May 19, 2023

Something For the Moment 

• Ministry Days Child Care: We have extended the deadline for registering for Ministry Days child care to Monday, May 22. If you need child care onsite at Ministry Days, please register your child(ren) today. 

• Collegial Conversation: Current Trends in Parish Ministry: Trends in parish ministry that were once reliable are rapidly changing. This conversation will offer a snapshot of current trends from multiple vantage points. Join us on Wednesday, May 24 at 2-3:300pm ET/ 1-2:30pm CT/ Noon-1:30pm MT/ 11am-12:30pm PT. If you plan to join us please take some time to watch this half hour video prior to the event. 

• Foundational Good Offices Skills and Knowledge: If you are a new or newish Good Offices person (or are returning after a period of time away from the role), please plan to attend this orientation to the basic skills and knowledge you will need to be minimally equipped and supported for Good Offices work now. Click the date below to register.
  • Wednesday, May 24 at 7:30-9:00 pm ET/ 6:30-8:00pm CT/ 5:30-7:00 pm MT/ 4:30-6:00 pm PT

Lately, I have been thinking about endings. I am in the final stages of preparing to move from Chicago and saying goodbye to the people and places that have meant a lot to me over the past 11 years. Life has been busy with engaging moving companies and organizing and purging all of the things we have acquired over the years. And in the midst of all that is going on, I also want to pay attention to these last moments here. I want to take the time to notice what Is happening and experience all that comes up for me. To feel the joy and sadness around this time. And, most importantly, take time for gratitude for this period of my life.

Many of us are managing endings and transitions this time of year. Graduations are happening, and church and fiscal years are ending. We may be moving on to new jobs or positions, new locations, and other significant life changes. And amid all these transitions, it can be easy to focus on getting through and not fully experience the moments that are occurring. And so, if you are in one of these liminal moments, I invite you to take the time to be. Pay attention to what is coming up for you and what your soul is calling for right now. May this time be a blessing as you transition to what is next.

Spirit of Change, God/dess of Liminality,
Be with us in this transitional time.
Remind us of the moments of joy, even when the present may be cloudy.
Remind us of the tender moments when our ministry shone clear.
Open us to gratitude for the growth and opportunities we were given.
Offer us healing for those times when our hearts were broken.
Held in a Love that knows no bounds,
We pray.
Blessed Be, Amen, Ashe

Something Extra

June Neurodivergence Webinar: Claiming our Fullness
The seventh in our Supporting Neurodivergence in Our Congregations Skill Up series, this webinar will explore the intersectionality of being BIPOC and neurodivergent. Both of these identities require navigating systems that were not meant for them. Rev. Marisol Caballero and Ayanni Kafi will share their experiences of coming to understand themselves as BIPOC neurodivergent people and share the interplay of expectations and stereotypes they have encountered. Together, we will wonder how our UU communities can be spaces where people can engage the fullness of themselves. We are working out some wrinkles in the sliding scale for this event but please save the date: June 9, 2023, 1-3pm ET/12-2pm CT/11am-1pm MT/10am-12pm PT.