June 2008
Following the May 18 Sunday Service, a number of people asked me to post in writing those documents I recommended you read. They are: The Unitarian Controversy edited by Conrad Wright; “The Divinity School Address” by Ralph Waldo Emerson; “Unitarian Christianity” by William Ellery Channing and “The Transient and the Permanent in Christianity” by Theodore Parker. These three are available in one volume titled Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism, edited by Conrad Wright. I also urge you to read Walking Together by Conrad Wright. This last is an illumination of congregational polity. This will ground you in the Unitarian half of our tradition. The seminal text for Universalism is A Treatise on Atonement by Hosea Ballou. The Larger Faith by Charles A. Howe will not make you an expert on American Universalism but it is an accurate history in brief and very readable format. I hope you find pleasure reading these. One of the many joys of ministry is helping teach our marvelous history. All these titles are available in your church library.
I bid you all farewell in this, my last article as your minister. As most of you now know, I am going to the Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to serve as interim minister for a year. I am excited about this new venture, but also sorry in many ways to be leaving Concord. My time here has brought me much joy. Leaving a church is one of the most difficult parts of ministry. UU ministers are bound by the Guidelines of the UUMA (Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association). These Guidelines state that a minister must sever all relations with former congregants. That means that I cannot invite you to visit me in Ottawa nor can I accept your invitations to see you in Concord. Is this harsh? You bet. But the Guidelines are in place for good reasons and I will honor them.
I know that some of my colleagues have interpreted this with a bit of flexibility but there is no ambiguity in the rule and I will adhere to it. I will really miss you, but if we agree to live by rules, then we are bound by those rules, including the ones we don’t like. I left folks in Binghamton who were also dear and cherished friends. I’ve had no contact since 1999.
Should we encounter one another at a gathering such as General Assembly, for example, we could probably have a cup of coffee or some other libation together. Of course we could not talk about this church at all. “Sever all relations” does not leave much wiggle room. This is for me a painful reality.
I will hold you in my heart always. I have loved you. I wish all things good for each of you and for this church. I have been honored to be your minister and I am grateful.
Amitiés and love,
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