| It seems strange to approach a season of endings so soon after the abundant renewal of Springtime…and yet here we are, at the end of the church year (or near it), and approaching the end of my time with you all as your minister on July 31. Soon, we’ll be in Summer’s wild abundance, with the ends of school years and semesters close behind us, and the relief that brings for some like time off to restore, and the beginning of new pressures for others like challenges of childcare and disrupted schedules. I’ll be taking some vacation time in July, and then it will be August 1, when you will hopefully have a new minister to learn and grow with and share ministry. Until then, how can we, as a faith community, make the most of this season of endings?
There is no one right way to do it, but one thing that may help is to reconnect to that which unites us regardless of the season or the challenge: Our congregational covenant, and our UUFS Mission: “As a welcoming congregation, we work and worship together to become people of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands. We honor the transformative power of love in our individual lives and broader communities. “
Covenant is central to all we do and who we are as UUs. It is the soul of how we decide we will be together in service to our ministries and missions. To fully connect and live into our sacred agreements is part of the hard and holy work of Unitarian Universalism…and it’s not always easy. But then, we come to church to transform ourselves and our world, don’t we? We do that through the moment-by-moment interactions that let us – and each other – kindle growth, healing, spiritual nurture, and offer mutual aid. That sacredness can be found in the most mundane places, and I see it written all over UUFS: The way folks reach out to offer support when a friend is in need, of being “game” to try new things, to learn and grow even in ways that might be uncomfortable…these are kernels of wholeness, a way of centering love. This I know will be true beyond this season because you have made it a part of who you are. I love this about you.
Maybe the best way to approach a season of endings is to understand it’s a season - that new beginnings are also happening all around us, that moments of beauty are available anytime, if we can respond to the open invitation to show up in the present, in the Presence, with each other.
May peace be with you, may you find enough of what you need in any season – of wholeness, of healing, of joy.
Yours in the journey,
Rev. Samara
Samara Powers (they/none)
Unitarian Universalist Minister
UUFS Phone#: 912.208.9917 (Option 2)
"Justice is what love looks like in public." Dr. Cornel West
*Generally, if someone indicates “none” here it means to use a name instead of a pronoun for that person. For example, “Fenwick wants you to refer to Fenwick by name instead of using any pronouns when speaking about Fenwick.” If someone indicates more than one type of pronouns choice here, usually that means either way is suitable/welcomed.
| 
