We got a phone call from our son Isaac on Sunday evening. He takes after his Mom and is a consistently calm person, but he sounded relieved. Earlier in the day the congregation of Emmanuel United Church in Cowansville, Quebec voted unanimously to call him as their minister . Cowansville is not far from Vermont in the Eastern Townships.
This was the second related phone call from Ike in a few days. On Wednesday he let us know that his final Montreal and Ottawa Conference interview had gone well, and he was approved for ordination. He is now assured of ordination and knows where he will be going. The congregation in Cowansville wants someone who is bilingual, who has skills working with youth, and appreciates creation care. Check, check, check.
This is obviously a big deal for him, his wife Rebekah, and our family. There is a real vulnerability for those who make their way through what seems to be an ever more convoluted process on the way to ministry. For ordination it means seven or eight years of education and internship. What if someone in authority decides they don't like a candidate along the way? When I was making my way through the process a minister on a panel dismissed my art history program as a "bird course" --why wasn't I taking a psychology or English degree for my undergrad? Fortunately another minister picked up on the connections between the arts and faith, and I could point out that my degree included English and psych courses.
And now candidates can negotiate with congregations if they opt out of the UCC's placement plan called settlement. While Isaac is relieved to know where he is going so early, he has felt the pressure of finding his own first placement after graduation and ordination.
So, the adventure of ministry begins in a rapidly changing church. Believe me, I have mixed feelings about Isaac's choice of vocation, even though he will be the fourth generation of this family in ministry. The church he enters as a minister is far more unsettled than when I began. Needless to say, I am proud of him.
I know you have had a chance to comment on changes to the system of preparation and placement before, as well as on the way the UCC is being reconfigured. Anything you would like to add?
9 comments:
Congratulations to Issac on the fruition of his efforts, undertaken for so long now. Congratulations to Pops and the rest of the family, too!
You must all be so proud.
Congratulations! No doubt a weight off of everyone's shoulders. Although it is exciting, I am sure everyone enters with mixed feelings.
Now we will have to make a decision on Sunday mornings when we are in the townships, church or skiing?? We like the area and Issac and his wife will find many a thing to do in all seasons. Bonne chance et bonne santé!
As Nancy said, what a weight off everyone's shoulders when your child gets a job, but even more so when that job is actually in the field for which they trained. Ordination and a job at a church where he wants to be and where the people want him to be. It doesn't come much better than that. Despite the trepidation regarding his chosen vocation, we know that you are very proud of all that Issac has accomplished and I'm sure will go on to accomplish within his new congregation.
Another generation of Mundy ministers launched! Congratulations to all. As a child of the manse, Isaac understands his chosen profession, and is launching his ministry with approval from all sides.
You referenced the convoluted process of education and ordination. Like everything else in life, there are pros and cons. At St Paul's we have had both negative and positive experiences (two of each) in our involvement in the internship process.
Ministry is so demanding and specialized - there has to be a filtering process for a positive outcome, and the exceptional candidates like Isaac (and Rebekah) will flourish.
Thanks to all of you for your warm wishes. I do take comfort that watching me in action was not enough to deter Isaac!
One of the best things about youth is the optimism and hope which is necessary for a fulfilling life. That both Isaac and Rebekah have found work in their chosen fields and can live in close proximity to their workplaces is a gift.
No doubt they would be pleased to visit with skiers on any day of the week Nancy.
Simply Godspeed to Isaac and Rebekah. We have been "with" you (via your Mom and Dad) on the long and winding road to ordination. We pray for your long and fruitful ministry.
Thanks everyone for your comments. Meybe we can have a church service on the ski hill . . .:-)
The last comment was from Isaac by the way
Congratulations Isaac! What a relief it must be to have those interviews over and to know where you will be serving.
I remember preparing for interviews around this time, only four years ago. I remember being told that I seemed very young.
I'm still grappling as to whether settlement was the right decision for me. (Well, at the time I didn't have a choice, but I decided to embrace it.) I have learned a lot, living out here on the Prairies, but I am doing a lot of discerning right now as to whether I belong here. In some ways, it was easier to have someone else find my first placement, but I also look forward to discerning this call myself.
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