Minister's Column – February, 2017

Dear Ones,
My Installation is in less than three weeks!
No, we’re not hanging me on the wall like an art installation. Nor will I be installed like a dishwasher. On the evening of Feb. 19, I will be installed as the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura’s 7th settled senior minister. The service is an affirmation of the covenantal relationship between the minister and the congregation.
I’ve been talking a lot lately – to our newest members and to the latest covenant groups – about what it means to be a cov­enantal rather than a creedal faith. We do not gather around a set of shared beliefs. We gather around a set of promises we make to one another: promises about how we will live by our values, promises about what it means to journey together in faith, even as we believe many different things.
It is a powerful spiritual path when we do it well.
It sometimes surprises people when they find that the Puri­tans and Pilgrims of 17th century New England are our religious forbears. Indeed, the Pilgrims’ congregation in Plym­outh, Massachusetts is a Unitarian Universalist church. Our direct lineage to them comes in two ways. They were both covenantal and non-creedal as we are today. They required no statement of belief to be a member of the community. They simply agreed to walk together.
One of the earliest covenants was a promise to “walk together in the ways of the Lord, known and to be made known.” Our religious forebears knew that revelation is an on-going pro­cess, that what is good and holy is constantly revealed more fully in our lives. Their beliefs were rather different than most of ours today. Yet after nearly 400 years, being covenantal not creedal made room for evolution of faith. And here we are.
So that lineage is handed down to us, today. We will move – together – a little farther down the path.
The covenant between a minister and congregation is par­ticularly powerful in our tradition. We promise mutual support. I promise to minister with authenticity and integ­rity, from my understanding of what is good and holy. The congregation promises to live, learn and grow in spirit and to support the church. We promise together to be partners in this ministry.
I am anticipating a joyful and powerful service on Feb. 19. I hope to see you there!
With love,
Rev. Dana