I first felt a call to ministry on August 27, 2017 (coincidentally, my very first sermon with you all was on August 27, 2023). The call was sudden and clear, seeming to come from somewhere deep inside and far beyond at the same time. It was during a Sunday service at All Souls in Washington DC, but it did not happen during a rousing sermon, a moving piece of choral music, or a moment of prayer. It came during a child dedication. It came to me in the midst of a ritual rooted in community, where we recognize our interdependence and promise to help care for one another. It came in the moments the congregation read these words of Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs, “May we be worthy guardians of this young life. May we build a community in which they will grow old surrounded by beauty, embraced by love, and cradled in the arms of peace.”

This past Friday, I went before the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association, carrying with me your prayers and messages of support. Seven and a half years after first hearing that call, I was granted preliminary fellowship as a Unitarian Universalist Minister. I was thrilled when the committee delivered the good news, but in that moment, I mostly felt relief. I had gotten past this barrier and felt a weight lifted from my shoulder. It wasn’t until I was with this beloved community on Sunday, when Rev. Alison so enthusiastically and lovingly delivered the news to the congregation, that I felt the full significance of the moment. Your joyful response was moving and humbling. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life.

I will also admit to being slightly embarrassed by the attention! But I kept thinking back to that baby dedication from 2017. The promises you all make as a teaching congregation are not so different from those we make to children we dedicate in our sanctuaries. All of us—small children, over-eager ministerial interns, and church elders—are vulnerable searchers and seekers, in need of a community to nurture us and help us grow into our truest selves. You all have nurtured and supported me as I grew into a minister in my own right. And that places me in the esteemed company of the very many people this congregation has helped grow into their own.

I witness it almost every day here in small and large ways: At the Shower Project, where our clothing closet volunteers help our guests choose pieces that express their individual personalities and help them feel like their true selves (I hear there are occasional ad-hoc fashion shows). Or at youth group on Sunday mornings, where our advisors are leading the youth through a “UU Ethics” curriculum, and helping our young people discern how they can live in a way that aligns with their deepest sacred values. I witness it in the work of our lay ministers, who are so skilled at deep listening and helping those they serve tap into their own inner wisdom. And in our community circles where we support one another’s spiritual exploration. So much of the work we do here is about accompanying one another on our vocational journeys. And by “vocation,” I don’t mean how we make our money, but rather how we live lives of meaning, truth, and wholeness.

I am deeply grateful for the way this community has held, challenged, and supported me during my ministerial formation. But more than that, I am constantly in awe of the ways you show up to hold, challenge, and support one another. May this congregation keep striving to be worthy guardians of every soul that walks through its doors. May you continue to build a community where all can grow old surrounded by beauty, embraced by love, and cradled in the arms of peace.

With deep joy and gratitude,
Danielle