Unitarian Universalist Minister
A lesson brought forward from my upbringing tells me that “To whom much has been given, much is expected.” My strength comes from a space of immense gratitude for my circumstances and drives a commitment to pay my blessings forward.
It’s difficult to describe interests outside of ministry because ministry feels more like a way of being than a destination. I try to live my life in such a way that it serves to surround me with good people committed to the creation of a shared sustenance. No more or no less than is needed to sustain a healthy life. The Enneagram calls me a Peacemaker, and that seems fitting.
My primary cause, before becoming committed to Unitarian Universalism, was care for our environment. I’ve come to learn how much work is required to get to the level of global caring as well as how no one issue can be focused on alone. The environment, anti-racism, transgender rights, voting access, healthcare and more are all intertwined.
Environment is dependent on Black Lives Matter and Trans Lives Matter and all of it. And Red State Lives Matter. Something other than ourselves and our own pains has to matter. We have GOT to learn how to get along with the “other” if we are ever going to have a chance to survive together in peace. I see this work proceeding, often with pain but balanced by hope.
My chosen faith is not about your way or my way. It’s about a set of ideas and the ideals. It’s about living together in harmony with others because forming unbreakable coalitions in support of the common good is a crucial survival mechanism. We need to hold up the best and the brightest wherever they are found, and ensure all of our local communities are equipped to launch healthy, stable kids ready to solve the great crises of today, in ourselves, in our families, in our communities, and in our world.
My primary commitment at this point is to my family, both of birth and chosen while balancing that with my ministry. These two are intertwined. To give the best to my ministry I need to care for myself. To care for myself, I must spend time in my spiritual practice and with people who sustain me. My family and – ‘framily’ if you will, is integral to my ministry.
My daughter is at a critical developmental time and I sense that she will benefit from a stable foundation from which to fumble through her expanding life explorations. Assuring Unitarian Universalism is a growing faith is part of the foundation I am committed to for her. I am grateful for the resources made available through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to help us navigate all of our family’s life transitions, rituals and conviviality.
I am encouraged by the activism I am seeing today. I hope to support today’s leaders in taking the work to the next level.
It rarely feels like enough. Because it never really can be. And that is why we need deep, replenishing spiritual practices. I am beyond grateful for the old and new supports that I am blessed to have in my life today.
I have developed friendships with individuals with different backgrounds than mine that have welcomed me into their communities, and I have discovered in these new spaces webs of support that I never knew existed. I am surrounded by teachers. I have so many ministers that I check in with…some almost daily, some weekly, some on a slightly longer but still intentionally consistent schedule. I have been embraced by the healers, I see myself in them and see the healing that I provide to them as well. I know the strength that they offer to me in challenging times.
In addition to my circle of ministers, I have a few deep, trusted friends that have been on the journey with me since my younger days. We don’t chat all the time, but we each stay connected at the levels we can and are always there without question when needed. I know that I am well supported on many levels.
I remain connected to my home congregation: Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation to stay to plugged into the energy of a living community, and also so that my daughter has a stable spiritual community of support available as she continues to grow. I have stepped back on to the Board of Trustees for another term since finishing my congregational internships. I am consistently asked to get crowds excited for our fundraising efforts, to head committees and to build community. I have worn so many hats in UU community, it is part of my breathing. It was Unitarian Universalism that taught me the safety and security that can be gained by contributing to shared community, and I can’t imagine trying to raise a child without in interconnected web of intentional community available to catch us if we stumble.
I passed the Ministerial Fellowship Committee in September 2019. I took my time going through seminary. It has been important to integrate ministry into the callings I already have. You will see a great deal of my experience is in human resources. Indeed, I see people and working with one another as key to my ministry.
