As we begin a new year in the life of VanU, we return to the role of being a “Teaching Congregation,” by welcoming Janet Pivnick as our Intern Minister. Janet will work with us half-time for the next two years, thanks to generous funding from the CUC, the UUA, and our own Phillip Hewett Intern Ministers Fund.
While Janet will be learning a great deal through her engagement with VanU, we, too, will be learning a great deal from her. Over the next two years, we will come to better understand the role ministers play in congregational life, but we’ll also, I hope, come to better appreciate the wider ministry of VanU.
In anticipation of her start with us this week, Janet writes:
“I am delighted to be joining Vancouver Unitarians for the next two years as a Intern Minister. I have been so looking forward to getting to know all of you, learning about the issues that are important to you, the ideas and practices that inspire you, and the passions that enliven you. I have been volunteering with committees and the Board at Beacon over the last decade, and am looking forward to working with the leadership and engaging with the committees at Vancouver Unitarians to learn about your unique culture and priorities. I appreciate the commitment that Vancouver Unitarians are making to further the Unitarian faith by being involved in ministerial formation and am so grateful for the opportunity to learn with and from all of you.”
As we take up the role of a Teaching Congregation, we are also beginning an experiment this year as a learning community. On the first Sunday of each month, we’ll hold all-ages Exploration Sundays that will launch our monthly Meaning Making theme and be followed by a simple lunch and a choice of three programs led by staff and members of our congregation. We are seeking to engage our heads, hearts, and hands, while also building up the bonds of community—and, hopefully, having a lot of fun! We encourage you to make time in your calendar for these special Sundays this year. Come for the service, but plan to stay for lunch and the group sessions that will help us, as a community, to strengthen our ties, while deepening our spiritual journey together.
So, we begin this new year as both a teaching congregation and a learning community. May we live into the promise of it all.
In faith and love,
Shawn