Interim Journal: August 25, 2010
Rev. Linda Bunyard

I always look forward to the Gathering of the Waters our Unitarian Universalist ritual to celebrate the ingathering of the congregation in the Fall. Each time I move to a new part of the country I seek out the sources of water and and its meaning for the local people. I am a little overwhelmed with the many forms of water in Savannah right now! I will share this story with you from a summer vacation four or five years ago.

We picked up the Rio Grande as we drove into the chile growing town of Hatch from Deming, New Mexico. The Rio Grande itself had a healthy flow of water between its banks, so unlike the sandy rivers of Arizona. The Rio Grande Valley spread out several miles on either side of the Rio,

green growing things cutting a large swath through dry desert landscape.

By Truth or Consequences the beautiful rushing river had swollen into the Caballo Reservoir and then again into the Elephant Buttes Reservoir. Heading north the Rio wandered through the Bosque del Apache and the Sevilleta National Wildlife Reserves and finally was caught once again at Belen in an agricultural  parade that marched all the way to Albuquerque.

When we came through the city the Rio was hidden from us, now on the West side of nterstate-25. We parted company north of Bernallillo where the Jemez River flows into the Grande. While we drove though Santa Fe to Espanola, the Rio was climbing through higher country, through the San Felipe, the Domingo and the Cochiti Pueblos.

The Rio Grande Gorge appeared on our left just up NM68 from Espanola. We watched the colorful rafts below on the water, which had greatly narrowed and moved much faster now. I had never seen this part of the Rio Grande. I checked my map to see which mountains held its origin. I had forgotten about Rio Grande County in my  home state of Colorado. I traced the Rio all the way to the peaks above the town of Creed. I wanted to follow the river to its source, but as we drove into the San Luis Valley our paths diverged again.

The Rio Grande moves its load of life-giving liquid for 1,885 miles, from the San Juan mountains in southern Colorado, through the gorges of north-central New Mexico, south through Albuquerque to El Paso, where it then carves the border between Texas and Chihuahua until it flows into the Gulf of Mexico at Brownsville and Matamoros.

That river was in my heart and mind for weeks after that vacation. I remember my dismay when I realized that I had forgotten that the very source of the Rio Grande was in my home state. My search for the source and my delight as I experienced each ecosystem along the Rio has became

a metaphor for my spiritual journey. What did I learn? That the Source, the Source of Life--whatever name you give it-- is constant and stable, and it is only hidden when our eyes and hearts are clouded with the busy-ness of life. And also that the source moves out through the

world, changing and being changed by all it encounters. How can the source be constant and also changing? That is the mysterious nature of water and of spirit and, yes, of God.

While we are celebrating the meeting and merging of our individual waters, let’s imagine a God, a Source of Life, that flows through each of us and connects us in both all-encompassing love and the kind of power that means a better life for everyone.

How can the source be constant and also changing? That is the mysterious nature of water and

of spirit.

On the Journey,

Rev. Linda

INTERIM JOURNAL

I am on a spiritual journey in life and for the next year (or two) I will be walking beside you in yours. Those of us who have served in interim ministries usually say we love the excitement of hitting the ground running, of experiencing different congregations, of sharing what we have learned about how congregations work, and redeeming past mistakes. There is only one down side to interim ministry: we will give our heart to a church only to leave it after the interim period. Well, that and the actual packing to move again!

Interim ministers come into congregations wearing our anthropologist, historian and sociologist hats. We are participant observers like anthropologists, studying the culture of a particular congregation. We are avid historians seeking answers to the questions about why this church is the way it is today, which includes digging into the history of the city all the way back to prehistoric times. We are sociologists, observing and analyzing the system in which the church operates and describing and drawing that picture for you.

My job in the first three months is to listen and to ask questions: to listen to your experiences of the past few years and to hear about your hopes for your church, and to ask “why you do things the way you do” so I can find my own place within your traditions and culture. The Transition Committee will be setting up focus groups for me in September and October to help me to that.

Many of you have experienced interim ministers before and expect that our time together will be brief and intense. However, I am taking a slow approach in this interim ministry. We have the time to talk matters through and do the deep assessment and planning needed before you are ready to call and settle a new minister.

Both the congregation and the minister will stretch and grow in new ways; it is inevitable. That is all part of the journey of this life, too. The older I get the more I need to work on flexibility both for my body and my mind. I have taken a vow to live each day to the fullest, to experience both the joy and the sorrow that life has to offer and to experience gratitude and love daily.

Just as I have no other home but the one I establish in each new interim ministry setting, I also have no other church home. I will join the membership of this church. I take my membership and stewardship seriously.

This is a fine congregation and I am proud to be a part of it. I hope you will come with open hearts, willing to engage once again in new adventure, willing to change and be changed.

On the Journey,
Rev. Linda

We are pleased to announce that Rev. Linda Bunyard, AIMIT will be our Interim Minister, beginning in August 2010.  We will be the seventh church Rev. Bunyard has served as an Interim Minister.  She has also served as a Consulting Minister for two churches and a Settled Minister for one.  Here is where she has served:

Interim, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas
August, 2009, through July, 2010

Interim, Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane Spokane, Washington
August, 2008, through July, 2009

Interim, Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne Cheyenne, Wyoming
August, 2007, through July, 2008

Consulting, UU Congregation of Green Valley Green Valley, Arizona
September, 2001 through June, 2007

Consulting, West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Glendale, Arizona
August, 2001 through March, 2003

Interim, Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Chandler, Arizona
August, 2000, through July, 2001

Interim, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix Paradise Valley, Arizona
August, 1998, through July, 2000 (2 years)

Interim, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Laramie Laramie, Wyoming
October, 1997, through July, 1998

Settled, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Eau Claire Eau Claire, Wisconsin
August, 1993, through September, 1997

Interim, Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet Joliet, Illinois
August, 1992, through July, 1993

You may wonder what AIMIT stands for.  It means “Accredited Interim Minister in Training.” The Accredited Interim Ministry Program of the UUA is a rigorous program of  advanced training, continuing education and demonstrated competence in serving as an interim minister in multiple congregational settings.  Rev. Bunyard has been actively attending Interim Minister Training session since 1992, and her resume dedicates over a page, single spaced, to the many workshops and seminars she has taken, and led—impressive evidence of the broad skill set she brings to guide us through and help us get the most out of this transitional time in the life of our church.

Religious Background:
Rev. Bunyard grew up attending a Southern Baptist Church, “dreaming of the day when I could study Greek and Hebrew, so I could understand the scriptures for myself and not as they were interpreted for me.”  During her college years she left the Southern Baptist Church, and never went back.  She remained unchurched for ten years until a friend introduced her to the All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs, where she joined the choir and the Sunday Services Committee.  She says of that time, “I felt like I had come home spiritually and that the disparate parts of my soul were coming together in my new life as a Unitarian Universalist.”  She became increasingly active in that church, even serving as Music Director, and in 1986 she attended her first General Assembly.

“That fall I began writing my application to Starr King School for the Ministry, I was at a vocational crossroads. I had worked in the criminal justice system from victim services to offender treatment. I had worked in services for the poor from community health to county welfare programs.  I had researched domestic violence and helped start three programs for battered women in Southern Colorado. I had been director of two small agencies for services to women. I was ready to weave together the colorful strands of my education, interests and professional work into a true vocation.  I left Colorado for Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley in August of 1987 taking a great leap of faith that I would be supported in my journey.  . . By my ordination in 1991 I deeply felt that I had been called to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry.”

She says that “There was no doubt in my mind from the day I applied to seminary that I was on the right path. I had no doubt that I would be in parish ministry.”  The glowing recommendations of her references from churches she has served reinforce her words--she chose the right path.  She has made a positive difference in the lives of many individuals and their collective congregations. 

Her Worship Philosophy:
“Worship can be so much richer than a hymn sandwich with a couple of readings and the sermon as the filling. Unitarian Universalists who often dwell in the world of ideas especially need the drama of ritual that takes us out of ordinary time, such as the Catholic Mass or aboriginal ceremonies have done for other distinct cultures.

With the Prelude a curtain is dropped which separates the chatter of greeting and gathering from the sacred work of our religious community. We UUs are never limited in our resources to achieve this dramatic effect. We can chant and drum, groove to improvisational jazz or soar with Bach on the pipe organ. Or we can sing our way into community with fifteen minutes of music for gathering, singable music led by engaging musicians.

Our Protestant legacy has given us the sermon as our primary Sacrament. Fortunately, the era of two-hour sermons has long passed, but those of us who dare to stand up before a congregation to preach these days must still remember that the Word of the day means everything to the hearers. Sermons for UUs today must have a balance of story and personal reflection as well as intellectual content to foster the religious growth of the people in the pews.

One of the most important functions of the Sunday service is to draw a community of people into relationship with one another. We have many colorful ways in which to accomplish this. The first hymn must be engaging enough to get 50 or 500 people to a draw breath together and utter a single sound or thought. Sitting in silence after the ringing of a Tibetan singing bowl or listening to the intricate harmony of the choir can take us deeper in our understanding of this relationship. The sharing of Joys and Concerns can be the very heart of the Sunday morning event; it creates a public caring community.

Children belong in UU worship, whether it is for a short period before their classes begin or through participation in the entire service. They need to be present in worship
both to remind the adults of our responsibility for their future and so that we can mentor them in our faith tradition.

When the service is ended we need to leave with a sense of hope and possibility. Even a sermon involving tragedy or death can move us to that place if the entire service has been crafted well.  Each of the elements of a worship service have their place -- even the Announcements, which show the vitality of any congregation.

Although leading worship and preaching are among the top responsibilities of the Minister, it is not a part of ministry to be hoarded. The Worship Committee and Worship Associates can keep new life and relevance flowing into the services. Working together, UU clergy and laity can create worship experiences like no other church today.”

Music Matters:
Of special interest to our music-loving congregation is Reverend Bunyard’s love of music and her extensive experience in musical ministry.   

She says, “Music has a unique ability to connect us to that transcendent and immanent power in our lives. Singing has the power to transform a group of individuals into a community, if only for an hour on Sunday morning. Singing together as a congregation allows us to draw a single breath together and become the choir. Congregational singing can literally “inspirit” us for living. When we do not use this opportunity to sing together we lose what may be our most important tool for building a liberal religious community.

I believe in having the best quality music and musicians, but not for performance. Church musicians are present to help create a worship experience and should not expect to be applauded as in a concert. I have enjoyed working collegially with professional church musicians in developing the musical portion of services and have valued their ministry.

For over twenty years now I have led “Singing Congregation” workshops for small congregations. The goal is to help them understand the role of music, the possibilities of singing without accompaniment. The latest version has been teaching the music in Singing the Journey.

For six years in Green Valley and one year in Cheyenne I was also the music director, rehearsing the choir for Sunday services. We developed as an ensemble (I don’t direct in front of the congregation) and offered some thrilling music over the years.”

We feel fortunate to have found someone whose experience and interests are such a good match with the needs and culture of our church.  We look forward to our Interim time with Reverend Bunyard.