September, 2011
Last February I got to spend a week with 400+ Unitarian Universalist ministers at a retreat center in California. The theme was transformation. What does it mean to be transformed by our churches, by our religion? There was a strong tension. How can we strive for transformation as a perpetual goal and yet affirm each other in who we are right now – valuable, lovable, beautiful, good.
In July, I spent a week as the minister-in-residence of the Goldmine Youth Leadership School at Ferry Beach in Maine. Seventeen high school students from around the district (NH, VT, ME), joined three adult staff and three youth staff for an intense week of hands-on learning about leadership, worship, UU identity, and ethics. The transformation I got to observe and experience was palpable. Within a few short days, each one of the participants had gained a whole new understanding of leadership. It became clear that careful listening, a keen awareness of group dynamics, an ability to bring out the best in others were critical leadership qualities. They learned to structure meetings, ask open-ended questions, and take energy breaks as necessary.
By the end of the week, the leadership of our daily worship planning, our covenant groups, and most other activities had entirely shifted to the participants. They created worship that was highly meaningful. They demonstrated effective leadership in challenging situations. They reflected thoughtfully during their daily two hour silent meditation, and they shared intimately in small groups each night. Yes, there was transformation. Each one of us had changed during the course of this single week. Yet there was no shortage of affirmation. In fact, the transformation became part of the affirmation, and without the continued affirmation the transformation would not have been possible.
The tension I now see is no longer between the goal of transformation and the need for affirmation. The mission of our church and our religious tradition is clearly both. The tension I see is how we create transformative experiences during the short hours we have together each week. The tension I see is how we take the transformation within ourselves and make it count as we help transform the world.
As we get ready for the next church year, let us join then in the spirit of the Goldmine chant: “What is it for us to do?” And answer with conviction: “It is for
us to heal the world.”
~ Reverend Michael Leuchtenberger
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