Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church

A Welcoming Congregation 

We were each raised in UU congregations on the east coast and both ordained in the 1980s, Barbara after graduating from Meadville/Lombard Theological School in Chicago (1985), Jaco from Starr King School in Berkeley (1988). Barbara later received her Doctor of Ministry from Meadville/Lombard (D.Min., 2007) with an emphasis in worship.

We each began our ministerial careers in the Seattle area with a decade or more of serving separately fulltime at neighboring UU churches (Barbara in Bellevue and Woodinville, WA; Jaco in Edmonds, WA). We left to begin formally working together as Interim Senior Co-ministers in Golden, CO, for the 1998-99 church year. We then enjoyed nine years of joint settlement at Paint Branch UU Church, Adelphi, MD. (All our co-ministry positions have been sharing one FTE position.)

Since teaming up, we have been able to collaborate effectively on numerous special projects, such as writing a practical curriculum together (“Articulating Your UU Faith,” UUA, 2003) and being co-theme speakers at various UU settings, including twice for Eliot Institute at Seabeck Conference Center on the Hood Canal (2000 and 2008).

As co-ministry partners, we are allies to each other—gentle critics and strong supporters. We work well together because we trust each other implicitly and both agree that the other is a good minister. That said, we do function differently and our diverse styles cover a large array of skills and gifts, not to mention two lifetimes of beloved connections within Unitarian Universalism. In many aspects we serve as each other's primary consultant, helping to forge satisfying approaches to the demanding dynamics of church life. We are loving allies and enjoy being a role model for other couples.

We share a stimulating vision of Unitarian Universalist ministry and congregational life, but approach it differently. We are very comfortable together and heartily enjoy our co-ministry path. We live happily in Winslow on Bainbridge Island, WA, with our cat, Sophie (“Sophia Lion Paws”).

As a lifelong UU, I like to say that I am a Unitarian because I believe that by whatever name we call the holy, it is ultimately one; and I am a Universalist because I believe that at the center of that one-ness is the holy spirit of love. I struggle with (and resist) the frustrating UU tendency to want to define us by what we don’t believe. While I understand the power of diversity in our religious tradition, I think we are often more alike than we are willing to acknowledge. I try to find common ground instead of drawing spiritual boundaries that seem arbitrary and divisive.

My understanding of ministry is based on my experiences both growing up in Unitarian Universalist congregations and serving five during the past 23+ years. Ministry, as I understand it, is not something that belongs to the professional clergyperson alone. Ministry that is shared with the whole church creates a dynamic, inclusive congregation where everyone's gifts are recognized and utilized in service to the community.

Shared ministry does not lessen the role of the professional clergy—quite the opposite. The minister and the laity create a whole ministry to the church and society by doing what each does best. The professional minister must function competently and creatively in many areas including preaching, leading worship, counseling, administration, religious education across the lifespan, and service to the wider community. She must be accepting of ambiguity, and open to change and spiritual growth. She must be a vision keeper for the congregation, carrying the stories and myths of our particular religious tradition to the congregation and beyond.

The ministry of the laity includes the freedom and responsibility to respond to the congregational vision and work with the minister to carry it out. I call this “giving the ministry away.” Giving the ministry away begins with an attitude toward church life that sees in everything we do the potential for ministry. It is acted out through shared leadership and empowered laity.

Within the context of shared leadership, I have discovered a style of ministry that works. As a strong leader, I do not shy away from speaking my mind and making clear my vision. Yet, I also deeply value the dialogue that occurs in community, as human lives touch and impact each other. As a minister I am privileged to be with people at all levels: when they are struggling as well as sure, when they are hurting as well as happy, when they are growing as well as griping. If my presence or my words can invite them to look deeper inside for answers, or challenge them to reach out to others, or just allow them to feel whole when the world sees them as partial, then I am confident that ministry is occurring. And when they can share their gifts with me and I, too, discover new possibilities in myself, then I delight in the shared ministry we are creating.

My life's work revolves around energizing the collective intention of a religious community, especially as inspired by our UU Principles and the value of diversity.

I affirm and cultivate the power of every person's passion for the gifts they find in themselves and the paths they are moved to follow. I believe that the pursuit of such passionate intention is an authentic portrayal of individuality that, when shared, is also a life force of community. I see the UU ministry as a creative platform from which I can shape the rest of my life in consort with others, building together a benevolent blend of inspiration and challenge. 

I believe wholeheartedly that ministry is rooted in our backyard, that by helping each other find mutual healing we can begin to heal the distressed planetary relationships that confront us daily. The compelling balance of the universe also demands that we branch out to consider the larger picture of our society and how our worldviews impact that dimension. Religious implications abound at all levels, thirsting for attention and action.

I am an eager student of men's issues, believing that even as we strive to incorporate feminist values in our society, we men must also travel our own paths of awareness. Such movement is held very importantly in a religious context. Unitarian Universalism is able to offer men the kind of safe and transitional, yet stimulating environment we need in order to have transformational impact on the oppressions that involve us. Male ministers are models, one way or another.

I perceive that liberal religion is evolving into an ever-greater leadership role in our society, both as a prophetic voice and as a positive modeling of coherence between our values and our actions. Amid the distressing decline of moral direction from many of our political leaders, liberal churches can offer a profoundly holistic and interdependent vision, one that carries a religious concern for the welfare of the entire planet into the future.

I also believe in a pan-generational ministry that appreciates both elder issues and youth concerns. I deeply respect and enjoy young people, I attract and cherish my mid-life peers, and I honor with a parallel respect those who are senior to me. I carry in my mind and heart a church that we of all ages can love.

Theologically, I prefer to avoid labels, but would probably fit into some kind of naturalistic humanist box, locating my human experience in a larger context of life. My theology is evolving to explore the complex manifestations and challenging implications of interdependence, with an appreciation of abundance and “the holy.” I sense that life is greater than the sum of its parts, but am comfortable without over-defining that unknowable mystery.

I am theologically eclectic, finding that wisdom and useful insights come in many forms, from many directions—often unpredictably so. For instance, I have pursued a longtime interest in Taoism, which offers some intriguing principles that may well help me to live more out of the ‘oneness’ I profess. And I find that western Buddhist teachers offer a very helpful counterbalance to the materialism of our time.

In general, I believe we UUs derive our authority from our authenticity, so I endeavor to deepen my own centeredness as a humble yet trustful touchstone. I try to live an embodied life, balancing thought, reflection and intuition with activity and physical awareness.