by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life
The season of Lent draws us into six weeks of spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter. Within the six weeks, the Lectionary guides us through the Old Testament readings on God’s Covenants and Promises with and to Israel. We read about the prophetic future of a Messiah and the story of Jesus’ life, ministry, torture, and death. In the background of the deep dive into the scriptural past and present, we are always awaiting the future and what the Kingdom of God may reveal in the Good News of the Gospel and the Resurrection of the Savior.
This year, as we proceed through the weeks of Lent, we are also preparing to say good-bye to a beloved minister. Rev. Dale Azevedo came to the congregation at Barrington Congregational Church in a time of renewal and hope. With years of pastoral experience, creative ministry ideas, and a deep connection to the care and keeping of the congregation, Dale began to implement the pathway towards church growth and vitality. The church began to vision its future, reimagine the team structure, and build an endowment legacy. The buildings and grounds were regenerating and so was the worship and liturgy.
Half-way through Dale’s ministry at BCCUCC, the Covid-19 pandemic came to our doors, and everyone else’s. The dreams we had and the foundational work we did was put on hold. As the pandemic spread, illness and some division came to the congregation. We lost much loved members who were carriers of traditions and histories; those who would drive decisions and support healthy change. We also lost some members who disagreed with decisions to remain closed to in-person gatherings or to mask, socially distance, or host zoom gatherings virtually.
And, throughout that time, every minister struggled with the decision fatigue that came with trying to balance the mandate of God to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments while observing the recommended protocols around federal and state driven mandates toward societal safety. Every minister struggled with the example of Jesus to touch and heal the lepers, the blind, and the infirm and the inevitable risk of harm to our congregations, our selves, and our families if we did minister in person to the sick, dying, and deceased. Many of us chose to pull back from in-person worship, visitations, and memorials. And those decisions took a toll on all of us.
The pandemic came just as Lent began in 2020 and Lent seemed to continue for years! Easter didn’t feel like a celebration in 2020, 2021, or 2022! We continued to weigh the risk to communal wellness with and without worship or illness. And we continued to find a balance between the harm done by isolation and loneliness and illness from the virus itself.
Many congregations are still closed from that Lent five years ago. Our colleagues in ministry made difficult decisions throughout the pandemic that altered the course of their churches. Many ministers succumbed to the virus and never recovered. Some congregations continued to meet in-person to great detriment and losses to the congregation. Some lost too many members to have a future. Many lost hope!
We continued to grow through difficult choices and challenges. Dale became adept at virtual worship and pastoral care. The Associate Ministers learned to compliment worship with virtual Confirmation classes, Bible Studies, and meetings. The congregation chose to support these ministries knowing that while it was not ideal, it was safer, and it was possible. We all learned to relate to one another in new and different ~ and virtual ways. We learned to adjust to technology. It was the Barrington Congregational Church, UCC worship services that were easily accessible to residents in skilled nursing as the virtual choir made hymns and music easy to hear, the tech team curated the visual component including easy to read lyrics, and the prayers and reflections were relevant and easy to understand. Seniors, one of the most vulnerable populations during the pandemic, were able to hear, see, understand and join in the BCCUCC worship experience even with severe hearing, vision, and cognitive difficulties. We can credit this outreach success to Dale and his ability to lead with his strengths and talents.
And, remember the Black Lives Matter gatherings during that time?! BCCUCC was the gathering place and beacon for justice and awareness. Hundreds looked to our church and people to organize and make a stand. The results changed the dialogue in our area resulting in ecumenical partnership among the Houses of Worship who now call on each other for support in difficult times.
This Lent, we will be saying good-bye to Dale whose last Sunday is April 27th, the Sunday after Easter. The process of Leave-Taking will parallel our journey through Lent. We will remember our call and covenant with Dale and the fruit of the ministry we shared. We will acknowledge the joys and successes of our time together, including the pandemic. We will acknowledge the challenges and disagreements and how we successfully navigated them. And we will begin to envision the future of our church through a lens of dreaming of what is possible. We know that we are capable of great things, even in difficult situations.
With the Resurrection and New Life just 7 or so weeks away, BCCUCC has much to process and lots of work and decisions ahead. Pray for each other and those tasked with making choices on our behalf. Voice your opinions as the congregation is the heart of the community.
I pray that we take this time to transition and to really leap into the next chapter in the life of BCCUCC with high hopes for growth, vitality, and engagement.
AMEN