Minister's Musings
The Rev. Mitra Rahnema
revmr@gpuc.us
Coming Alive: March 2010
March 8, 2010 - 8:35am — Larry PeplinGrosse Pointe Unitarian Church Members and Friends,
Last Sunday a member said, laughing, “Reverend Mitra you make me have too much to do. You say I have to be compassionate and giving, justice seeking and honorable, loving and life affirming, a participant and also care about the world! It is too much.”
What a wonderful comment. Yes! The answer is, Yes. Not, Yes—you should be overwhelmed. But, YES! Find the Yes in you! What this means is something a colleague recently reminded me of; words from the Reverend Dr. Howard Thurman who said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”
Coming alive is a hard thing to do these days. It is the middle of winter and life seems to be sleeping. The world is covered in a blanket of snow and deep breaths can chill the bones. We are all waiting for signs of spring.
As I watch the passing days of winter, I have been musing about passion, the kind of passion that comes from within an individual. It is passion that leads us to move, speak, and breathe with hope. Passion can be expressed through love, sarcasm, anger, desperation, longing, among other things. Passion is the waking expression of something within that has emerged. That is why religion is a manifestation of passion; it is that which is on the very edge of emergence. What a blessing it is to witness the abundance of passion in our religious community.
Ironically, passion is fed by a deeper stillness. The kind of stillness you find in the winter, stillness that opens our hearts and allows us to breathe deeply. For when we are still, even for a minute, our longings, hopes, and love can become present. In our stillness we can find power and clarity. And it is in the root of both stillness and passion that will lead us to be the people we want to be. To be, as our member expressed, compassionate and giving, justice seeking and honorable, loving and life affirming, a participant in a world we care about!
Let us live out the rest of winter with intention. The intention to find a stillness that will sustain our passions. The passion found at the church these days is rooted in you, the individual. Therefore, may our individual passions create a church community where each and all (re)discover what makes you “come alive.”
With Love,
Rev. Mitra
A Covenant between the Reverends
February 17, 2010 - 10:18am — Larry PeplinIt is common practice for Ministers, Interim and Settled, to create a covenant with a former Minister or Minister Emeritus of any congregation. A covenant is used in many of our Unitarian Universalist congregations going through Ministerial transition, and emerges after the Ministers have several transition conversations on topics of leadership, needs, and congregational health. Your former minister, the Reverend John Corrado, and I have been in conversation since last September. Below is the covenant we created together. I am including it here so our community may know what John and I expect from each other as well as what the congregation can expect from us. My hope is that the covenant will be helpful for the whole community. I welcome conversation and questions, as needed. Please read on, knowing GPUC is deeply loved.
The purpose of a covenant of professional relations is to offer explicit and detailed clarification of responsibilities and roles of ministers in relation to the congregation. As fellowshipped Unitarian Universalist Ministers the Reverends Mitra Rahnema and John Corrado currently adhere to our professional code of conduct. In addition to those professional guidelines, with several months of conversation, below is a specific covenant.
A Covenant between the Reverends
Mitra Rahnema, Interim Minister and John Corrado, Minister Emeritus
In 2009 the Reverend John Corrado retired after serving the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church for twenty-five years. John is no longer the minister of the congregation. He is now serving our Unitarian Universalist movement in new capacities; therefore his attention is required elsewhere. John will remain living in the larger metropolitan area with his wife Barbara. The congregation can be assured that John continues to love GPUC members and is committed to the health and future of the church. Therefore, Mitra and John agree:
All ministerial roles or duties with any congregant, and their families are the responsibility of Mitra, the congregation's current Interim Minister. John will not offer or be available to accept any ministerial requests. All services, such a weddings, memorials, worship, blessings, pastoral care or pastoral counseling will be directed to Mitra. We recognize that there are times in which John's ministerial services might be needed. These unique situations will be jointly assessed followed by an invitation from Mitra, if needed.
Mitra and John will consult openly about congregational dynamics, as needed. In the effort to maintain our professional care for the congregation, John will share with Mitra, all information about interactions with congregants. In addition, John will not initiate contact with members, friends, or staff of the congregation. Individuals contacting John will be encouraged to speak with Mitra. John will not be available for pastoral services. When members are faced with needing ministerial conversation or assistance they will be directed to the current minister serving the congregation.
Allowing time for an adjustment to the layers of transition, John will not return to the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church facility throughout the interim period. Of course there may be unique times in which it is appropriate for John to return to the congregation, and he will do so only upon the explicit invitation of the current minister of Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church. Additionally, John may choose to send a note of condolence to families, as appropriate.
We agree that all ministerial authority and decision making is the responsibility of the current minister. We both agree that Mitra has no obligation, nor should she have any pressure to extend an invitation for John's return to the congregation at any time.
As Minister Emeritus, John will be listed in the Unitarian Universalist Directory under Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church and is a voting delegate at the Unitarian Universalist Association annual General Assembly and District Conference. John’s vote in both national and district governing bodies will not represent GPUC. Additionally, as Minister Emeritus, John will be listed in the GPUC directory with address but not telephone number. John will receive the GPUC newsletter at his home address. The congregation is encouraged to add “Minister Emeritus” wherever John’s name is listed in church information, including on historical photographs.
This covenant comes with deep and caring recognition of the needs of a congregational community facing a ministerial transition. These needs include:
Community time to experience and mourn the loss of a former minister
Space to consider the new identity, direction, goals, and purposes of the congregation's future by recognizing the congregation as part of a larger movement
Welcome shifts of decision making process, as members discover what they want for the congregation
To reconnect with a larger movement of congregations and ministers
To welcome new ministerial (pastoral, administrative and prophetic) leadership, beginning with the Interim Minister and continuing by building deep trust with a newly settled minister
The ability and time to have an authentic bond with a settled minister is essential to a healthy ministerial call.
Our covenant will remain intact through the length of the interim ministry. Following the interim period John will continue to defer any ministerial relationship with the congregation to the called minister. The called minister's settlement period is likely to be at least two years after arrival.
(original document has been signed by Rev. Mitra Rahnema and Rev, John Corrado)
Connections
February 15, 2010 - 9:17pm — AnonymousDear GPUC Members and Friends,
We are not alone. As the Rev. John Buehrens said, “To be religious is to make connection.” Unitarian Universalist is a small but mighty movement building religious homes for hundreds of thousands of people. As a certified Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Grosse Pointe is in covenant with all other Unitarian Universalist congregations. We covenant to affirm and promote seven principles. They are:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Throughout this Interim period the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church has been rethinking our linkage to the Unitarian Universalist Association and begun to build healthy partnerships with our movement. Strengthening the connection to our Association and establishing a relationship of interdependence and trust is a vital part of the Interim time.
A wonderful opportunity to engage with this “connecting” work is at the Annual District Conference this April (9th-11th). Every year our District sponsors a conference of members where workshops, fellowship, worship, and governance can happen. This year is the tenth anniversary of the Heartland District Spring Conference. The conference theme is the “Ten Best.” Workshops will focus on the ten best tips, suggestions, or ideas for how to “do church” in a variety of areas. The keynote speaker will be Kay Montgomery, the Executive Vice President of the UUA. All members of the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church are invited.
Fortunately, this year the conference will be held close to home, which is a perfect opportunity for our church to emerge in the District. The Heartland Meeting and Spring Conference will be:
April 9th-11th. 2010 : First Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Generally the conference begins that Friday evening and runs through Sunday morning. For registration information please go to heartlanduu.org and/or let our office know you plan to attend so we can make sure you are connected to others in our Grosse Pointe community who are attending. I hope you will consider participating in “making connection” with our fellow Unitarian Universalists.
With Love,
Rev. Mitra