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On the Edge of a New Year

As the end of summer begins to draw near, I often feel a sense of
excitement. Part of that may come from my childhood, when the end of
summer signaled the beginning of the new school year, and part of it may
come from my preference for the cooler weather and glorious colors of
autumn. And now, part of it comes from my sense of a year beginning for
our Fellowship - our first year in our new building! - and the excitement
of exploring the possibilities that it will create for us. After four
months, I hope that it is starting to feel like home for you, as it is
for me. Over time, that feeling will grow, as we work together to promote
the values of Unitarian Universalism in our community, our region, and
our world. So as this year begins, I would like to highlight a few of the
new and different things that I see on our horizon.

First, on Monday evening, November 15th, we will have a Building
Dedication ceremony. This might seem strange, in that we held a
celebratory service our first Sunday here, and in that by November 15th
we will have been in the building for about seven months or so. But that
is part of the point. After seven months here, we will have a better
sense of what this building means to us. We have had time to develop a
better understanding of the values we want our use of this building to
reflect. I am very pleased that the Rev. Bill Sinkford, President of the
Unitarian Universalist Association, has agreed to be our featured
speaker. Representatives of different groups in the Fellowship (including
Religious Education, Music, Hospitality, and Sunday Services) are working
with me to plan a wonderful ceremony! Watch for more details as the date
draws closer.

Second, we are about to embark upon the second year of our Covenant Group Ministry program. Covenant groups are groups of less than ten people who "covenant" (that is, promise) to meet monthly for intimate discussions of
ultimate questions. Our groups will form in the fall and continue through
the spring or summer. Those who participated in a covenant group last
year have expressed their interest in being in a group again this year.
Last year, we had three groups with both men and women, and one group
that included only women - not so much by design, but by virtue of the
larger proportion of women who signed up for the program. This year,
while most groups will include both men and women, we intend to offer at
least one "women-only" option and a "men-only" group as well. I encourage
you to consider signing up for a covenant group this year - it might be
just the right way for you to address your ultimate concerns in an
intimate context.

Finally, I have begun discussion with the Board of Trustees and the
Committee on Ministry about my intentions to take two months of
sabbatical leave next June and July. This coming year is my sixth year
with the Fellowship - how time flies! - and each year I have accrued a
month of earned sabbatical. In the context of ministry, sabbatical is
intended to provide a time of refreshment and restoration. In November,
the Committee on Ministry and I will present a plan to the Board that
identifies how my responsibilities as minister will be covered, and
proposes, in general terms, my intentions as to the use of the sabbatical
time. I've never had a sabbatical before, and I look forward to spending
some time in a very different manner.

But before I go, there's a whole school year before us, and we've got
lots to accomplish - just check out the rest of this issue of CUF Links!
Welcome back!

Yours in anticipation,  Bill S.