Dearest Friends and Members of FPW,
I pray this finds you and yours well. Since May–on that blessed Sunday when you unanimously voted YES to this our ministry together–I have been filled with a thrum of excitement and anticipation for this week to arrive. And it is finally here. Blessed be.
My family and I moved into the beautiful parsonage on July 1st, made entirely possible by the love, care and attentiveness of Will Trombly and the Buildings and Grounds Committee. I sense that more hands and hearts were a part of this transition than I will ever know. From the bottom of my heart, my family and I thank you. Since this time, we have loved discovering the joys of Watertown and the surrounding area. I continue to marvel at the varied richness of this place, it’s quiet, unexpected beauty, and the warm welcome we’ve received from our neighbors and so many more. Blessed be indeed.
I have also been busy pulling my office together at church and am most grateful for the generosity of this congregation to allow me to do this. This space is meant to be one of welcome, love and fellowship, and I hope you will find it to be all of this and more when we gather here. I so look forward to it.
Mainly I want to name what you already know: that this is an incredible time–one that doesn’t come with a road map. So many questions abound around what September will look like, and how in the world we will begin and return together amid the ever-changing strangeness and immeasurable stress that is this moment in time. And add in a new ministry! My goodness. While we will certainly make much of this up as we go, I want you to know that my priority this first year will be about drawing in close to you; finding our way to one another so that I might come to really know you–this is where we will begin. I have faith that a clear path will present itself out of this beginning. And so, I hope you will be patient with me as I work to connect with each and every one of you.
And I also hope you will reach out to me if the spirit moves. Email is the best way to do this: minister@fpwatertown.org. If you have a pastoral emergency please do not hesitate to call me at: 978-494-2191. Please note that Mondays are my day of rest, which I call Sabbath. I will not be checking email on those days, however I encourage you to call me if there is an emergency that can not wait. Most often I will be in my church office Tuesday-Thursday and these are generally the best days to schedule time with me, however I can work to be flexible if the need arises.
I do plan to attend some of the upcoming services over the next month and look forward to saying hello then as well. You are also welcome to add me as your friend on Facebook if you would like. That said, I am sensitive to the fact that not everyone is on Facebook. Please know that I will never post exclusive news there.
Last, I send you great love and blessing from Church Street. May you know that the beauty and soul that is at the heart of this stunning community is holding us all. In this we can trust. For my part, it is an honor to be your minister, to serve this congregation, and to place my hand in yours as we face the wide and wondrous horizon that lies before us.
In faith and with love,
Rev. Sophia
Reverend Sophia Lyons
Rev. Sophia is committed to radical welcome and spreading the good news that is our bold Unitarian Universalist faith. Some of her areas of interest include interfaith partnerships, addictions ministry, spiritual direction, and working towards collective liberation for all. Rev. Sophia aspires to live her life and fulfill her ministry guided by spiritual seeking, big love, and the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism.