Dear Congregation,

My sabbatical begins on March 1st and will continue through the end of July. (The Unitarian Universalist Association’s recommended formula is one month of sabbatical for every completed year of service. I have completed five years and am in my sixth year with you.)

During my sabbatical, I will be improving my Spanish and finishing a theology book I am writing for Skinner House books. I will also be starting work as the (as of yet, very, very part-time, at just five hours a week) Executive Director for the Connecticut Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Ministry. We may have some related contact during my sabbatical as a result.

Mostly, I hope to gather myself for ministry for families in a democratically unstable era. I began my ministry with you in March of 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. So much of our work together has been finding our way through new ministry landscapes. I know that in order to keep going in this intensive work, I need a chance to gather myself for the next iteration.

I want you to know that it is an honor and a privilege to minister with and to you. I treasure you so much, and look forward to returning to be with you in what is next.

I do want to ask for your help, though. Here are some things that are needed:

While I am gone, aside from asking that you take good care of one another:

1. I would appreciate having a few volunteers willing to attend to the physical materials in our Spirit Play corner, on our Soul Works table, and on our fidget cart in the Fellowship Hall. I will orient you to how these areas are organized.
2. The Family Ministry Team may need some backup childcare providers to help in the nursery when our paid childcare providers are unavailable or need to stay home sick. I will need to screen and run background checks for these volunteers.

And in anticipation of my return:

1. Please let me know if you will be able to volunteer in our 2026-2027 (mid-September through late May) programs for children and youth. As I will return at the end of July, there will not be much time for recruitment before programs start back up. I want to make sure everything is set before I go. Those who wish to volunteer will be screened and have a background check, and we will figure out together what is the right volunteer match for you.

But remember, family ministry is not a set of programs. It is about what we do together and how we take care of one another, with special attention paid to the young and the old alike as well as to family units, in all the forms they take. The most important ask I have of you is that you is that you direct loving attention to these matters, especially right now while the world is feeling for many scary and unpredictable.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to grow in my work, strengthen my ministry, and prepare better for what is ahead.

Warmly,
Sierra-Marie