Let your joy be in your journey – not in some distant goal. –Tim Cook
It’s August, and I am excited to begin our time together as your Interim Lead Minister! As I have gotten older and wiser, my main goal in life has been to cultivate joy in my personal life and in my ministry. We have a lot of important work to do in the next two years as you prepare to call a new settled minister, but it has been my experience that there is joy, growth, and possibility in that work. There is room for fun, too. One of my first tasks as your interim minister is to get to know you as a congregation and individually. I’ll be delving into your history, spending time visiting your committee meetings (please invite me) and meeting with as many of you as possible. This can be done via Zoom or in person. I love to meet outside, sitting under a shade tree, or walking in nature. With the uncertainty due to the rise of the Delta variant, we will honor CDC guidelines to keep everyone safe.
The goal of the interim period is to answer three questions: Who were we? Who are we? Who do we wish to be? I look forward to getting to know you over the next few weeks. Someone once said, “We must go slowly, we have so little time.” There is often a sense of urgency and anxiety about getting the work done, but my job is to help you slow down and take time to discover who you are now and where you want to go. This is an essential first step that will inform the rest of our work together.
In a brief period, I’ve attended a board meeting, an all-staff meeting, a worship associates meeting and had individual and joint meetings with senior staff. Wow! I am honored to work with such a talented and dedicated team! UUCA is on solid ground with a bright and exciting future! But this doesn’t just happen without the support of the members and friends of a congregation. There are many reasons to celebrate your accomplishments and the hard work that brought you to this place. I would love to hear your stories about a time the congregation was particularly meaningful to you. Send them to me in an email if meeting in person isn’t feasible.
For you to know who I am, I will share a bit about my life’s journey and path to ministry in this Sunday’s sermon. It’s a lot of life so I’ll abbreviate a bit, but mostly I’ll share how I learned to face my fears and discover my purpose and direction in life.
My office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 10-2, but I will be available to meet by appointment at other times as well. Friday is normally my study day, and Saturday will be devoted to Sunday service prep and Monday is my sabbath. I want you to feel comfortable reaching out to me in times of need day or night. My cell number is 231-301-3177 and you may call or text me.
I look forward to hearing about your joys, concerns, and hopes for the future of UUCA!
Rev Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister