Wait. Before you start to wonder how I could be insinuating that it’s the 1st of January when the temperatures outside are hitting 90 degrees, hear me out. You see, as an elementary special education teacher who is married to a high school English and speech teacher and as a parent of a brand new fourth-grader (WHOA! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!), there is nothing that says New Year more than heading back to school! That means that in my household, we have spent time reflecting on the past year, set resolutions for the coming year, and have already begun the hard work of making our new year goals come true!
And if you think the party vibe is strong on December 31st, you have no idea what kind of energy will permeate our household come late May!
But before you start to feel left out of this off-timed celebration, know that I’m not leaving you out! You see, it’s actually a New Year for all of us here at UUCA! Two-Service Sundays have begun, RE classes are freshly full with students and teachers, and the Wednesday Thing is back in full effect! Yep. It turns out that its a fresh new start for all of us!
So like I said, Happy New Year Everyone!
For me personally, this new beginning is marked by one particularly new type of challenge. Back in early June, I became the new President of the Board of Trustees. Shortly thereafter, I took off with my family on a summer-long, 8000+ mile road trip that took me away from the work of the congregation and instead into the homes of countless friends and family members as well beautiful places around the country. It was a great time indeed and while I was gone Cecil Bennett and the rest of the UU Board ran the board flawlessly and for that I am incredibly grateful. But now, with my summer adventure over, my new adventure has begun…as an actual acting Board President. (Does this count as “adulting?”)
So let me start by saying that if there is anything I can confidently proclaim about my new role it is that I AM A NOVICE! Don’t get me wrong. I say that without any self-deprecation or shame. I am just putting it out there that though I can write a mean reading or math lesson and I can create an Individualized Education Plan with my eyes closed, I am not someone who can lay claim to having a 100% clear understanding of how Boards and Self-Governance work. But just like my students, I am eager and ready to learn!
So far, my learning process has included drawing from some of the various roles I have played here at UUCA since joining back in 2006, such as RE teacher, Room in the Inn volunteer, Coming of Age mentor, occasional usher, Sanctuary volunteer, and Book Sale box unpacker as well as Newbie Board Member last year. My homework has also included webinars put on by regional UU leaders as well as personal conversations with Mark and various members of our UUCA community.
One of the major lessons I have been studying in preparation for the year ahead involves Ministerial Transition. As most everyone knows by now, Mark has announced his retirement come next summer. This leaves the Board and me to begin the congregation’s work of seeking out and selecting an interim minister as well as an eventual called minister. Fortunately, much of this process is laid out by the UUA and in the coming months, we will be sharing more details of when and how this process will work and how you can play a role in it. In the meantime, I would recommend that we all really focus on and appreciate the words, wisdom, and way of Mark Ward. Take some time to show him gratitude. Heck, treat him like a great teacher and don’t be afraid to leave an apple on his desk (pulpit?)!
As for me, please feel free in this coming year to email me at ryanandwill@gmail.com, to call me at 919-619-7298, or simply to grab me by the arm in Sandburg Hall whenever you have a question or concern or suggestion. One thing I am learning about this role is that that is what I am here for.
The year has begun. And just like I have told my students back at Isaac Dickson, I believe it is going to be a great one! We will face new challenges. We will make mistakes. We will find reasons to celebrate. We will continue to build community. And we will definitely learn a lot!
Welcome back to a new church year! I am horrified to discover that I never made use of this communications tool all of last year! That is wrong and I hope to do much better this year.
We have information that UUCA leaders need to know about, so it’s time to review it (or introduce it, depending on your tenure). First off, use the website! There is actually a tab on the website called “Leaders Need to Know.” Catchy name, right? It’s under the home page’s tab, “For Members.”
When you get there, you’ll find all manner of helpful info. There’s a listing of all the leaders of the congregation. There’s a “check request form” that you need to get reimbursed for purchases. There are helpful instructions on how to schedule a room, or submit an eNews article, or what to do with money you collect. It’s all there!
There’s also a workshop you can attend to learn more about how things get decided here at UUCA:
Join the Leadership Development Committee on Saturday morning, September 28, 9:30-noon, for a UUCA Leader’s Workshop.
Are you interested in learning more about leadership in churches without leaving the comfort of your own home? There are many, many “classes” you can access through the UUA website. Visit the UUA’s Leader Lab or see the UUA Leadership Institute’s listing of classes, both scheduled and on demand. Remember that you can always apply for a UUCA scholarship to “attend” any UU-related leadership class or workshop.
Sunday, September 8, 2019, 9:15 & 11:15am Rev. Mark Ward, Lead Minister
We are a religion without creeds, but our forebears long ago asserted that there is a doctrine that united them and that I want to argue unites us still. It is both simple and complex, but most of all it will never stop challenging us.<i>Click on title to continue.</i>
In these last few days before we jump into our fall season there’s a kind of wistfulness that it’s been easy for me to slip into. Having announced that this will be my last year at UUCA, I find myself ticking things off – my last this, my last that. But of course, I soon won’t have the luxury for any of that. We have a terrific array of programs, services and events planned that will keep us all hopping. And more than that, rarely has there been a time when passion and commitment for the work of liberal religion was more needed.
Having spent a good third of my life in journalism before entering the ministry, I’ve made a practice of subscribing to my local paper and the New York Times and each morning spending some time poring through them.
I have friends who shrink at the idea and say, “How can you begin your day with such depressing stuff?” I get that. I see more than enough that drags me down, but I stay with it. Part of the reason is I just want to be in the know, plugged into what’s happening to the world, and random bulletins on my cell phone are not enough.
I want to take time with people – reporters and editors – who have spent time and energy to track down the closest thing they can find to the truth. Seeing the news media under greater assault than at any moment in my lifetime reminds me what a precious gift it is.
A similar sort of feeling comes to me when I think about this religious tradition where I’ve made my home, that is the center of my calling. We determined truth-tellers, when it comes to the life of the spirit, can find ourselves embattled, too. The bullying and shaming that we see in the public sphere has its analog in the religious world, and we desperately need communities like this one that can provide a home for the doubters, for those seeking to make their own path religiously, who cling to their own integrity like a life raft.
I want to take time with people who are struggling to figure it out, who dig deep into their own epiphanies, hopes and fears, who get real with each other and find joy in the journey together. It’s often challenging work that pushes us all outside of our comfort zones, but it is also deeply satisfying to be supported in our struggles and to be part of a community that nudges us to put the values that guide us to work in the larger world.
This, too, is a precious gift. I’m grateful to have been a part of all this with you and look forward to an eventful year together.
Wait. Before you start to wonder how I could be insinuating that it’s the 1st of January when the temperatures outside are hitting 90 degrees, hear me out. You see, as an elementary special education teacher who is married to a high school English and speech teacher and as a parent of a brand new fourth-grader (WHOA! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!), there is nothing that says New Year more than heading back to school! That means that in my household, we have spent time reflecting on the past year, set resolutions for the coming year, and have already begun the hard work of making our new year goals come true! 