Did you know that we have lay ministers in our church? Earlier this month our Alliance invited some lay ministers to talk about the program and how it tries to support congregants in need. As I write today it felt like that would be some good information to share with the larger congregation.
The lay ministry program began in the early 1990s when First Unitarian experienced rapid growth in membership and the ministers of the church needed help in offering pastoral care. In the early years it took a while for the program to develop traction. Folks didn’t quite know what to expect from lay ministers. But over time lay ministers have supported fellow congregants in all kinds of situations. They are now an important part of building what we call the Beloved Community. Lay ministers work in partnership with the called ministers and through all these years many congregants have served in the role.
The heart of what lay ministers offer is a listening presence to fellow congregants in times of need, what I like to describe as companioning. It may be when someone is experiencing a loss or going through a transition. It could be when someone is experiencing an illness or needing support as they support someone else. It may be at a time when someone needs a listening ear. They represent the caring face of the congregation to their fellow congregants in times of need.
The form of that support through most of the program’s history has come in the form of one-on-one support. More recently, lay ministers have also come to lead groups that make a space for that support to happen. In the pandemic times it has come in the form of pastoral calls to congregants and through a weekly Vespers prayer service lay ministers offer on Friday evenings. It has been a blessing to witness how the program has been able to offer a wider range of support through these complicated times. If you would like to talk with a lay minister, call the church office. If you’d like to sign up for the link to the weekly Vespers service you can go to Registrations at the church website or check out the link in this enews.
I want to call your attention something new the lay ministers will be offering beginning next month. They will be small groups that come together to explore spiritual themes like resilience and generosity. The groups will be called Heart Space and will offer a time for connection, reflection and grounding as we all navigate these times. You’ll find a link in this enews if you want to learn more. One of the many challenges in this time has been a sense of disconnection in any number of forms. Making and maintaining connection in our church community has certainly not been as easy. I want you to know that support is here and I hope will reach out.
In that spirit, I offer and old favorite by poet Mary Oliver entitled “Wild Geese:”
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.