The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, Oregon

THE CALL

The Reverend Richard R. Davis

Sermon for November 1

            Sometime back in the mid 1990’s, we at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Salem , OR realized that the time had come to send our Director of Religious Education, Millie Rochester, away.  No, we weren’t getting rid of her – far from it.  We were sending her off for a semester of continuing education at Meadville Lombard School of Theology in Chicago – one of two in our country (the other being Starr King School for the Ministry) that prepares students for the Unitarian Universalist ministry.   

            It was going to take money to pull this off, so we secretly conspired to receive a special offering in a Sunday service to fund Millie’s trip to Meadville and then surprise her with our gift.  We knew this wouldn’t be hard to do – our hardworking Director of Education always stayed down in the basement overseeing the children’s religious during Sunday services. 

            So there I was, just getting to the heart of my pitch for this most worthy cause when suddenly I saw Millie climbing the stairs.  She took a seat in the back of the sanctuary.  Surprised by her unexpected appearance, I blurted out, in the same tone you might use if you suddenly found an intruder in your home:  “Millie, what are you doing here?”  Then, suddenly shifting gears I continued “What I mean to say is “It’s SO good to see you up here Millie.”  Actually it wasn’t.  It’s the only time in my life I wasn’t glad to see her.  If she’d stayed downstairs I’d have had a chance to give a more compelling pitch and people would probably have reached deeper into their pockets.   As it was, I had to abruptly end my comments and lamely say, “We’ll now receive the offering.”  Millie was clueless.  Still, the congregation was generous because they knew the basic purpose for our offering that morning.

            Millie was delighted when we told her about this opportunity to study at Meadville Lombard.  She thought that we were sending her for further training as a religious educator but really, we had a bit more in mind – we wanted to whet her appetite at theology school and entice her to enter the path toward ordained ministry. 

            We may have recognized Millie’s call to the ministry before she did.  Certainly, my predecessor in Salem – the Rev. Maureen Killoran (a Canadian) saw Millie’s potential and recruited her to direct our Religious Education program.   Then I and some others recognized that she had a call to the ordained ministry so we aimed her down this path.  Or perhaps Millie recognized her call to the ministry but kept this to herself and just needed others to affirm that call.  In any event, we all recognized that Millie had a call to the ministry and one of the highlights in our congregational history was ordaining her after she completed her studies and was admitted into Fellowship by the Unitarian Universalist Association. 

            And now, here we are on the day that Millie is to be installed as your minister at the Unitarian Universalist church in Winnipeg .   I’ve always thought that was a rather odd word to describe this august event.   This particular usage undoubtedly pre-dates the era of modern appliances, but today we often use the word installed in reference to what you first do to them – you have your refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer installed.  But a human being, ordained clergy?  It sounds like the person is being fixed in place, rendered motionless, and I hope that you don’t want to do that to Millie – I hope you want her to have a free and spiritually mobile ministry. 

Yet upon reflection, on a more spiritual plane good ministry does bear some resemblance to modern  appliances – Somewhat like a refrigerator ministers are called to preserve a fresh perspective and vision;  like a stove we are called to heat up some good spiritual nutrition;  like a washer we are called to help was away the dirty thoughts and feelings that soil our souls;  and like a clothes dryer ministers are there to dry you out after the storms of life have left you wet and cold. 

            While we’re on the subject of appliances here’s a question which springs to mind:  in her role as your installed minister is Millie going to be as reliable on the spiritual realm as a good appliance is on the material plane?   Barring a power failure the refrigerator does its job night and day, 24/7; the stove, washer and dryer are also there for you any time of the night or day.  Can you count on Millie to match this level of Maytag reliability?   In a word, can you count upon her to function like a machine?

            Quite frankly, from a ministerial perspective, it can sometimes feel like that’s how we’re being asked to function – to be up and running at a moment’s notice, to be there for anyone, anytime.  It can feel overwhelming.  We need some help – actually, a whole lot of help.  If the work of ministry falls solely on the minister then the minister will fail and fall.  That’s one guarantee you can count on after you install your ordained ministerial presence.  If the work of ministry is conceived as falling solely upon the shoulders of the ordained clergy she or he will indeed fail and fall.

            And sometimes, I’m sad to say, this does happen.  Either ministers burn out or the congregation kicks them out because they couldn’t meet the Himalayan-high demands of the work.   In my own congregation in Salem , where I’m completing my 17^th year, I’m pleased to say that the congregation clearly understands that ours is a shared ministry.  They know I’m not a machine and that we must work together.

            Now I can imagine some cynic thinking that all this talk about a shared ministry is a clever ruse by the ordained clergy to trick an unwitting laity into doing their work.  Not true.   As I often say to my Life Lines Lay Ministers “you don’t reduce my work load, but you do reduce my guilt load.”  In truth, in sharing our ministry we stay in better contact and maintain relationships of mutual accountability.  A solo act, lone wolf ministry that is not shared, that has no systems of regular contact and accountability, is much more likely to flounder.

