[Old Staff]: Many of you know that today is my last day with you as a staff-person. I have been so thankful for the many ways I have served this community I have so deeply loved. I have been thankful also for time to prepare the way for someone new to serve our Faith Formation and Congregational Life Ministries. It is my great joy to introduce to you, [New Staff].
[New Staff], it is time for us to let go of the branches we have held on to. You have walked with me in these last few months as I prepare to end one chapter and you prepare to begin another. It has been an honor to serve this congregation in so many ways, and I have been grateful to share that with you. As you prepare to begin this chapter, may these words bless you.
May you be filled with and held by all the love, wonder, and curiosity this community contains.
May you hold it all gently in your arms.
And when your arms tire of holding so much, may you rest.
May you know when to say “no” so you can resoundingly answer “yes” to what is most precious.
May you build strong and flexible partnerships in the shared ministry of our congregation.
May you draw strength and wisdom from your colleagues within and beyond these walls.
May you be curious, grounded, nimble, brave.
May you remember that no-one gets it right all the time, and that’s OK.
And when you, or your committees, or your colleagues, fall short as we all do, may you remember that the shortfall does not matter as much as what comes after.
May all the love, wonder, and curiosity of [This Congregation] fill and hold you in your time here.
To guide and ground you in this holy work, I have three gifts for you. The first is a chalice, the symbol of our faith, beacon of what is true and sacred. In this role you will tend its flame, but you will not tend it alone. May the light of this Chalice guide your way.
The second is water. Our minister/s have entrusted me with this vial of water, which we renew and replenish each year when we gather together for Water Communion. It marks where we have been, and also where we are going together. In this role, you will hold this congregation’s past, its present, and its future. May this water remind you of all the possibilities this place contains.
And the third is a flower. As we remember when celebrating Flower Communion, each flower, each person in this garden of our life, is unique, with their own needs and their own gifts. In this role, you will be asked to tend to this garden, and you will need this garden to tend to you as well. May this flower teach you to ask for what you need to be a good gardener.
I can give you these blessing words, and these gifts, but they can only carry you so far. So I ask our congregation to affirm and bless you as well. People of [This Congregation], please rise in body or in spirit, and join me in sharing this affirmation in your order of service.
[New Staff],
We welcome you into this new role, full of new challenges and new possibilities. May we grow strong and wise together.
Together, may we draw from our present and past to form the future of our faith.
Together, may we tend to the shared life and shared ministry of this congregation.
May we serve together, may we dream together, may we disagree and reconcile.
May our principles and values guide us in all of this.
Together, may we [live out our congregation's mission statement, covenant, etc.]
Peace, Amen, So May It Be.
There is one more blessing I have to ask from you. On the back of these inserts, please write a wish, a blessing, a welcome, a prayer, for [New Staff]. On your way out of this space after service, there is a Blessing Box you can put them in.
This was a ritual I designed & offered to mark the transition between myself and the staff-person who succeeded me at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines on 12 May 2024.