In the Interim
Reflections from your Interim Minister,
Rev. Mary Wellemeyer

ell, here you are, nineteen years old! And planning to celebrate your twentieth by calling a new, full-time minister! This little congregation has become a young adult!

While in some ways, I find myself already looking toward next year, when the interim process ends and a new ministry begins, I'm also thrilled to be here with you, now, as you claim your young adulthood and move from being too small to do the things you want to being “big enough.” I can feel you settling into a new stage. You have energy and excitement about what you are doing now and your plans reflect your sense of purpose.

Right now, you are looking toward the resources you will need to move into the 2012-2013 fiscal year with your purpose, your mission. So it's a time to be considering the financial resources you can contribute as individuals and families. It's also a good time to think of the personal gifts you have to offer for the coming season, gifts that can probably be given even before the fiscal year begins!

Your church needs contributions of time, talent and treasure from all its members, not just from a few. This is truly a do-it-yourself church! And the coming year is a challenge to stretch on all fronts. You came most of the way to providing full support for the salary of the minister this year. One challenge is to close that gap. Less obvious, perhaps, is the challenge presented by the search process to your leadership pool. Seven of you will be needed for a year and several months to find your new minister. That means seven others, at least, need to come forward to fill other leadership roles. Are you resting between roles? Time to consider how to end your sabbatical! Are you not quite sure you are ready to lead? This is the time to find the role you can fill. Ask around. Get your feet wet. It's not as hard as you think! Are you feeling a little stale in the role you have? This could be a time to make a change.
But most of all, this is the time to reflect on what your church means to you. This is a connection that can change your life, if you let it. Not only that, these are the people who will give you the support you need when things are falling apart, the people who will be there for you when you are making some big change in your life, and so much more. These are the people who will stand with you as you work for love and justice. But you know that. It's time to remember, and act accordingly.

Happy birthday, Columbine! May the returns of this day as years roll on find you happy and healthy, doing the work of transforming lives and transforming your community!

See you in church!
Lots of love, 

Mary

How to get in touch with Mary:
Phone: Mary can be reached at 720-785-0834.
Email: minister@columbineuuchurch.org
Office: Monday mornings, 9 till noon;
Wednesday afternoons, 4 to 6; or Thursday
mornings, 9 till noon

Charter for Compassion: A call to Bring the world together ... The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect. It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion. We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies. We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community. Add your voice: www.charterforcompassion.org