In the Meantime,
“This week’s ‘In the Meantime’ is from your minister candidate, as part of introducing herself to you. We met and had a great time talking shop. I was impressed. When I reported that to my wife, Wendy, she told me to tell Rev. Sarah that she is getting a truly caring and appreciative community. They call this a ‘win-win, I think.” -Fred
Hello VUU!
Soon we’ll be spending a week together, telling each other stories about who we are, where we’ve been, and what our hopes are for the future. We’ll have questions for each other, and we’ll make observations about where the work of ministry might lead. The Search team at VUU offered me introductions of themselves that shared with me both who they were and what they valued and what they saw in my ministry and stories that seemed to share these values or illuminated new possibilities. In turn, I shared what I was seeing at VUU that spoke to me. There were so many possibilities blooming in these conversations!
I believe that we can only ever move at the speed of trust; I am certain there were stories and questions we weren’t yet ready to share or to ask of each other. During our time together in Candidating Week, I hope we will begin to build the trust necessary to imagine a future in which we can be courageous together. For me, this means building enough trust to try new ideas and to revisit places where something fell apart and needs our attention and care; it means building enough trust to understand where our stories and experiences are different, as well as our needs; it means building enough trust to be vulnerable and compassionate, asking for what we need to engage shared ministry together and honoring the needs of others. In this way we may give each other the “space and grace” we need to grow and share ourselves in community.
Beginnings are a great place to get curious–to notice when we are uncomfortable or uncertain as well as what’s exciting or invigorating and take some time to reflect on what’s at play in that moment. I am thrilled to meet and learn about your congregation and its meaning for you as well as the community it exists in! I love creating a shared worship space where we can reflect together, sing together, center our hearts and minds together, and imagine the world we want to create together–and I also love creating many other spaces for us to learn and share together. Hopefully, our week together will be a wonderful introduction to what’s ahead.
While my family can’t join me during candidating week, they have visited Chandler and the greater Phoenix area and are beginning to find the resources they will need as we look to build our home there. We hope this will be the opening chapter of a great story we will write together with all of you. – Reverend Sarah