Have I told you lately that I love you?
I wrote a few different drafts of notes for this month’s newsletter. Lots of words. Some good stuff. But then I decided to just keep it simple.
I recently finished reading Search: A Novel, by Michelle Huneven. It’s a fictional account of a search committee tasked with finding the next pastor of a UU church in California. Suffice it to say, I’m sure there were some substantive differences between that search committee and the one that called me here nearly 8 years ago, but it did bring back some memories!
My weekend interview and neutral pulpit took place over the first weekend in October, 2015. I was 7 1/2 months pregnant. Torrential rains in Harrisonburg were making national news. Family weekend meant there were no hotel rooms within an hour radius, if memory serves. I preached in a sanctuary full of pews but scant with church members. The Pastor Nominating Committee comprised about a third of those in the pews, but provided at least 85% of the congregational response and singing. Flies were literally falling from the ceiling. Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?
I entered that weekend feeling really good about Trinity, and I returned home with a bit of a heavy heart. I knew two things. First, there would be another candidate doing the same thing the following weekend. With fewer flies. Second, I would be absolutely heartbroken if I wasn’t called to serve here.
We’ve been through a lot over these past nearly 8 years! Things are rarely simple. But this truth remains. I am so grateful to have been called here to serve as your pastor, and I love you!
Grace and Peace,
Stephanie