“My Minister’s Satchel”
the Rev. Bruce Russell-Jayne

August 19, 2007 When Cece and I left Utah on our trip to join you here at the Northern Hills Fellowship, I packed this satchel full of items that I thought I would need as your Minister. Today, I will show you what I packed in it. It contains tools and items that will help me do the work of Ministry with you. As you can see, like my hiking stick, my Minister’s Satchel already has a lot of miles on it. It’s easier for me to say that than “I have a lot of miles on me.”
Let’s see, first I’ll show you some things that fortify me personally.
(Hold up pictures)

I brought some pictures to help me remain connected with my friends and family who live in other states. Here is my mother, Marion Hardin, and here is my granddaughter, Emily Rose. These are all the ministers in Utah who took part in my ordination.
(Hold up stole)

Katy, my daughter, gave me this beautiful green stole. It has some symbols of growth on it. Whenever I wear it, I feel close to her. (Put stole on.)

(Hold up map.)
When Cece and I visited here in April, the Ministerial Search Committee gave us tours and directions to all the homes and events. But, since we arrived here this summer on July 7th, 07/07/07 for the record, we have been navigating around Cincinnati on our own. This map the Search Committee gave me has been taped to our wall as we begin to orient ourselves in our new surroundings. During Candidating Week, Karen Showell loaned us her little GPS for the car. After that, I had to have one, and Cece gave me one for Father’s Day. It has been invaluable to us on our excursions around the area. So, don’t worry, when I need to visit someone at a hospital across town, I will be able to find them. I’ll have to say, from what we have seen of Cincinnati so far, we are going to love it here!

(Hold up LaRosa’s Menu)
Ah, and here’s a LaRosa’s take out menu. Mark Mueller introduced me to the one on Springfield Pike. Cece and I love to eat out. We would really like you to tell us about your favorite restaurants – or better yet, let’s go to one together. At least a dozen people gave us invitations to the Manor House at Maple Knoll, and we have been there twice. We feel so welcomed by them. If you welcome new members to your community in the same way you have Cece and me, this church will certainly grow.

(Hold up Costco Card.)
When it came time to bring food to church events in Utah we learned to depend on Costco. We were relieved to find one close to us here. We have begun to find some of the places to shop, and the doctor and the veterinarian for our cats Hermes and Cleopatra. Cece and I would appreciate your recommendations for doctors, dentists, car repairs, hair colorists, etc. Everyone we have met has been friendly and helpful. Dave Beato took us all around, including to Jungle Jim’s. Little did he know at the time that that was only the first of many grocery shopping trips he would be making this Summer while Barb recuperates. Last Sunday, you said goodbye to Reverend Foerster; Annie told me your farewell service and reception were very sweet. Now, one week later, here I am, and I am not the same minister as Annie. Beside the obvious differences, such as the fact that I don’t create quilts, my role as Settled Minister will be different than hers as Interim Minister. I have just been an Interim Minister, so I know a bit about what you have been going through for the past two years. Interim Ministers are a relatively recent invention. It hasn’t always been this way. In the early 19th century, Unitarian and Universalist ministers, once called by a church, expected to serve that congregation for life. If they wanted to retire, they had to bring on a younger minister to do the work and pay him, they were all men back then, out of their own salary. Now days, ministers change churches from time to time. Usually they stay in a church as long as they are able to do good work with the congregation. When that is no longer true, they move on, and the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Department of Ministry and Professional Leadership recommends that a congregation spend some time to regroup before calling a new settled minister right away. When your last Settled Minister, the Reverend Morris Hudgins, left that’s what you decided to do, and Annie became your Interim Minister for a two year period. “Settled Ministers” are called by a super majority vote of the entire congregation and stay with the church for an indefinite period. I hope our time together will be long and productive.
In some ways, Annie and I will be the same. My first duty will be to fulfill the normal responsibilities of a parish minister: For example, I will assist members of the congregation through your life’s great occasions. There are some things in my Satchel that will help me as your new “Settled” minister.

(Hold up Wedding Folder.)
I have already met with two couples to plan their weddings. I use this folder to hold the words during wedding ceremonies when they are held in places like under the big apple tree in someone’s back yard. I will also perform child dedications and memorial services, and I am available for other pastoral care needs. I will meet with committees, lead worship, and do other things I’m sure Annie, and Morris before her, did too. The life and work of this church will go on just as it has. I will not upset the apple cart.
I intend to do Ministry with zest. In addition to the normal parish ministry functions, I will work with you on goals for the future of the Fellowship which you and the Board of Trustees will set. Because I now have a long term stake in this church, I will invest myself in the process of setting and achieving those goals. We will talk and plan and work together collaboratively to engage in the tasks needed to accomplish the goals. I plan to advise you objectively and to remain a “non-anxious presence” during the process.
One of the first things I want to do is to learn more of the history of this Fellowship. I want us all to honor the past and those who came before us who made this place possible for us.Throughout my first year, I invite you to share with me your stories about NHF. I plan for us to do a History Project – to celebrate the church’s watersheds, significant moments and accomplishments. I need to know your difficulties as well as your triumphs. Some of you may still have some hurt feelings about something that happened in the past.

(Hold up box of Kleenex.)
I offer any member an opportunity to talk with me if you are carrying some pain. I will be available to help you appropriately ventilate your feelings. It is a good thing to acknowledge both the good and the bad in your past, to openly tell lessons learned from failures or difficult times, and to move on. The Fellowship’s history relates to its identity, that is, how the congregation sees itself and how the greater community sees us. During my first year, I want to learn about the culture of Northern Hills, your strengths, needs, and challenges.

