Dear UCM community,

 

In these final days of summer, I have been noticing the lushness of the landscape in riverbanks, forests, meadows, and gardens. Seeds and bulbs have reached their fullest stage of growth in flowers, trees, and crops and are now on the cusp of harvesting or falling away. Late in the spring, I endeavored to finally plant a crop of long beans from seeds my father had given me three years ago from his home harvest. Long beans are a staple in many Filipino and other Asian cuisines. 

I wasn’t sure if the beans would grow given how long I had waited. Soon enough, we witnessed the green shoots pushing their way through the beans’ husks. Small leaves unfurled. In a few weeks, the seedlings were strong enough to move outside. They seemed tiny and fragile planted under the tall trellis I had put up to support the hoped-for harvest. I was feeling doubtful that we’d have anything worth eating by the end of the summer.

As we tended and waited, the summer brought heat and rain. Too much heat and too much rain for many of our human bodies and built environments. The flooding across central and northern Vermont on the anniversary of last year’s devastating flood was heartbreaking. While our own recovery continues at UCM and in some of our homes, the numbers of those dealing with the long road of disaster recovery grows.

This church year, our overarching theme will be “Cultivating Resilience.” Resilience has become a bit of a buzzword, but I believe that exploring and grappling with its meaning, especially in this time of ongoing climate crises, can offer us important spiritual insights and tools. Each month’s theme will explore one facet or practice of cultivating resilience beginning with September’s theme of “belonging.” Feeling a strong sense of belonging and creating communities of belonging can help us all feel more grounded, supported, and able to navigate the challenges in our lives.

This coming year, we welcome into our circle of belonging, our new Director of Spiritual Exploration, Caitlin Frauton, who has already started sharing her gifts and skills with us. I hope you will seek her out to offer words of welcome in the coming days. We continue to benefit from the skilled leadership of our entire staff, including Emily Seifert who now has the title of Office and Rental Manager.

As we prepare to begin our new church year, I also wanted to share my own exciting news. I have been accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program in social justice leadership at Meadville Lombard Theological School and begin my studies this month. This remote, three-year degree program is designed to equip ministers and faith leaders to deepen their leadership in their communities. I hope to draw on our congregation’s experience grappling with the impacts of climate change as well as on contemporary theology and research to develop ideas for strengthening our faith communities’ capacity to respond resiliently, faithfully, and interdependently to climate crises. 

My academic schedule will require me to make some changes to my church schedule. My in-office days will now be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Tuesday will be my writing day, and Friday will be my designated day off. I hope that you will reach out to schedule a visit. One-on-one time with congregants is often the highlight of my week.

I was away from home and our garden for two-and-a-half weeks from late July to mid-August. When I returned, I was delightfully surprised to find the trellis laced with vines and draped in foot-long beans. It was a good reminder that, with the right conditions and with faith and patience, what we tend can grow.

It takes all of us to tend to our spiritual community of belonging, a place where we can each feel at home in our spirits. Each of you, with your openness, generosity, compassion, and goodwill, creates the conditions for belonging to thrive. I look forward to continuing to build this community with you in the year ahead.

 

Love,