Stephanie's Blog

April 28, 2006

Healthy Boundaries and Life Together

 On Friday night, we went out to get a bite to eat and ran into someone I work with when I volunteer at school. We talked about John going to middle school and my volunteering a few hours a week in the office there. Laughingly, Phil said, “She’s already making contacts to volunteer in the office when John goes off to college.” We joke about it, but when that time comes it will be hard to let go. Yet, let go we must—that is the job of every good parent. We are to prepare our children the best we can and then allow them to move on when the time comes.

 Perhaps someone new has taken over your job. You trained them and then moved on to a new position. They are doing things differently than you would have, and everyday you have to bite your tongue to keep from saying something—or maybe you don’t bite your tongue.  It is sometimes difficult to let go.

 As a minister, we are called on to establish healthy boundaries as well. We love and care for, marry and bury, preach and teach and then we move on and someone else comes along and picks up where we ended. The congregation moves on and so do we. These realities of ministry are true whether one has served a congregation for many years or whether one is an interim filling in for a short time. I want you to know that I am trying to be very conscious of the fact that someone will follow me in the role of your next Associate Minister. I want to make the transition as easy as possible for the congregation and for the new associate. As your part-time temporary Associate Minister, I will be very active in education and I will be available when there is a need. I will fill in as I can in the larger life and ministry of the congregation. My goal is to strengthen and equip the educational ministry of the congregation and to keep the seat warm for the one who will follow.  I am thankful for all of the hard-working active lay leaders we have in our congregation and I am grateful for this opportunity to share ministry with you.

 Peace,    Stephanie  Curran