At the annual meeting there will be a warrant item asking the congregation to approve the granting of “Minister Emeritus” status for me. What does this mean? It is an honorary title given to someone (a minister or college professor) who has usually performed long and meritorious service to an institution. I suppose you could say it is a way to give an honorary title to someone recognizing their devoted service to an institution. In my case, I hope you feel that way, and will affirm this vote. In the UUA it also gives me delegate status to General Assembly, and thus a vote as Minister Emeritus of the First Parish of Watertown. Otherwise I would need to be a lay delegate from the church I will belong to (presumably Rockland, Maine). It does not take away the delegate status of your settled minister, but adds a category.
Beyond that there are no necessary requirements of granting this title. You do not have to pay an emeritus minister any salary, or pension, except that which is already agreed upon, and there are no necessary stipulations on my part either, such as preaching once a year or returning to do a program. Some congregations do stipulate preaching or a pension amount. That is not something I am negotiating for here. What is also true is that I will not have contact with you during the interim period. You should not ask me to perform any services (I may negotiate with the interim to conduct one wedding in the fall), nor should you contact me or Andrea during that period. After the permanent minister is settled I will probably meet with him or her, and we will negotiate a covenant, to determine the parameters of any participation by me (or Andrea) in the life of the church or its members. Please let me know if you have any questions about this policy.
We are getting ready to celebrate our last Easter at the parsonage. It seems like everything is a last time. I have informed Boston University and Harvard of my plans. I will not teach polity at either institution, but may commute to BU to teach history in fall 2020. I am also counting down the number of sermons – two in April, three in May, and one in June. My last sermon will be June 2, but I will conduct the flower service on June 16. I will also be away the last week of April. We will go down to Washington to pick up our son Dana, who is finishing an internship there. He will graduate from college this spring. I suppose spring cleaning has an extra meaning to me this year. Many things are ending, and I am getting ready for new growth. Happy Easter and Spring.
Faithfully,
Mark
Reverend Mark Harris
Mark was minister at First Parish from 1996 until he retired in 2019. Mark’s ministry was grounded in the importance of carrying on the traditions of the congregation and the UU faith. He loves congregations like First Parish where everyone ministers to one another, and the community is central. On his retirement in June 2019, Mark received the title Minister Emeritus.