(Hold up Mirror.)
As I learn about you, I will reflect back to you what I am seeing. I want to know if I see what you see. It’s important that my interpretation is consistent with the congregation’s experience of itself. But it’s not enough for the minister to understand the system; we all need to understand the system. I will feed back my impressions to you so together we will know ourselves as a community.
I will be asking what you especially appreciate about NHF. I will look to see what you are good at. I will ask questions like, “What is Northern Hills Fellowship for? What difference does it make in the world that NHF exists? Is there something here to ignite passionate commitment? What does NHF do to support growth and change among members and in Fellowship life? Does NHF appeal to doers, activists, and people willing to try something? Or more to those who want a safe place for healing from the hurts of life? Or more to those who want a warm, sociable community for nurturing friendships? The answers to questions like these will help you know who you are. Can you say what is unique about the Northern Hills Fellowship?

( Hold up T-Shirt.)
Different People. Different Beliefs. One Faith.
What is the Fellowship’s religious identity? What does it mean if we call ourselves Unitarian Universalists? What does it mean that Northern Hills is part of the UUA? UUA is short for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Is NHF an outpost for individual religious liberals, or does the congregation feel solidarity with the thousand other UU churches in the United States? These are questions about more than each individual’s internal iden-ity; they help define the congregation’s connection with our vital liberal religious movement. Who do we think we are?
I don’t plan to initiate major changes in my first year here. I think it is important for me to know the church better first. However, sometimes change is thrust upon us. When change in direction comes, I will help us navigate.
( Hold up compass.)

You have been in search for a new Director of Religious Education and Bruce Biesner has been our administrator only a few months. I will help new staff get started and will be involved in their supervision. Changes in leadership – both adding new people and others leaving – is to be expected. This can be a good thing; some of your current leaders may feel they have done their jobs long enough. My primary role in working with volunteers is to be your pastor, and as such I want to help people plug into NHF in ways that feed them, that make their lives more complete, not in ways that don’t work for them or burns them out. It is better if people gravitate into areas that fit their personalities and skills and that help them with personal growth. Conversely, I will do my best not to run anyone off, but when a church changes ministers, someone may leave either because of or in spite of my efforts. It is sad when that happens, and I will always try to keep us on a middle course which supports all our unique individuals and the overall community at the same time.
I am committed to the idea of strengthening your already vibrant sense of community. We can do that by paying attention to the basics.

(Hold up Churchworks.)
This book, Churchworks: A Well Body Book for Congregations, is a handbook published by the Unitarian Universalist Association for sustaining and growing a healthy church. It covers many of the things people need to know about if they are going to serve in any church. It can be a big help to new leaders in our organization. It talks about things like: Financial policies, procedures, and guidelines, and
Animating Congregational Life and defining congregational values, and
Fostering Good Communications; listening and hearing one another, and
What ministers do; and my favorite one - the care and feeding of ministers
The most essential component of church life is its sense of community. I will always make nurturing our community a priority. Feeling we are part of a community requires us to connect to each other in ways that allow respectful and trusting relationships. Northern Hills may be one big happy family, but it’s hard for most people to feel closely connected to everyone in the entire congregation all at once. Small groups are a way to foster the kinds of intimate connections and deep relationships people need.

(Hold up Small Group Ministry.)
I have some experience with Small Group Ministry, also known as Covenant Groups in many UU churches. The Ministerial Search Committee expressed interest in them and asked me to float the idea to the congregation. Later this church year I will hold an informational meeting about them. If you decide to use them, they could be a really good thing for us.

(Hold up Rainbow Stole.)
Let this stole represent your former ministers going back several years Gary James, Sharon Dittmar, Morris Hudgins, Annie Foerster. While they were here, you accomplished many things, and lived through some highs and some lows. With them you have come to be who you are today. Right now, your vision of a new minister is mostly informed by what they were like. You don’t know me very well, yet. Until we have a chance to talk a lot more, I ask that we all determine that we will trust each other just a little bit. If we assume we can trust the same way Meg Barnhouse did with the truckers in the middle of the night, maybe we’ll make it on down the next stretch of road OK. As we have more time together, we will reflect on our direction in ministry. Not now, but next year and beyond we may go in new directions.

Listen to this poem by Bill Holm called Advice:
Someone dancing inside us
Learned only a few steps:
The “Do-Your-Work” in 4/4 time,
The “What-Do-You-Expect” waltz.
He hasn’t noticed yet the woman
Standing away from the lamp,
The one with black eyes
Who knows the rumba,
And strange steps in jumpy rhythms
From the mountains in Bulgaria.
If they dance together,
Something unexpected will happen.
If they don’t, the next world
Will be a lot like this one.

Whether we eventually go in new directions or not, What’s important right now is to attain a condition of harmony, an atmosphere of partnership between you, the congregation, and me, your new settled minister. That’s the first order of business. To help foster a cordial atmosphere, Cece and I would like to invite you all over to our house – though not all at the same time. We will host a series of Dessert Parties starting as soon as we can clear the rest of the boxes out of the foyer and running through the fall. We’ll have just small groups at a time so we can socialize and get to know each other better. Look for sign up sheets in the Quimby Room soon.
Of course, during the Ministerial Search process we started to get to know one another. I have already felt the warm glow that radiates from the heart of this congregation. As we learn more about each other, as we deepen our relationships, I expect we will grow to love each other and the Fellowship all the more. I am convinced that with a good attitude and good leadership, we will grow, and we will be a strong influence for social justice in the Northern Hills community. You have found a minister who is a good match for you, and I plan to stay with you for a long time.

(Hold up Hunchback figurine.)
I anticipate great things in our future together, and I am ready to engage you with vision, strength, and zest!
Hallelujah!