Installation Prayer Blessing: October 23, 2021

 A Prayer Blessing Extended to Rev. Eileen Wiviott and the Unitarian Church of Evanston on the Occasion of her Installation as Senior Pastor on Saturday, October 23, 2021. 

Loving and Merciful God, we come today in gratitude for this momentous occasion in the life of our dear friend Eileen and in the life of the Unitarian Church of Evanston.   

We come in gratitude, first because we are witnesses to what the Psalmist wrote: 

 “This is the Lord’s doing.  And it is marvelous in our eyes.”  We are grateful for your anointed and appointed, your called and commissioned servant, Eileen.   

Our Evanston community bears witness to Eileen’s gifts and contributions, already freely shared and given before this day of sacred consecration.  We have seen her work with Evanston Interfaith Clergy and Leaders.  We have seen her work as an advocate for social justice and equity for all people.  Before this day, we have heard her voice as a clarion call for justice on behalf of Jacob Blake, for equity in District 65, and for unity in our city.  We have heard her story in clergy meetings, shared her faith in the unseen God, Creator of the Universe billions of years ago, and the quiet voice who awakened us this morning.  We bear witness to Eileen’s skills as a teacher, administrator, preacher, planner, networker and one who sees no boundaries to Divine presence in the human family.   

Then, too, we bear witness to the Unitarian Church of Evanston—a ray of hope in an often confusing and painful world. We thank God for the people of and in this sacred place.  We bear witness to your commitment to nurturing the human spirit for a world made whole.  We have seen your service as true neighbors, sharing your sacred space with others, committing to foster an atmosphere of faith and intellect, of words, music and the arts.   

We bear witness to the actions and commitments of this church that help us realize Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s teaching that all life is interrelated and that we are all bound in a single garment of destiny. You teach us through word and deed that we can never reach our full potential unless all people flourish. This community has been on the forefront of building the Beloved Community.  We bear witness to your workshops on race, your belief that Black Lives Matter, your extension of love to the multiplicity of faiths in Evanston and beyond.   

It is because of what we have witnessed that we now pause to give thanks for the magnitude of this moment.  We pray for the power of the Eternal God whom we know, worship, and understand in diverse ways to bless this union of pastor and congregation.  May this union find its cup running over with love, grace, mercy and kindness.  May the memory of this day sustain you long into the future.  When storms come, may the marvel of this day be more than enough to see you through.  When challenges arise, may the unity of this day be the strength that will allow you to surmount the difficulties and continue to thrive.    

Thank you, Divine One, for the shift in the atmosphere on this day, for hurtling through the stratosphere and for landing here on Ridge Avenue in Evanston at the Unitarian Church.  May Rev. Eileen Wiviott be blessed with good health, strength, and clarity of vision so that she may continue to be a guiding light at the Unitarian Church of  Evanston and beyond its walls. And may our entire community be blessed, because of the blessings that You, Almighty and Ever-Present Source of Love, have showered upon us in this moment.   AMEN 

Rabbi Andrea London and Rev. Michael Nabors