New Things Growing!

So many wonderful things happen at Allen Avenue. Even I can't keep track. But I want to let you know about a few things that are just beginning to grow. Lenora Trussell brought a proposal to the Caring Connection Committee to begin a ministry of Parish Nursing. “Parish nurses” serve in other congregations in a variety of ways—so Lenora is working with Caring Connection and me to sort out how it might work at A2U2. One way is that Lenora can meet with individuals or families experiencing significant health issues to listen and sometimes offer suggestions as they sort out their options. Sometimes a wise and caring listening ear is so helpful when facing a challenge or change in one's life. The Caring Connection has already arranged for Lenora to meet with a few of our members. Lenora is also planning to offer workshops on a variety of health related issues.

One of the things I love about our church is that we encourage our members to share their gifts, to find their passion, to bring their own ministry to our church, or beyond our church. If you are sparked by what Lenora is doing, there is room for more than just one Parish Nurse. Or if you have your own thing you'd like to offer, come chat with me!

Another new thing—the board just agreed for our church to sponsor a Chaplaincy Intern. Mark Gallup is a student of the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME), and brought a proposal to be our intern from June 2012 to May of 2013. Mark has been the Environmental Director for Southern Maine Community College for several years, and is planning to retire next year. He hopes to create a ministry of helping people to experience the divine in nature and foster the need to care for the earth. An internship gives Mark a chance to practice this new ministry, and learn what he needs to know to be able to fulfill his vision. Our church members will be his teachers and will also benefit from the ministry he brings to us. It will be a chance to us to practice being a teaching congregation.

We are imagining this internship might include such things as creative outdoor worship, religious education programs, and working with our Green Earth and Building & Grounds committees on sustainability issues. Mark will also be practicing pastoral skills such as compassionate listening, as a part of our pastoral care team. The internship involves 6-8 hours per week, and we hope to sort out more details in June, when Mark can meet with different groups and individuals to make a plan for next year. Stay tuned!

One more new thing. Many of you had a chance to meet Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana at the Ferry Beach retreat. Rev. Fulgence is a UU minister in Burundi, founder and pastor of the only UU congregation in Burundi. The church is doing much good in Burundi, and there are ways that our church might be able to help, if a few people are interested in being coordinators. The church has a micro-loan program to help women establish small businesses to support their families. They can do this with as little as a $100 loan. They are also looking for sponsors to help students complete a high school education, for $500 per year. If this calls to your heart, let me know. You don't have to have money to help coordinate this work. It would be a wonderful partnership to create. Again, it is all about encouraging our members to share their gifts and their passions.

Thank you for all the ways you make this community thrive!