Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth 
Beyond Sabbatical: Promise for a Program Church
The Rev Karen Johnson Gustafson
January
9, 2005
One year ago I stood here to offer my parting comments at the beginning of a five-month sabbatical leave.
The conditions of sabbatical are outlined in most Unitarian Universalist ministers letters of agreement with the congregations they serve. The minister is entitled to one month of sabbatical for each full year of service up to six months and not to be taken until the 4th year of service. Following the sabbatical leave, the minister agrees to complete one year of additional service to the church per contract guidelines. The purpose of sabbatical leave is to allow for growth and development of the ministry by a process of educational and spiritual renewal.
The idea of sabbatical leave comes partially from the idea of sabbath as described by Rabbi Heschel in this mornings reading. Implicit in this statement is that the congregation, like the world, has already been created and will survive without the help of its minister. What is also implicit is the expectation that there will be a return and that there will be some evidence that the seed of eternity planted in the soul has been cared for.
When I left last January,
it was clearly time. As one of you wrote in your evaluation of the ministry
of the church done earlier last fall, I do not feel that Karen is a driving
force in our church. I guess dynamic is what I mean. She seems tired. We have
such potential, not yet tapped, in our present congregation and I don't see
Karen unleashing those energies.
I could easily have written
those words myself. It is hard to inspire when one is so tired and uninspired.
In that January 2004 sermon
and in the subsequent newsletters I outlined to you the activities of my time
away. I spent January in Chicago
at Meadville Lombard Theological School where I felt like a sponge soaking
up the raw stuff of academic, political and social discourse in a classes
entitled "Liberal Religious Ethics" and "Evil, Trauma and Ambiguity",
classes that ran thirty hours each in two consecutive weeks. Those taking
the classes were a mix of students preparing to enter the ministry and a handful
of veteran ministers. The mix was interesting because the ministers, mostly
on study leave of one kind or another, were seeking inspiration. The students
facing uncharted life in the parish were looking for application. There was
plenty of both. The service this fall at the end of November, "Native
American Wisdom", came from the work I did in the Liberal Religious Ethics
class where we focused heavily on issues of ethnic diversity. The service
on democracy in mid- October was born there as well. I will be using resources
from the "Evil" class to prepare for the January 30 service.
As much as anything else, I
gleaned from this experience a renewed appreciation for the need to link with
academic resources on a regular basis as a way of stimulating creative energy.
Ironically, the day to day professional life of most ministers, including this
one, does not lend itself naturally to those links. This, I am clear, is not an
excuse but rather a challenge to find regular sources of intellectual
stimulation and to expect support and encouragement from the congregation to do
so. This January I will be working on a plan for my Doctor of Ministry thesis
which will have something to do with what it means to say that Unitarian
Universalism is a pluralistic faith tradition.
In February and early March
of 2004, I rested and worked on my papers for my classes and wrapped up my
consulting time with the Thunder Bay congregation. I cleaned closets and alphabetized
my spice rack. I read novels and cooked for my husband. I looked at the lake.
I nurtured the seed of eternity planted in my soul.
At the end of March I flew
to London where I took up residence at the Manse at Rosslyn Hill, the minister's
residence at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel. There I served as a five Sunday
interim minister as they awaited their new settled minister who would arrive
in May. They had been in and out of ministerial search for about five years
due to some false starts and mismatches and the mixed feelings of anticipation
and apprehension were running high. It is a congregation of about 100 members
, about two-thirds expatriates of one kind or another. Many American shared
the story of coming for a month in 1979 or 1988 and deciding to stay.
My short ministry at Rosslyn
Hill Chapel was mostly about transition. I described myself at the British
General Assembly in early April as the last of the tag team interims for Rosslyn
Hill Chapel. It was gratifying to be able to provide a non-anxious presence
for individuals who were needing to work through their stuck places in order
to be fully open to the new minister. It was in some ways heartening to see
that Unitarian Universalists, (or maybe just human beings) everywhere have
a lot in common when it comes to resisting and embracing change. It was at
least interesting to see that we are also, internationally, people of privilege,
generally interested and engaged in educating ourselves about the world around
us, supportive of the arts, passionate about ideas and desiring to care and
to be cared for in return.
The time in England was valuable
in many ways. It was my first experience of actually living in another culture
(unless you consider Berkeley, Californis a" different culture").
The people were gracious and friendly and interesting. My work with them mostly
involved Sunday services, pastoral care and some meetings with the Management
Council which is like a combination of our Board and our Program Council.
