A new year of shared ministry is beginning! Our focus this year shifts into the work of the “interim” – a time between settled ministries when change and growth abound, and the future comes into focus.
In our report to the Annual Meeting in June, we reflected on the successes and challenges of our first contract year, and identified some big questions facing the congregation.
1. Who’s in charge? How do decisions get made and by whom? How are decisions shared with the congregation? What works and what does not work?
2. What is the pulse of CVUUS? How can we increase congregational engagement? Does theology matter? Which parts of CVUUS’s heritage are important to preserve?
3. What about the future? Does CVUUS want to grow and change and how will this happen? What does it mean to be a member of CVUUS? How do we meaningfully engage with the surrounding communities?
We hope to engage you, the people in the congregation, in considering these big questions. Becoming curious about the connection between the past, present and future of CVUUS, and its connection to the greater world, we have the opportunity to transform both individually and collectively. The all encompassing question is: who will you choose to be as a faith community in this chaotic, changing, and precious world?
The five Developmental Tasks of Interim Ministry (Heritage, Leadership, Mission, Connections and Future) will guide us in our shared work—your process of becoming, and your search for CVUUS’ next minister. You’ll hear about these tasks over the next few months.
Another exciting aspect of this year is our engagement with Soul Matters, a theme-based ministry program to help congregations in sharing resources, supporting leaders, and deepening connections. The Worship Team, Religious Exploration Program, and Small Group Ministry will all be using this resource. Soul Matters’ overarching theme for 2024-25 is The Practices of Our Faith: how we act out our values in the world with our UU core value of liberating love. September through June’s themes are: Invitation, Deep Listening, Repair, Presence, Story, Inclusion, Trust, Joy, Imagination, and Freedom. We hope these bring us more deeply into beloved community and support our work of growing a community of communities.
We look forward to working with you all! Please reach out to us with any questions or suggestions.
Many Blessings and Much Love,
Rev. Christina Sillari & Rev. Tricia Hart