A reflection from your minister about Installation Sunday on September 25th
Over these past many weeks, I am sure many of you have asked the question, just what is an installation anyways?
Typically, an Installation Service takes place within the first year or so of a settlement between a minister and the congregation to which they are called. I was called as your 30th settled minister in May 2021, and my time at First Parish formally began in August of the same year. And now the big day is almost here! Installation Sunday is on September 25th at 10:30am, taking the place of our regular worship service.
In Unitarian Universalism, an Installation Service celebrates the covenantal relationship between my ministry and yours. The Installation isn’t something you do for me, but rather, it honors and celebrates the promises we make to one another as we knit ourselves into this our shared ministry. Which brings me to the theme for this service: Weaving Together our Shared Ministry. This came about through several heartfelt conversations that your Installation Planning Team took part in. The questions we asked ourselves were: Who are we as a church today? and Why an Installation? The same words kept coming up: love, celebration, change, hope, connection, and joy. All these words are at the heart of being a community committed to shared ministry, which I define as: a faith community serving together in a spirit of interdependent mutuality knowing that each of us brings unique and wonderful gifts to our sacred circle of care and concern. By nurturing these gifts in one another, we bless our world.
This service, at its core, will be a celebration of this beautiful partnership and our shared gifts, filled with music, ritual, blessing, and (hopefully) some dancing, clapping and a few ‘Amens’! For my part, I am counting the days. I hope you will give yourself the gift of joining us whether it be in-person or virtually. This is not a day to miss.
If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to our Installation Planning Team, chaired by Sue Twombly, stwombly@rcn.com
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.