Dear friends,
It was a pleasure to meet so many of you at Victoria’s ordination and I am looking forward to joining you all on August 1!
Let me introduce myself a little more. I am a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, and my UU roots go back to my father’s parents. They were married in a Unitarian church and were members of churches in Cleveland and Washington DC. My mother found Unitarianism in her teens because All Souls in Washington was where all the cute boys were in the youth group. She found a religious home for the rest of her life there, and was active locally and nationally. I grew up active in the church and made a commitment to ministry in college upon the death of a beloved minister of my home congregation.
I will celebrate the 40th anniversary of my ordination on April 1 next year, and am a bit astounded that I have been serving for that long. My career has included working with an outreach ministry on the north side of Chicago serving homeless teens. This included being the lead on founding the Open Door Youth Shelter, a safe space for homeless teens to this day. My work in congregations includes settled ministries in Woodstock, Vermont, Spokane and Tacoma in Washington, and in Richmond (yes, where Ted Lasso coached) in southwest London. My work with the Tacoma congregation included 2 ½ years as a Developmental minister. I’ve done part-time contract work with the Rainier Valley UU congregation in Seattle and with All Souls congregation in Lacey. I served interims in Bethel, Connecticut and Marysville WA.
My husband, Peter Teets, and I are still recovering from our daughter’s wedding on June 24 as we continue the process of staging our move to Port Townsend. I’ll be moved into our house in PT sometime around July 20, and will start getting my bearings. Peter is currently undergoing treatment for cancer in Olympia, and will continue to be in our apartment there on weekdays until late August.
I am excited about getting started on this new adventure with all of you. I am ready to get to know QUUF and all of you.
My first task when I arrive is to start listening. Along with the Transition Team, I’ll be arranging times to meet with committees, work teams, and other groups that meet regularly. I’m also looking forward to meeting with small groups of members and friends in which I can hear hopes and dreams as well as concerns. We’ll be arranging a sign-up system so that everyone gets a chance to join in.
During my first month, I’ll be learning about the congregation and trying to get a sense of the shape of our work together. I’ll be listening to understand the history of the congregation, the strengths, and the areas that need some work.
Years ago, one of my friends went on a walk to a nearby store with her young granddaughter. “I know a shortcut!” the granddaughter exclaimed. “Let’s go!” my friend agreed. The young one in the lead, they went up and down and around and back and all over it seemed, arriving at the store much later than my friend intended. Back home, my friend explained the difference between a shortcut and an adventure.
As this begins, we embark upon an adventure. There is no shortcut to somewhere in the future, but only the getting there, the up and down, probably circuitous route to find what’s next for QUUF. I invite you to join me in that spirit, and let us begin this journey with hope and with joy.