The rest of the time I was free to explore the neighborhood of Hampstead and
the wonderful cultural opportunities of London. I walked and I walked, across
the Hampstead Heath with its vista of the city, I attended plays and concerts
and went to museums. I am so aware of the rich cultural, spirit building opportunities
that are available right here that I seem to never find time for. When I came
home, John and I became first-time season-ticket-holders to the Duluth Superior
Symphony.
And then to Spa Belgium where
I spent three days with the most energetic group of UUs ever- expatriates from
all over Europe who gather twice each year and create the kind of community
that we take so much for granted, that they are missing in their tiny
fellowships in France and Germany and Holland and Spain and Denmark. I had the
privilege of sharing the program with The Rev. Don Harrington who, at age
ninety-one, holds out a vision for a future that reflects the lessons of the
past. I will be sharing some of our combined insights with you in February.
And of course, in all this
time, you were on my mind. I spent a good deal of time with your comments from
the evaluation done just prior to my leaving. As many of you know, I am a
passionate advocate for direct and timely feedback which, if received and
processed and integrated, can be very helpful in shaping a ministry or any kind
of relationship that is mutually satisfying. I will say that I found most of
your comments to be thoughtful. I will also say that getting so many at once
was a bit daunting. It is clear that we need to have a more effective, ongoing
system of communication both about what you want and about what I can deliver.
Some of that is embedded in the transition to a program church model.
In my farewell sermon of a
year ago I said, "It is clear to me that I am at the end of my ministry
of a pastoral church".
Many years ago, I did a sermon
entitled "whose job is it?" I think that this was, for me, the clear
beginning of our transition to a program church model. Up to then, things
got done because the number of tasks and the number of people around to do
them just worked out. When it didn't it was up to the minister to do them
or to find someone else to do them. Twenty years ago, I left seminary with
some vague notion that it was the minister who was responsible for rites of passage, for worship, for maintaining a firm
and constant grounding in our Unitarian Universalist tradition, for lifting
up the larger vision of who you can be as a religious community; for nurturing
and supporting the lay leadership and the staff; for being a Unitarian Universalist
presence in the larger community. I soon came to realize that as minister
of the First Unitarian Church of Duluth, I was also responsible for turning on the heat and making soup
for the newcomers orientation, for creating and maintaining the newcomers
packets and hosting the Christmas Eve open house and maintaining the calendar,
answering the phone and for what happened in most of the Sunday services including
picking the hymns. There was no structure for visiting shut ins or people
needing care and so what did or did not get done was done or not done by me.
Of course, I got a lot of help. But I needed to ask. Certainly many people
took initiative but when things did not get done, the buck often stopped with
me. The years when I did not get a raise, everyone knew.
I am not, I repeat, NOT complaining. There is a certain
amount of nostalgia that I, and I think some of you, associate with that time.
As the number of people in this congregation has increased,
the needs as well as the resources to meet those needs have increased as well,
but not in direct proportion. Human institutions are not based on mathematical
formulas. They are based on some understanding that human needs and resources
fluctuate in disproportionate ways. Over the past twenty years as our program
and our Unitarian Universalist message has attracted new people, increasing our
membership from ninety six in 1986 to two-hundred and twenty seven in 2005, the
role of the minister has changed. Unchanging is the reality that each person
here, by your presence, is part of the well spring that both needs and offers
itself. To be a healthy and
functional organization of two-hundred and twenty seven members and assorted friends, we have
needed to build structures to
support the use of our resources.
The professional ministry is
only one of those resources. Today, as the person currently serving that role,
I am still the primary resource for pastoral care, for rites of passage, for
worship, for maintaining a firm and constant grounding in our Unitarian
Universalist tradition, for lifting up the larger vision of who you can be as a
religious community; for nurturing and supporting the lay leadership and the
staff; for being a Unitarian Universalist presence in the larger community.
This was true when I came here nineteen years ago and it is true today. This
was true before I left for sabbatical and it was true when I returned.
When I returned in May, the
Board and I began the process of reintegration. They had done an amazing job of
working to build bolder structures to support the use of our resources.
They had begun having
quarterly half-day retreats where they could focus on aspects of the
organization and life of the church that are beyond the scope of the regular
Board meetings that deal with the nuts and bolts. Out of this came a new
structure of Liaisons to support the work of Committees and other aspects of
congregational life. In July the Board and the Committee on the Ministry met
with Nancy Heege our UUA District Executive to explore the ways in which roles
and expectations had changed during the sabbatical. What things had worked well
and should remain in place? What did we learn about the needs for professional
ministry in my absence?
