This morning, while sitting at my computer to compose my letter to you for the February issue of The Light, I detect a lingering sweet aroma reminding me of caramelized sugar. Last night, while trying to accomplish a number of things before going to bed, l turned my back on a pot of boiling water and sugar on the stove. I was amazed at how quickly that sweet smell turned into a kitchen full of smoke. I opened the front and back door to the below freezing air, turned on all the fans, and returned the air to breathable. Later today, with my full attention on the task, I will try again to make the cranberry sauce.
First, though, I am giving my full attention to writing to you for the February newsletter.
An article on a UUA website about UU Ministry reads:
“Ministers are spiritual leaders of our faith communities. They help us explore life’s questions, challenge us to live out our values, and comfort us in times of suffering. Ministers teach, preach, listen and learn by leading congregations, serving as chaplains, and working for justice in the community.”
Referring specifically to ministers serving in congregations, as opposed to chaplains or ministers serving in wider community settings, the article continued:
“UU ministers serving congregations act as the spiritual and administrative leaders of their congregations. They lead worship services and give sermons, challenge and guide the congregation’s spiritual focus, provide pastoral care and counseling, conduct special services, and represent Unitarian Universalism in the community. Ministers work closely with congregations’ volunteer leaders to provide vision, direction, and day-to-day administration, often supervising staff.”
As I was reviewing this list of responsibilities, while also reflecting on all the things happening in the ministry of our congregation, this popped up in a group text of clergy friends.
How appropriate, I thought.
Ministers are not the only people making choices. However, I am aware that within our UU ministry, choices are now reflected in the number of ministerial candidates available for congregations in search. This is not only a trend among UU ministers. A Washington Post article includes the results of a Barna survey of Protestant pastors published in December that reported 38 percent said they’d considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year.
The picture illustrates that seminary cannot teach us everything we need to know about ministry. In my 20+ years of leadership as an ordained minister in congregations, along with another decade+ of professional lay leadership, I wholeheartedly affirm what that picture says to me, the hard lessons are learned in the doing. The number of balls to juggle, or the number of pots boiling over, teach us to pay attention. And that number has increased exponentially in the last two years.
As we move further into 2022, I hope to see us be gentle with one another, open to understanding and compassion, as each of us negotiates the many important issues tugging at us, pulling us perhaps toward new and expanding horizons, or possibly a narrower, more focused sphere. May our life within this congregation be a place of support and nurture as we take on the work of deep listening and learning. This has always been the aspiration of Unitarian Universalism. Let us not forget that in the face of new challenges, lest we be buried in the onslaught of needs and demands.