From the Interim: April 23, 2020
Dear ones,
Greetings from my shelter in northern Minnesota! I am still picturing many of you as I departed on February 23 in the glow of the wonderful celebration of UCE’s Mission.The power of shared stories and the music of Peter Mayer still come to mind as I wonder when the next such gathering will be possible.
Lately it has been difficult some days to remember that there are some things that, in spite of Covid19, are just continuing to happen . Babies are being born, plants are coming up out of the ground, people are falling in and out of love, children are asking questions, old people are forgetting where they put their glasses. In the river near where I live the steelhead salmon are persisting toward their spawning grounds. And in spite of the ways in which we have changed the way we do church right now, we are still planning for the future. A large part of what we are planning for is to call and settle a Senior Minister in the spring of 2021. The careful attention to how to celebrate the strengths and address the challenges at UCE continues. This is what will form the foundation of your invitation to whomever that might be.
As someone who has previously been in search, I am aware of the “old bait and switch” that can happen when the best face hides an unexamined life. No minister in search worth their salt is looking for a “perfect” congregation. They are looking for a congregation with honest self understanding and a willingness to more fully express its values and Mission.
On Wednesday you received an email inviting you to participate in a survey about where we are in the interim process. This is your chance to weigh in on UCE’s readiness to invite the next settled minister. If you haven’t already, you can take the survey here.
This survey is not perfect. More than anything else, it is an invitation to participate in helping me and your leadership to figure out how we are all doing in our efforts to leverage UCE’s strengths and understand your challenges. In the face of our limited togetherness we can still find ways in the coming months to do this.
The statements in the survey are there to encourage you to think about your church. Please think in terms of what is possible; what is measurable; what is worthy of celebration. Think of your responses as a love letter that includes both realized and tough love.
The sun is shining today where I live. The thermometer is creeping toward 40 degrees. The squirrels are eating the birdseed. Spring is not here yet and still I am grateful for the life force that reminds me that in both joy and strife, for better and for worse, “ this too shall pass”.
In love and gratitude,
Karen
(Gustafson)