Dear Ones,

This morning while putting things away in the church I looked in the "Ask the Minister" box to see if there were any questions I have not answered. There was one from Michael Gold, "Why did you want to switch churches when you came here?"

There were a number of reasons, Michael. First, the church I was serving up in New Hampshire could no longer afford a full time minister. They had been using their trust funds (like a special savings account) to pay me but their building needed a lot of work. They wanted me to stay but I thought they needed to save their building instead.

Second, my son's father continued to live and work in California, flying back and forth across the country to see Nick. Five years of that was hard for everyone so we agreed it was time for all of us to live in the same area. I looked for jobs in California and here, and was lucky enough to have offers in both places. My son's dad, his stepmother, and I decided where it would be best to live. I really wanted to move here, and that happened.

Finally, I chose Unity Church mostly because the search committee and I really "clicked" when we met. I was excited by the opportunity to serve you and thought it would be a good match. When I came here and met all of you, that clinched it.

We do not live in a perfect world, so there have been some challenges. However, on the whole I think it has been a good four years. Some of my highlights include

• getting to know as many of you as possible, as well as possible.
• watching you kids grow up and dedicating new babies to grow up with you.
• welcoming new people and seeing some of them become leaders.
• helping the Lifespan Religious Education Committee make Sunday School even better. Last year we hired Deanna Greenstein who is wonderful!
• working with leaders to develop new ways for you to minister to each other.
• learning from the people who helped fix up both the church and Holly House.
• the music! I have enjoyed the soloists, all the choirs, and the Unity Church band.
• starting multimedia worship. I know some people don't like it but it changed the way I write sermons and do worship - more visual and more spiritual.

So, Michael (and all of you), there are many reasons why I came here and why I have loved being your minister. I am sad to go and will miss you very much. You are talented, creative, dedicated and thoughtful people. I believe these qualities will help you in the future, and so will your willingness to "agree to disagree" about some things so you can work together on the rest.

 

I wish you every joy and blessing,

Tess

A New Congregational Discussion  

At the recent Special Congregational meeting, the 38 members who attended voted to move to part-time ministry in order to balance our budget. With Rev. Tess' departure, this brings a great challenge and perhaps an opportunity to Unity Church.

This year is going to be a transition to a different way of doing things, and we need to plan our future.

To explore our many options, the Executive Committee will hold three congregational discussions over the next two months. They will be similar to the budget discussions held over the summer, and hopefully just as well attended. I know they will be just as productive.

The Executive Committee will spell out the differences between the types of Ministry so that everyone can understand them and we will all have a good basis for discussion. I think that once everyone is comfortable with the economics of the various choices, a very productive exchange of ideas on how to direct our funds and our energy will happen.

This will be a challenge but in the end I believe that the circumstances that we face together will help define us for the better.

Congregational Discussion Dates 

• Wednesday, October 24 at 7 pm 
• Thursday, November 8 at 7 pm 
• Tuesday, November 27 at 7 pm 

If you have any questions, please contact me at cbpender@comcast.net or 508-238-9181.

 

Respectfully,

Chris Pender, President 

• Oct. 27, 2012 - Halloween Party, 5 pm - 8 pm in Parish Hall. Costumes welcome on all ages. Volunteers needed to assist and donations gladly accepted. Contact Cheryl Brigante at cherylbrigante@hotmail.com or Sally MacIsaac at alexdanmac@yahoo.com

• Nov. 18, 2012 - Thanksgiving Luncheon
• Dec. 8, 2012 - Adult Holiday Party

Look for more information soon. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Cheryl Brigante, Fellowship Committee Chair, at cherylbrigante@hotmail.com.