November 19, 2021

Dearly Beloved,

This February, 2 years into our interim journey and 1 year into the pandemic, I unexpectedly became your solo-pastor. This past Sunday, exactly 3 years after Rev. John’s departure, this church has a settled minister again. 

We certainly went on a long and far-reaching journey together these past 3 years, and in the end, you chose a minister who was quite literally, close to home. Even so, I know God prescribed this wandering time for us to recall our history, to uncover who we are today, to dream big dreams, and most of all, to build a firm foundation for our next chapter. I am eternally grateful for the dedication and resilience that you have shown throughout this wandering time, and I can never express to you my gratitude for being entrusted with the honor of shepherding a community such as this.

So, my first week as your settled pastor, I would like to reiterate the promises I wrote to you almost one year ago (tweaked slightly for our new chapter together):

As your settled senior minister, I promise to do my very best, with God’s help...

1. To seek to grow in Spirit, wisdom, and grace through personal prayer and study, so that I might first and foremost serve Christ and his Church.
   
2. To follow the Way of Jesus, not just in word but also in deed, working alongside you to build God’s Kin-dom of justice and peace.
   
3. To abide by the UCC Ministerial Code of Ethics. 
   
4. To channel God’s love impartially to all, no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey -- no matter how much you give or how much you disagree with me, no matter your past or how often you attend.
   
5. To provide you with empathetic pastoral care, guarding all confidences shared with me as part of my ordination vows (noting that I am a mandated reporter).
   
6. To hear and weigh thoughtfully your constructive criticism and opinions so that I might grow as a minister and together we might foster a culture where it’s safe for every voice to be heard and for all to be held accountable.
   
7. To examine myself continually for the intrusion of ego, to admit my failures, and to humbly seek reconciliation whenever possible.
   
8. To collaborate with you and our staff as a leader who listens, includes, empowers, and finds win-win solutions.
   
9. To practice self-care and healthy boundaries, so that I have what is required to be a grounded caregiver for you.
   
10. To pray for you every day, and I ask that you pray for me too.
    

Beloved, I will inevitably fail. Many of you have witnessed me fail already. So I pray in these years to come that we can continue to show each other the grace required to manifest God’s dream of a world of love and justice.

Much heart, 
Rev. Anna