no defined end date. The search process for a called, settled position typically takes several months, in which the congregation discerns its priorities and desired direction, then seeks a minister who shares them. Since it’s also typical for a minister to be able to give notice of only a few months, congregations that don’t want to be minister-less opt for an interim or a contract minister.
That’s what we did after our previous Minister of Religious Education (MRE), Rev. Dan Harper, accepted his new position at a Massachusetts congregation in April 2022. We consulted the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Transitions office; were advised that interim ministers were scarce; sought a contract MRE; and were delighted to make a match with Rev. Cat.
She has now been here for almost two years, and at Cat’s request, we–beginning with the Adult Learning Journey and Children and Youth Religious Education programs–are moving through the process of deciding what we want for our educational ministry in particular and our congregational vision more broadly. That way, the congregation and Cat can decide whether to choose each other for a settled ministry. The process will culminate in a congregational vote. So please watch for announcements!
Blessings,
Amy
Photo by Adams Arslan on Unsplash