Dear Ones,
Over the past month some questions have arisen related to my ministry, which I will attempt to answer here. My ministry has both similarities and differences to the past ministries of this congregation. I am a 3/4 time Contract Minister, rather than a full time Called Minister. As a Contract Minister, I am hired by the Board, rather than called by the Congregation. At 3/4 time, I am committed to being in the pulpit 26 Sundays during the year, and in my office in Stamford one day during the week. I also work from my home in Beacon, NY other days of the week, as needed. I aim to take two full days off each week, including Mondays.
Another characteristic of my ministry is that I am currently fellowshipped, but not yet ordained. This means that I have been granted full approval to serve as a minister by the Unitarian Universalist Association, but I have not yet received the Act of Ordination which can only be granted by a congregation. I decided to wait until a time when the ordination service could be held in person, and I was settled into a new ministry. That time has now arrived and an ordination ceremony will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester (UUFNW) in Mt. Kisco on Sunday, November 14th at 3PM, with UUFNW and UUC serving as co-ordainers! This service will be multi-platform- with some participants in person, others joining the service by Zoom. Please hold the date, and I will announce more details soon.
While the act of ordination recognizes and supports my call as a professional minister, our congregation’s ministry is much larger. Ours is a shared ministry- with each of us bringing our gifts to serve the congregation’s mission to nurture spiritual growth, embrace a welcoming community, and live our values in the world. Together we create meaning and change lives. According to theologian Frederick Beuchner, ministry is the place where our deep gladness and the world’s hunger meet. There are ways for everyone to serve needs with deep gladness at UUC- as worship associates, greeters, religious education teachers, small group ministry facilitators, community outreach leaders, fundraisers, archivists, care-givers and shawl knitters, building and grounds keepers, communicators, and more! What brings you joy? What is your ministry? What will you do with your gifts? We will reflect on this topic together on Sunday, with opportunities to learn more and sign up for a ministry team after service.
In shared ministry,
Terri
