Pam Garr Nunn, Worship Associate

During Rev. Tim’s final fall with us in 2019, I was pretty sure that he would be moving on at the end of the year. I heard it in his voice; I felt it because the many ministries he had fostered were doing well. He didn’t offer any classes that last year, and his classes had always been interesting and fulfilling. I hope that we will be able to return to adult RE classes this year, with new instructors.  Anyway I wasn’t surprised when he made his announcement in January that he would be leaving.  

This was the 2^nd time in 11 years that we found ourselves headed toward interim ministry and a search for a new minister. For those of you who joined when Rev. Tim was the minister, it might be surprising to know that the average stay for a minister is about 10 years. I remember changes of ministers from both my childhood and here in Akron. In fact, since I’ve been a member at UUCA, we’ve had 5 different sextons and 3 different RE Directors, 3 different office administrators. So even church life isn’t unchanging. But with this ministerial search, I was convinced that it would be much better than the last time.  Because this I knew to be true: During the 2006-2008 search years, there were some old, festering problems that had to be worked through. Many members were devastated by the departure of Rev. Nancy Arnold and spent much of the period grieving that loss. Others were ready for a change and had high hopes for the new settled minister. We needed major work on worship creation, and some of our ministries had absolutely stalled out. Pledging levels dropped. I was the Board President in 2007-2008, and at one point I had to meet with each employee to tell them that we might not be able to afford their position, depending on pledging. (Ultimately, that did not come to pass.)

But with Rev. Tim leaving, our church was much stronger and had many caring ministries and programs begun under his time with us. I was sure that we would be able to work together and find joy and meaning in confronting the changes ahead. And then came the pandemic. No Sunday worship services in the sanctuary. Limited classes for our children. No flower communion for 2 years in a row, and no bubble communions either. No weekly in-person connections to allow us to better understand the transitions in the future. On a positive note, we gained some new worship associates and an increased emphasis on our 8^th Principle. But some people who had never known any other minister at this church would ask “But what will we do without Rev. Tim? How can we manage without a minister? What will happen to our church? Not everyone felt that way; some were also eager to move ahead, just like the last time.

The answers to those questions are both simple and complex. But, I also know these things to be true: first, and most important, WE, all of us, are the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron. Our church is not solely defined by a building or a minister. We, together, carry out our ministries. We have a Board of Trustees to lead us according to our Constitution, our Bylaws, and our UU faith and its principles. We have a Search Committee that will look to US for input about how our church is doing and where we hope to go, What’s been good about the last 11 years? What would we like more of? What would we like to change? They will take our responses and weave them together into a report to show potential ministerial candidates who we are and what we dream of. The committee will choose a small number of 1^st round candidates (and then narrow to one candidate to come to our church for candidating week). We’ll hear the candidate preach 2 Sunday sermons, meet with church leaders, and as many members as possible. And then we’ll vote to call (or not) the candidate to be our new, settled, minister. So from start to finish this coming year, we all will have input, if we choose to do so.

And that brings me to another concern and truth. Because we have been so isolated, we will need to work very hard to re-establish our loving community. I’ve read that psychologists have real concern that when people do get back together post pandemic, that we will have forgotten how to be social, that is, how to treat each other.

After all, we experienced the election, the post-election and the January 6th assault on democracy alone in our individual homes.  If ever we needed to be together, to feel like we were going to make it through this dark time and to see daylight again, it was this past winter.  But, thanks to the pandemic, we were alone.

When you consider the toxicity and conflict that was the standard operating procedure of the last administration, it’s no wonder our country is more divided.  Whether we realize it or not, the combination of the pandemic and the anger we’ve witnessed on the political scene, has to have had an effect on us.  How could it not? It was in the ether. Has the stress we’ve experienced over the last year-and-a-half manifested itself in our own lives?  Are we quicker to express distrust?  To express dissension or anger? Have we become less inclined to see good intentions in others?

Do we, after all, remember how to be together?   I think so.  I don’t think we’ve forgotten to value others and look for the good in them. After all, that’s what our UU Principles hold up for us.  The 1st Principle reminds us to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and the 2nd Principle talks about peace, justice, and equity in human relations.   

Transitions are always difficult even when the transition is eagerly anticipated.  Getting back together will be a transition.  Even sharing points of view during a transition period can be difficult.  Not all of us share the same perspectives.  We don’t like or dislike the same things.  But we are UUs.  We share a set of Principles that are challenging to live by.  But they are what unites us.  That’s why we need to keep working to live them, to live our covenantal faith.  

As we come back together and as we continue our search for a new settled minister, please be engaged.  We need all of us who love our Church community to take part in this very important process.  Will we get the perfect minister?  No.  Because there is no such thing.  But if we all engage in the process, we’ll most likely get a minister who is a good fit for us.  Engaging in the process is exactly what we must do in order to attract a good new, settled minister. We need to think not only about our own preferences, but the good of all members. We need to be able to compromise so that all members feel they have been heard. We must keep our principles in mind in all our work. Only then will we all feel a part of the search process and come together at the end to joyfully call a new minister.) 

I offer this closing reading to help guide us on our way. It was written Amanda Shuber

In honor of the risk takers, those that hold the vision with clarity and charge forward with optimism even in the face of others’ doubts. You are our lamp lighters and our guides; may we never forget the courage it takes to lead the way forward.

In honor of the cautious skeptics, those that gather the information needed to navigate the tumultuous waters of change. You are the map-makers and the preparers of the stores; may we appreciate your attention to the details that keep us on course.

In honor of the doubters, those that may fear the changing tides of a turbulent world. You are our anchors, and remind us of where we have been and where we are as a community now. May we appreciate your commitment to our history and your passion for who we have become.

In honor of the dreamers, those that imagine what we can be in, this world. You are the wind that blows the sails of change, pushing us ever-forward; may we revel always in your whimsy and hope that dares us to never stop becoming.

And may the work we do together strengthen our community and our world. May we heed the call to always hold the vision of the free church ever in our sight and to work towards justice. Together we wield a powerful spirit that is strengthened by the gifts of all. May we proceed with the strength and flexibility of the oxbow and remember to help people feel good inside as we go.