Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah

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Interim ministers come into congregations wearing our anthropologist, historian and sociologist hats. We are participant observers like anthropologists, studying the culture of a particular congregation. We are avid historians seeking answers to the questions about why this church is the way it is today, which includes digging into the history of the city all the way back to prehistoric times. We are sociologists, observing and analyzing the system in which the church operates and describing and drawing that picture for you. My job in the first three months is to listen and to ask questions: to listen to your experiences of the past few years and to hear about your hopes for your church, and to ask why you do things the way you do so I can find my own place within your traditions and culture. The Transition Committee will be setting up focus groups for me in September and October to help me to that. Many of you have experienced interim ministers before and expect that our time together will be brief and intense. However, I am taking a slow approach in this interim ministry. We have the time to talk matters through and do the deep assessment and planning needed before you are ready to call and settle a new minister. Both the congregation and the minister will stretch and grow in new ways ; it is inevitable. That is all part of the journey of this life, too. The older I get the more I need to work on flexibility both for my body and my mind. I have taken a vow to live each day to the fullest, to experience both the joy and the sorrow that life has to offer and to experience gratitude and love daily. Just as I have no other home but the one I establish in each new interim ministry setting, I also have no other church home. I will join the membership of this church. I take my membership and stewardship seriously. This is a fine congregation and I am proud to be a part of it. I hope you will come with open hearts, willing to engage once again in new adventure, willing to change and be changed.