from Amanda
Dear WES,
Perhaps that should be dearest WES, both because I do hold you so dear, and because I have news to share that I wish I could give while sitting with each of you, holding your hands.
I have been offered, and have accepted, an invitation to be the candidate for Senior Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA. I expect to finish my service to WES this summer and begin working for UUCA in the fall.
I am so proud of the work we have done together over the last twelve years, and I do indeed hold you so dear--both the community as a whole, and the many of you with whom I have built meaningful relationships. Welcoming me into your lives, especially during times of struggle and challenge, and your trust in my leadership and in my commitment to Ethical Culture, have been incredible gifts in my life. I will miss you so much.
This community has nurtured and challenged me to become the clergyperson I am now. Over twelve years, I have continued to listen for where my own call leads--for how it has braided in with WES’s vision and mission, and for how, now, it leads me to a new kind of work and different challenges. I also truly believe that WES will continue to grow and change, and that in time you will find excitement in the new chapter that lies ahead for you. Although WES has experienced a lot of transition in the last few years, its lay leadership has been strong and steady, as has the staff team. WES will continue to be the incredible community it has always been, long before I arrived and after I leave as well. I feel enormously grateful to be leaving WES in such good hands with an excellent Board and staff team.
I will keep with me so much of what I have found at WES. A love for the gift of Ethical Culture and its emphasis on relationships and mutuality in ethics. An appreciation of what a community looks like when it digs deep into the work of anti-oppression and anti-racism. A gratitude for the way that WES always finds laughter, even when things are hard.
I hope, in my remaining time with you, that we will laugh together. I feel pretty sure that we will cry together. Although it may feel challenging to do this over Zoom and phone, I have already seen the ways that WES has adapted to these challenging times and I know we will find ways to connect. You will be beginning some of your own work to plan for this transition and for what comes next for you--work that I can’t be part of. And so I will be concentrating my time on supporting your excellent lay leadership and talented staff, and on saying goodbye to each of you.
Thank you for shaping who I am. I am so grateful to you.
Amanda
