As I write this, the month of May is coming to a close and June is just a few days away. Our June worship services promise to be celebratory as we recognize the work of our Religious Exploration program, Pride Sunday, and, of course, Celebration Sunday itself, before we move towards closing the books on the 2022-23 church year and the beginning of a well-planned series of summer services.
It’s been quite a year! Remarkable, first of all, for a return to “in person” services for the first time in 2½ years. I can still vividly recall the sense of excitement as we all gathered together for our first worship service of the church year on September 11. It was a remarkable transition for me, as well, as I returned to the church that provided me an opportunity to serve as your first student intern minister. I had considered myself retired and was not searching for a church to serve, but when I learned that the interim position here was available, my interest was piqued immediately. As I’ve said to several of you, it’s not often that an experience can be classified as unqualifiedly positive, but that describes my experience as your student intern minister and is what sparked my interest in serving you again– twenty years after my first student intern Sunday.
The interim period is, by definition, a time of change, of transition. I met with as many of you as I could in small groups (“cottage meetings”) in October and November, and learned how you first became interested in UU Middleboro, the things that you most value about membership, your history with the church and some of the things you hope for the future. These were informative and rewarding meetings. I learned of the great importance you place on the sense of community, spiritual community, you find here. I learned that a good many of our members found the church through events other that our Sunday worship services. I learned that you love our music program and that you greatly enjoy opportunities to gather socially– at coffee hour, at yard sales, at musical events, at brunches, potluck get-togethers, and holiday fairs. And that Sunday sermons are helpful in your path of discernment as you, like all of us, continue on your spiritual journey. And that, while you love our RE program, you are concerned that there are not more children participating.
What I’m looking forward to in the second and final year of interim ministry: a deeply thoughtful look at the church’s present mission statement with a view of sharpening its focus. As wonderful as is the text of the statement, its length and breadth hamper its effectiveness as a mission statement, which should be short enough to state in a sentence: the whole work of the church conforms to and grows out of a mission statement that is clear and concise and treasured by church members. Also, I look forward to the church investing in developing a social media presence that conveys the liveliness of our community, the variety of our offerings, and a range of opportunities for spiritual growth. Finally, I would like the Middleboro community to discover in us, not just a building that has anchored a corner across from the town hall for generations, but “A 21st century church with roots in the 19th century.”
I hope you will all enjoy a restful and rejuvenating summer, and I look forward to our second year of working together to continue building a healthy and flourishing spiritual community.
Blessings abounding.
Rev. Peter
