It is the beginning of September. No matter how long I have been out of school, this time in our calendar—when the leaves begin to show some color and a new crispness appears in the air–always makes me think and feel excited (and maybe nervous!) about changes, bright new beginnings, and transitions.
I share with you this poem called “Blessing the Threshold” by Jan L. Richardson because I am on a threshold of my own. And so are you. And so is this community. And I can hardly believe my good fortune to have finally arrived and landed among you.
So, hello! My name is Martha Durkee-Neuman and I am your new Assistant Minister for Lifespan Faith Formation. I use she and her pronouns and I come to you most recently from serving the Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Washington State. I am originally from a small town in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge–between Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams–in rural southern Washington.
I am so excited for us to get to know each other more. I am looking forward to hearing your stories, your joys, and struggles, the things you love about your church, the things you are dreaming of. I welcome and embrace it all. Come and find me after worship and after committee meetings, and tell me a story you want me to know.
I will tell you just a little bit about me as we start this journey together.
I love to dance. I love to swim in the sea. I love to read–fiction and science fiction and memoir and anything rich and juicy and astonishing (please recommend me your favorite book!). I love to tell stories. I love to hear stories. I love having a cup of strong black tea with honey and cream. I love meeting new people. I love walking in the woods. I love dinner parties with beloved friends crowded around a table. I love making crafts (collage is my favorite!). I love folk and bluegrass music. I love my old, red, clunky, stick-shift car (she is the Chili Peppa–say hello to her in the parking lot, you’ll know her by her chili pepper sticker!). I love the wisdom of our children and young people. I love my faith.
I was raised UU in a small lay-led fellowship where people took care of one another and where my Coming of Age mentors and OWL teachers are still beloved elders in my life that I have coffee with when I visit my hometown. I was an active youth leader in my congregation and the denomination. I led a small group campus ministry and have been involved in young adult ministries throughout my life. I served our neighbors at the First Parish in Malden as their Director of Religious Education for four years. I come to you as someone who has worked with and cherished and celebrated our young people in Unitarian Universalism for my whole life.
I come to you so excited to be in this beautiful and vibrant community. What you all have built here together is so remarkable. I am thrilled to partner with you as we work on visioning what we want to continue to build together – in particular with how we learn with and from each other.
I cannot do this alone. I need your thoughts, your visions, your dreams, your care, your work.
My vision of religious education starts with James Baldwin’s: “The children are always ours, every single one of them.” All the children of this community are our children. Religious education is one of the ways that we live this out as true. Faith formation programming demonstrates our love for them and each other. And it takes all of us to create that love.
My vision of religious education is one where this knowledge is integrated into a glowing, connected, lively multigenerational community. I believe that our children and youth and young people are not the future of Unitarian Universalism, they are our present. And how we incorporate them into our church life, center them in how we are with one another, and appreciate the richness of their experiences matters a great deal.
So we are going to start as a whole community.
As I begin to work on putting together RE classes, a schedule, programs, and dreams–in the meantime, we will spend some time as a whole integrated multigenerational community with children and young people in our spaces. You can expect All Ages Worship. You can expect faith formation programming on Sunday mornings and other times, taught by the amazing members of this community (Coming soon! With your help!). You can expect the nursery to be open for childcare for our littlest community members every Sunday (as soon as possible!). You can expect opportunities for intergenerational play, collaboration, and joy. You can expect me (with my clipboard!) to ask for your collaboration and support.
I invite all children and youth to start together in worship every Sunday. On Sunday, September 22nd, the kids and I will spend some time getting to know each other in All Ages Children’s Chapel after the story. On Sunday, September 29th, I invite you to join me in intentionally multigenerational worship.
Look for information upcoming from me about how this will all work and also about what I will be looking for. I need you. I need your hearts and your hands. I am so excited about what we can do together with your amazing religious education program.
For now–come and find me and tell me what you love. And I will find a place for your hands and your heart here. We will do our best to say yes to this blessing, together.
This blessing has been waiting for you for a long time.
Welcome
Welcome
Welcome.
With great love,
Martha
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