Seven years ago today, members of UUSS voted to call us to become the congregation’s next settled ministers. A lot has happened in that time. There has been world turmoil, terrible instances of climate change disasters, terrifying threats to our democracy including an insurrection, state sanctioned violence against Black and Brown folks, war in too many countries, and a global pandemic just to name a few. At UUSS, together we have removed the trellis wall and some trees. We have said good-bye to members who’ve moved and so many who have passed into the mystery we call death. We have grappled with how to have healthy conflict and live into covenant.
There has also been a strengthening of caring for one another, creative uses of our resources to include folks in-person and online, clarity of purpose for many of our Ministry Teams, ongoing reflection on our practices to make them better, handbooks created and/or updated for investments, gift acceptance, communications, and personnel and there are others still in process. We have celebrated staff retirements and welcomed new staff with their gifts to offer the congregation. We have expanded our understandings of effective social justice work through the six circles of involvement (direct service, education, advocacy, witness, community organizing, and leadership development) and been designated a Good Trouble Congregation by the UUA for our #UUtheVote work in 2022 and are on track to do it again, with your involvement, for 2024. We have shown up with you for vigils, protests, and community service events.
We have welcomed many new members into the circle. We have learned how to use Zoom in so many different ways to support one another’s health (we have thus far, [knocks on wood] had no Covid outbreaks due to gatherings at UUSS). We have hosted the Hudson Mohawk cluster service. We have hosted leadership trainings and workshops for youth and for adults. We have officiated weddings and dedicated children, thanked so many volunteers and witnessed our youth coming of age and also those bridging from high school to young adulthood.
The Board and your ministers continue to work on your behalf to govern with care, to steward resources mindfully, to grapple with hard questions about sustainability, and to do our best to serve the mission of UUSS embodying the values of Unitarian Universalism. The two of us are grateful for this call and for the shared ministry that so many of you wholeheartedly embrace and engage alongside us. Happy anniversary!
In faith,
Rev. Wendy and Rev. Lynn