Dear Friends,
I write you this message following Lisa’s new call announcement. I am with many of you and your feelings. I’ve shared time and space with many of you following her resignation and am thankful for the time and vulnerability that has been shared. Today though, I want to share my thoughts on us moving forward as a community, and what is bringing me peace at this time… so that the people who are looking for something hopeful could latch on to a couple thoughts, should you need some. To be clear, I am not here to say we shouldn’t grieve; far from it. I want everyone to live into exactly how they are feeling and processing, because it is far more dangerous to bury our pain than to let it out in vulnerable ways. I believe we must live into the unknown. And while our upcoming unknown can certainly be daunting, it can also be so many other things; including finding something new to hold on to, and a chance to protect our beautiful, sacred community.
When I came to Trinity, I came here for a job. I came because a trusted colleague offered me a job, and I wanted to sing in whatever he was doing. What I did not expect was that I would become a part of a community, and a Christian one at that. I found a place where I could explore both spirituality and trust in a community; in a safe, accepting, big-gay-rainbow-sort-of-love place, where radical welcome and love are truly the last words. And that when we fall short, which we always will in many ways, we work to make it right. So here I am, baptized and confirmed, and look around to our community that I’ve now been a part of for five years, and we continue to do more things ending with Love. The food pantry, hosting the needle exchange program, our rocking choir program, and more programs to come, offering radical welcome to any soul who needs a place to be and belong, no matter what your personal beliefs are. This is a place where Love has the last word. And I am proud to be in community with all of you.
And now, we have a chance to protect this place; we have a chance to stand and be an active part of Trinity’s future. Lisa has been a great leader for us; she lead us through the pandemic, she has offered insightful wisdom through her sermons, and mostly, has set an example for radical, intentional welcome. She has planted seeds for us and has helped nurture and grown our community.
Now, while we keep doing our work through the example that has been set and keep digging in, we’ll take our sweet, sweet time to find our next rector. Because the next person to truly lead this place MUST be special. We are a particular kind of place, with a particular mission; that Love always has the last word, and we have the chance to find the next person to help us grow our mission. We must protect our space. Now is not the time to hold, now is the time to dig in and find your shovel. We must keep going and be Big Love in our community; to keep doing the work of the church and find the next rector who wants to build with us.
So, in the meantime, what do we hold on to? I’ve had to think about this question a lot. And here is what I have found.
I hold on to a deep, inner sense of knowing that I have come to find in myself that is peaceful and calm. I hold on to knowing that Lisa is moving to something big and exciting; in a position that is brand new, where she will be close to her daughter Taylor, and will be able to travel to wonderful places, impacting many different people. I hold on to the community that I believe in here at Trinity; I hold on to the belief that Love is always the last word, and its many ways that it manifests in the world. And that my job, right now, is to make sure that everything I do has Love at the end.
What I know is that we can do this. We will not be perfect, and we will have to be flexible, and certainly it will be difficult. AND, we can do hard things. And the ties we will be forced to create to keep our community thriving will serve us greatly for years to come.
I feel lucky to have worked with Lisa for so long. Not only has she offered valuable perspective through her sermons- reinterpreting passages that had been used to cause shame and grief, but also for making the Word more tangible through her thoughtfulness and actions. It is an understatement to say that Lisa values the power of music- she knows and loves and respects the impact music has in a community and has lead with that foot forward. She has also taught me much about one of her favorite phrases, “Clear is Kind,” and what vulnerable, authentic leadership looks like.
And now, she will soon go off to her new place. And the tears will be real, and a new work will be born. We will be given the gift, the opportunity, the responsibility, of protecting our beautiful space; of cultivating our sacred community; and continuing the voice that always ends with Love.
Peace my friends. I’m here for you. Stop by the music office anytime.
Chelsie