Rev. Lori on The Ministry Outside the Pulpit: What Do You Do To Take Care of Our Community?
A version of this reflection was originally published in the previous week’s Friday Flyer.
There is a temptation to think of church as something that simply happens on Sunday morning—a service prepared, a building opened, coffee brewed, music sung. But a thriving congregation is not built by one voice, one leader, or one committee. It flourishes because many hands and many hearts quietly, faithfully, lovingly say: I will help carry this. To flourish together is to recognize that ministry belongs to all of us.
In Unitarian Universalism, ministry is not confined to the pulpit. Ministry happens when someone welcomes a newcomer with warmth. When a caring note is sent to someone struggling. When a committee wrestles with finances, repairs a building, teaches children, tends worship, amplifies our message online, or speaks for justice in the wider world. Every act becomes part of the living ecosystem of this congregation.
Flourishing does not mean perfection. Gardens flourish not because every season is easy, but because many things work together—sunlight and rain, roots and pollinators, pruning and patience. Congregations are much the same. We flourish when we share our gifts, trust one another through change, and remember that none of us carries this community alone.
This weekend we celebrate the truth that this church is not simply a place we attend. It is something we build together. And in giving our gifts—our time, our care, our wisdom—we often discover something unexpected: that as we help the community flourish, we ourselves are changed and nourished as well. The yard sale could not have been better timed to take place this weekend as it is also a living and dynamic example of what it means to be in community! Even if you dont serve a “standing” committee, your help in these kinds of events is vital. These events tell the world we are here in a different language. They invite people in to see our banner and smiling faces and experience the welcome we want to be in the world.
There will not be prayers or meditations or chalice lighting or organ preludes at the yard sale. But people's presence there is as holy as it is on Sunday. Please join us. As I mentioned last week, we are starting the tradition that everyone finds a “treasure” to purchase and steward. Perhaps give it as a gift or in a yankee swap. Or, return it for the next yard sale. Help us make this joyful and a dynamic reflection of who we are!
My questions for the week: What is the first thing you think of when you think of our church? Who takes care of that thing? What could you do this week to learn more about it and/or help take care of it? Go forth and do it with joy!
Peace and Blessings,
Rev Lori Whittemore
(she, her, hers)
Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco Biddeford