Farewell (AZ)

For the last 14 years, UUCA has participated in a bittersweet rite of passage when it says farewell to its intern minister.  This Sunday we will again partake in this yearly ritual.

As many of you know, having faced this situation before, former interns are not allowed to have contact with congregants for a period of a year once their internship ends.  This restriction has several purposes:  1) it creates space for the incoming intern to develop a relationship with the congregation; 2) it appropriately prevents the leaving intern from continuing to shape church life from a distance;  and 3) it gives the departing intern practice in both loving and then saying farewell to congregations – a skill that is needed for successful ministry.  Thank you for helping me learn this one last, valuable lesson.

I keep using the word farewell purposefully.  People have differing views on goodbyes, farewells, and endings.  For me, farewell fits our situation well.  People often use “Farewell” instead of “Goodbye” under two (often related) circumstances.  It is used when the time apart is expected to be a long one, and when at least one of the parties is heading on a journey.  It is an abbreviated version of “fare-thee-well” as one continues on the journey of life.

I use farewell here, because we have been on a journey together over this past year and now we will continue our journeys separately.   I use it here, because you have helped ready me for my voyage into ministry.  You have equipped me well: you have given me feedback on my sermons, my ministerial presence, my teaching style, my leadership and administration skills and from all of these I have grown.  You have let me apprentice myself under you, and mentored me so I learned the skills myself.  And as I prepare to set sail, all I need for a safe journey is luck, fate, and your blessings.

I hope that you will be able to attend my last service this coming Sunday and join the potluck thereafter, so we have time to say farewell to each other face-to-face.  If not, please know that I feel honored to know each of you, and lucky to have grown under your guidance.

-        Anastassia