Minister's Musing

Rev. Mark Ward
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville

July 2007

It’s amazing to think that I’ll soon be completing three years as your minister. I’m told by some of my colleagues that it takes about three years for a congregation to break in a minister… or maybe it’s the other way around. Anyway, from my perspective I have loved the process of getting to know you while also diving into this calling of ministry. The learning in this line of work, I have discovered, comes not out of books, but out of our work together and being present with you, whether we are gathered in worship, or meeting in small groups, in social times, in witness for justice, in grief, and in joy. I am grateful for all that you have given me in these three years, and I look forward to a rich and hopeful future with you.

With the summer months ahead, things shift to a different rhythm at church. There is just a single service on Sundays. Guest speakers occupy our pulpit more often than usual as I take some vacation time, and our children benefit from special programs from talented guests and church Members. Please come and support them. We have some wonderful people coming, and it’s a good discipline to keep in touch with this community and experience some different perspectives.

After attending our General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, I will be on vacation or study leave for much of the month of July and a couple of weeks in mid-August. During this time I do much of my reading and planning for worship in the year ahead. So, I invite you to offer ideas or subjects that you would like to see me address in the coming year. Send a note to church or e-mail me at minister@uuasheville.org. I can’t promise that I will use every idea that you suggest, but your suggestions help give me some focus. Most of the time when I’m gone the Rev. Sarah York, our new Assistant Minister for Pastoral Care, will be following up calls for pastoral care. So, please know that we are here to support you during the summer.

And as you head off on summer travels, don’t forget your ties back here. Pack away a small container that you can dip into some water from wherever you go and bring it back to share in our Water Communion on August 26. There we will celebrate the element that unites us with each other and all things, as well as our return to this community, like streams trickling back to a deep pool we call our religious home.