First Congregational UCC Glendale and Yours Truly, Interim Minister? Once again, in a different way, our paths have merged for awhile.  We are companions on a journey, partners in adventure.  I am excited about the prospects of our Interim Time together.  My arrival signals a number of changes - for all of us.  Change is no stranger to me and so I'd like to commiserate a little with you on the subject - if you might allow me the honor. 

Interim Time is a period of time between two events.  Normally those events are the departure of the previous minister(s) and the arrival of the next installed minister(s).  The next "event" for you may be something entirely different.  The future is unpredictable in that way.  We will explore possibilities together.  And one or more of those possibilities will signify the end of our Interim Time and the beginning of your next Adventure as a community of faith.

This In Between Time will be filled with challenges and opportunities... in a word... change.  Change is an emotionally charged word - in both a negative and positive sense.  The "ordeal of change" is the effort and energy that must be expended in order to let go of something familiar and to create something new.  This ordeal is necessary when we are creating a work of art, starting or ending an employment situation, moving our living quarters, covenanting, marrying or divorcing, giving birth to or adopting children, watching our children give birth to or adopt children, grieving our losses, simply aging and maturing in our bodies, minds and spirits.

When we are feeling comfortable where we are - change can seem threatening, challenging and overwhelming.  When we are feeling trapped by our circumstances, change (having options) can be celebrated and opportunities welcomed with open arms.  Both reactions are normal.  A range of feelings is to be expected.  A balance is to be sought in our Interim time.

Resistance to change is a human survival mechanism.  Consistency, respect for and preservation of tradition, a sense of history, memory, rootedness are all essential for the continuation of a species, a personality, a community of faith.  I love second hand clothes and old cars; I live in a house built in 1920, filled with old, wooden things; I love Shakespeare, family history, and the poetry and profundity of scripture.  These things are fundamental to who I am.  The past is the sacred ground upon which we all stand.

The ability to welcome and create change is also a human survival mechanism.  Without change, there would be no evolution, no growth, no seasons, no death - and no birth.  We would never mature, learn from our experience, grow wise, find meaning in our being alive.  We would be doomed to repeat mistakes, be trapped in abusive or dissatisfying situations, be bored out of our minds by sameness.  In the last ten years I have lost eight family members, been divorced and remarried, moved four times, come to terms with the fact that I cannot have children and adopted an amazing son, earned certification as a Professional Interim Specialist, applied for and been hired to do numerous part-time jobs and three full-time jobs, spent a year as a full-time mom, assimilated into and out of Japanese-American-Multi-Cultural U.C.C. culture, and learned better ways to preach against portions of scripture that I find to be destructive - especially when profoundly misinterpreted or taken literally. 

These last ten years have been an ordeal.  But I have grown enormously.  I now have a better grasp of what is truly possible for the future.  I now know that it is possible to love again (even at my age!) after heartbreak and despair.  I now have a deeper respect for life and God and the process of aging.  And I have now been brought into your midst to do ministry in this place with you.  Vision, hard work and risk are essential if we are to survive and step boldly into the future we prefer.

So here we are.  We have endless possibilities before us.  If we believe in a God of all of Creation, a God of Constancy and Renewal, a God of History and Eternity, a God of Strength and Flexibility, then we can trust that God will accompany us, guide us, shape us for the most meaningful path - the one that will take us with spirit and style through this (still) new millennium.  What a great adventure we have ahead of us.  Thank you for inviting me along on this leg of the journey.

With Great Anticipation,   Anne