            More significantly, a ministry that is not shared fails the congregation – because the members of the community do not have the opportunity to share their gifts and do meaningful work. 

            Now, I know I’m not telling you something you don’t already know.  (mostly, the job of the preacher is not to tell you something you don’t know but rather to remind you of what you do know but may have forgotten, ignore or deny.)   I do know that you already have a shared ministry with Millie and understand that she is not the only one called to serve the highest good.  All of us are called to serve, which, in essence, is what ministry is – serving the greater whole.  I like the words they use to describe this holy work in the Jewish tradition: “Tikkhun Olam,” which means “to repair the world” with compassion, caring and justice.

            One of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever heard about answering the call to shared ministry comes, coincidentally, from your minister’s spouse, Roger, who served on the search committee that originally called me to Salem .  Once he told me that when he earlier joined the congregation he made a resolution to say “yes” to the first five things he was asked to do for our congregation in Salem .  Now it might be risky to publicly announce such a resolution (who knows what you might be asked to do?).  Then, too, it is good to be able to say “No,” to set some reasonable boundaries in your life.  Yet if all you say is “No, I’m too busy to serve.”  “No, I’m no good at that.”  “No, I’ve already done my part.”  “No, I’m not interested,” then you are not answering your call – you’re ignoring it. 

            And you do have a call.  Count upon it.  What exactly is your call?  I couldn’t say but I would suggest that you will know that call when it comes, whether it comes from within or without.  Others may recognize that you have the aptitude for a particular call, even if you do not just as we may recognized Millie’s call to the ministry before she did.  But she also heard that call, and she answered it.

            Now it’s important to consider the special call to the ordained ministry that Millie answered because it involves the use of considerable power.  Unitarian Universalists, for many good reasons, are nervous about power. But ordained UU ministers, who are in fellowship with our larger religious association, and who have been called by a vote of the congregation (a unanimous vote, in Millie’s case!) have been entrusted with power.

There are two pitfalls to be avoided here:  We all know Lord Acton’s dictum that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  Of course no UU minister wields absolute power, but we do have power and when it is wielded in an unaccountable, authoritarian manner, it has a harmful effect.  

            The abuses of power are so harmful that many of us, guided by our egalitarian ideals, forswear the use of it.  Yet that, too, is a mistake – a near fatal error.  Why?  Because powerlessness also corrupts – when we ministers fear the use of our legitimate power, we fail to lead and that means we don’t go anywhere – and we do need to go somewhere to meet the changing, challenging needs of our day; we need to move forward to promote healing, to help, to bring hope to the hopeless ones and challenge the injustices perpetrated by the powerful.  Please remember that you have empowered your called minister, Millie, to do just that – to lead.   Above all, empower her with your love and support.  (a little more on how powerlessness corrupts and also how we are called to lead and grow our movement). 

            In this respect, you actions will speak louder than your words, although kind and compassionate words are essential, the real way to show your commitment to your shared ministry is to answer your own call to it, to do your share. 

            Tonight you install the Rev. Millie Rochester as your settled minister, but this is also the time for you, the members of this congregation, to re-commit yourselves to your shared ministry.   And help each other recognize your calls – we often don’t recognize our own gifts as well as others do.  Don’t be afraid to name the calls you recognize in one another, to invite one another to share in this ministry. 

Even as you now place your trust in Millie to fulfill this shared ministry, so, too, does she place her trust in you.  This is a real covenant – each of us in our free faith tradition is called to fulfill our covenantal obligations.  We don’t have a creed (we’re too independent minded for that), but we are called into covenantal relationship with each other and with the greater whole - the interdependent web of all creation - of which we are a part. 

Each of you has your unique part in this holy endeavor - in your beloved congregation and in the larger community.  Now I don’t really know much about Winnipeg – this being only my second visit here.  I will tell you that, like many Unitarian Universalists from south of this border, we often look at your nation with a measure of admiration and envy.  Indeed, during some dark moments in our nation’s history (including some in the not too distant past) many of us have been tempted to rush en masse across the border into your more enlightened land, much like runaway slaves and draft dodgers did in days of yore.  Yet I must not project perfection upon you because that, too, is dehumanizing – after all, you too, are human beings.  I did live in British Columbia one summer and have conferred with many Canadians over the years - enough to realize that although yours is a wonderful society you, too, have your issues. 

Yet in this place you resolve to face those issues, to meet the crying needs of creation.  You are called to help repair this world, to help heal the hurts and bring hope to those who thought there was none.   Together, minister and congregation alike, you have more power to fulfill this shared ministry than you have yet imagined.  Dream big. Have high hopes.  Love and support one another as you walk your path together and you will go far.  May it be so.