 Dear Starr King Friends,
This fall, at Starr King's opening convocation,
I remarked - to my own astonishment - that I am beginning my twentieth year as
president of the school. Clearly, I
believe in work for the long haul!
Ministry and religious leadership are always
long-haul tasks and they require spiritual stamina. The struggles for freedom
and justice, the cries for compassion, mercy and healing - do not cease. Every
generation must take up the tasks of its time, but nothing will be completed in
our lifetime. Ministry began before we
were born and it will continue long after us. I feel privileged simply to have
a part in carrying forward the long legacy of caring.
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I congratulate the students beginning their preparation
for ministry and religious leadership this year at Starr King (see our recent Snapshot newsletter for photo and story).
They are joining a community - a communion - that crosses the
generations. In this year's opening
convocation sermon, I reflected on the importance of spiritual grounding for
all of us. We can only bear with the tasks
that are larger than ourselves if we are refreshed and sustained by sources
larger than ourselves. If you'd like to read the sermon, it is posted here Convocation Sermon 2009.pdf.
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Starr King School for the Ministry itself is beginning its one hundred
and fifth year. Having attained a
venerable age, you might think the School would be getting tired, but we are at
a fresh beginning. In this new phase of
the school's life, we are building on the best of the school's heritage of
student-centered education, and we are creatively transforming our educational
work to prepare religious leaders attuned to the needs of our time, with a
vision for the future.
Our mission is clear: to educate people for Unitarian
Universalist ministry and for religious leadership in society. We are here for the long haul!
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