Some major things have
changed: One is the amount of energy and enthusiasm I have to engage in those
things. Another is in the ways in which those resources of professional
ministry are accessed, structured and delivered.
Four pieces of this that were
firmly established in my absence were the Caring Community, an expanded role
of the Worship Associates, greater intention on the part of the Membership
Committee and an expanded role for the volunteer coordinator.
Here's what some of that means: The Caring Community structure sets up better lines of communication that do not assume that I am all knowing and all seeing. With the help of Julie Morgan and Warren High and others it is possible to get any number of caring concerns addressed, many that are impossible for me to see to personally and many that can be more effectively addressed by others. I expect to be contacted directly by individuals needing pastoral care or by referral from anyone from the caring community. This saves me the energy and anxiety associated with second guessing or needing to track down possible concerns.
The Worship Associates are a
wonderful and capable group of people who take turns preparing the worship
space, supporting guest speakers, and occasionally leading worship. This is an
important factor in ensuring quality worship regardless of who is in the
pulpit. A sub-committee of the worship committee has also taken on the
aesthetic aspects of our worship space and we can thank them for the
beautifully decorations we see here.
The Membership Committee handled
the newcomers orientation in my absence and we have welcomed thirty new members
since last year at this time. I will continue to participate in the orientations
but the role of the committee will continue to expand.
And, we owe a great debt of
gratitude to our Volunteer, Volunteer Coordinator, for all of her work in
filling spaces and jobs in ways that I used to do.
I believe that what is
different now is that we have moved significantly in the direction of a more
shared ministry, a ministry that is shared among the elected, chosen and
professional leadership and the congregation as a whole.
What you can expect from me
is increased quality, presence and accountability in the areas of
congregational life for which I am clearly responsible.
I therefore covenant
or promise to
1.
be the primary resource for pastoral or spiritual care.
Requests and referrals for such care need to be direct and timely. You can
expect that if I cannot be available I will see to it that someone else can.
For general caring concerns, the caring community is available and willing.
2.
to perform rites of passage; weddings, funerals, memorials
, child dedications, house blessings.
3.
to lead
worship, and endeavor to keep myself stimulated intellectually and
spiritually and to reflect that in our Sunday services.
4.
to maintaining
a firm and constant grounding in our Unitarian Universalist tradition.
5.
to lift up the larger vision of who you can be as a religious
community
6.
to make as a priority the nurture and support of the
lay leadership and the staff that they may continue to create and maintain
the structures and resources that will serve the congregation..
7.
to will
be a Unitarian Universalist presence in the larger community.
As partners in the shared
ministry of this congregation, the Board and Lay Leadership of this
congregation covenant to:
1.
Work hard to administer and lead the work of the church
from the Board's new organizational model
2.
Continue make time to address in-depth issues beyond
the scope of regular monthly meetings.
3.
Elevate programs for leadership development
4.
Continue to elevate efforts to assimilate new members
and friends into the church community
5.
Continue to elevate efforts to help all members and
friends become true stakeholders in this religious community
6.
Put programs and processes in place to help members and
friends understanding of everyone's changing roles and responsibilities as
we continue to evolve to a program church.
I cannot, of course, make
such promises for you in this partnership, even though your agreements and
needs are what drives all of the promises that you have heard thus far.
So here is my wish list for
your covenant as partners in the ministry of this program church.
Could you covenant to:
1.
Make your needs and concerns and your appreciation
known to the staff and leadership and the minister in a direct and timely
manner.
2.
Read your newsletter carefully each month and respond
with your presence at events, to requests for help
3.
Give generously of your time, energy and money in ways
that reflect the value of this congregation in your life.
4.
Participate in the caring community by greeting
newcomers, honoring the joys and concerns expressed in our services and
responding for needs from your caring coordinators.
5.
Say "yes" when you know you will follow through,
and "no" or "not at this time" if what you are being asked
will lead to burn out or resentment
6.
Take advantage of this safe place to try new ways of
being, to be healed, to grow and to know the meaning of beloved community.
7.
Use the principles of Unitarian Universalism to inform
your life.
This is a true partnership of heart and spirit and mind and action. Each person here, by your presence is part of the well spring that both needs and offers itself. A whole greater than the sum of the parts. Holy indeed.
I invite Bryan French, our
congregation president, representing our elected leadership, Dodie Bertilson
our Program Council chair representing our committees and volunteers, Traci
Eaton representing our staff, and Destri Irwin representing all of you to
please join me in lighting the covenant candle representing the partnership
that is hope and the promise of our congregation. All may join in singing #123
Spirit of Life.