HELLO!

If you are like me, you seldom receive a letter that is not a) advertising, b) soliciting for a good cause or c) a renewal notice from a government or insurance agency. But today the Moderator of the United Church of Canada wrote me. It was a form letter, of sorts. It was addressed to all clergy ordained 35 years ago. Actually, it’s my 36^th anniversary serving as a full-time minister. Not to bore you with details, but…way back when, the process for becoming a UCC minister was…an undergraduate degree, three years of seminary, and either two summer four-month, or one eight-month, internship. When I graduated from AST, I had completed all requirements, except one four-month internship (when my AST classmates completed their first summer internship I had worked instead, for Habitat for Humanity in Georgia, US). The late Ray Francis (who once served Woodlawn as minister) went to AST looking for a graduating student who wasn’t to be ordained, who might fill in for a year as the Digby-Sandy Cove church looked for a permanent minister. Given ordination is always held in May, I would need to wait till 1991 to be ordained. However, the UCC assured me, my service in 1990, working full time, living in the manse, would count on my pensionable years. This is why I consider myself beginning year 37. While the Pension Fund agrees, the Moderator wrote me with congratulations for 35 years. Most of my fellow graduates (1990) are long since retired. Some day soon, so will I.

Since 1990 I have held a dissenting POV on what clergy need, by way of feedback and support. Poor Bethe has heard this so many times. Several years ago, things came to a head, it was becoming clear the UCC had a challenge to face, colleagues were on leave, and one reason named was not feeling the support needed to offer their ministry. How could the larger UCC help? Surveys, feedback forms, webinars, were circulated to all of us, across the country, soliciting responses. One of the practical offerings made was the Sabbatical time given to clergy who had served a church for an extended period. Another was these letters, written by the Moderator, to affirm us as clergy. For at least two decades, our cultural assumption is…affirm, affirm, affirm. Tell people how special they are, how gifted they are. You see this in all institutions, be they business, government, non-profit. Seniors will recall the shift this truly is, there was a time when “there is no need to thank-affirm people for doing what they are supposed to do” (Chris Rock has a comedy routine built around this). Creating a culture where we are reminded how appreciated and affirmed we are, is never a bad thing, an improvement from the past.

But I wonder, what happens when these affirmations start to sound rote, like clichés, where these words lose their genuineness-authenticity? That is where I sit. Alternatively what works for me is this, when making one’s gifts “available” to make a “difference” there is a peace of mind, a satisfaction, that somehow what we do, even when it is hard, feels “worth it”. For instance, the way Bethe’s affection, studied presence and hopefulness makes every place she visits, every person she meets, every situation she engages, healthier and more joyful. In all my responses to the UCC, and other agencies, seeking ways to care for those experiencing stress, I have tried to share how “being available” and “making a difference” can bring opportunity, perspective and hope. “You are awesome and amazing” does not resonate for me. But I realize I am an outlier. Still, there are others who feel as I do. Peace, Kevin