by Rev. Evan Young
Which, as much as I’ve liked it through the years, now feels like a kind of ironic title for this column. Because, as most of you already know, my ministry with this congregation will end on June 30, as I move into another phase of my own ministerial development, and as all of you move into the next phase of your life in community.
We have much to be proud of in our work together. We have grown our congregation in numbers and in capacity to welcome and care for all. We have embraced our mission to teach as well as embody religious pluralism, inclusive community, and sustainable living. We have stretched ourselves with ambitious challenges and goals, and we have celebrated our capacity to achieve them. We have taken upon ourselves and taken to heart the responsibility to care for this faith community and invest in its development.
I have seen you do things I would not have thought possible 10 years ago. And even as you have surprised yourselves, I have seen you swell with pride at the things you have accomplished.
What will you do with the opportunity that is before you? I can’t begin to guess.
But I can look with eagerness and excitement at the prospect, because I know two things. I know what you have been capable of in the past; and I know that all you have accomplished so far is just a hint of the potential that lies within you. Perhaps we will be growing apart from now on–but I believe we will all be growing!