In my training for my master’s degree in counseling, I was taught to take a client’s personal history to understand better how someone’s past affects someone’s present. Who has that person been? What significant experiences occurred in the person’s life? How has the person dealt with challenges? What strengths does that person have? What successes might that person have experienced? These are questions that help understand the person better and might lead to a journey to improved health.
As we are in the second year of developmental ministry, these sorts of questions are no less relevant for this congregation. What significant experiences occurred? How does the congregation deal with challenges? What strengths does the congregation have that led to successes in the past?
After the worship service on November 24th, the Developmental Task Force will be creating a church history timeline based upon the living memory of congregants. We will be considering these questions and sharing our experiences. The process will begin by asking who in the room has been a member longest and then start with the earliest living memories of the congregation and how it has been strengthened and challenged. If you are new to the congregation, this is your opportunity to travel with your spiritual community and to discover its journey. For this process to work, we need as many members as possible to attend. So, please come!
In my experience, every Unitarian Universalist congregation believes that it is just like every other Unitarian Universalist congregation—and none of them are! Every congregation is unique. Like every person, every family, each congregation has challenges and strengths. When we look at the past, we might find patterns that reveal them and be able to discern better a new direction in shared ministry. As we gather on
November 24th, let us share the congregation’s path and understand who we are together.
Peace,
Rev. Larry Smith