We are in for an exciting and dynamic church year, dear ones!
This fall, we are Forging our Future together with a special fundraising campaign to create sustainability and build the future of our dreams.
To “forge” something means to make new conditions or relationships, or to heat or hammer something into a new shape, and we are going to do just that. We will apply our passion and commitment to hammer out a new reality, we will build relationships and have a lot of fun in the process. Church is about creating the world we want to live in, and our Forge the Future campaign will help us do that. This winter, First Church will celebrate the results together!
This spring in my seventh year of ministry with you, I plan on taking my first sabbatical. Unitarian Universalist ministers generally take a sabbatical every 5-7 years of ministry to rest, renew the spirit, and revitalize the ministry. Sabbaticals can be anywhere from three to six months long. With the Board of Trustees and the Committee on Ministry’s blessing, I am planning to be gone five months, from the end of February through the end of July 2023.
During that time, our senior staff members will take on some of my responsibilities, we will hire an Assistant Sabbatical Minister to cover some of my work, and we will welcome a number of high-profile and excellent visiting UU ministers to our pulpit. I know our congregation and its steady leadership will not only do well during this time, but that new strength and vitality will emerge. There will be many opportunities to learn more about my plans for sabbatical before I leave and how the ministry will be covered in my absence.
I look forward to this year with you, First Church. We will begin September by exploring our inherent human need of Belonging, and we will keep building together from there.
With love,
Jennifer
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister