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by Rev. Kim Wood, our NEW Conference Minister
It is so good to finally be here with you! I am looking forward to getting to know you, to building relationships, and to partnering in ministry together.
My husband, Ron, and I have relocated from northern Illinois to Huntsville, AL, and we are slowly, but surely, settling into our new living space. It is always an interesting process to me, moving from one place to another. You bring all your stuff – the necessities and the possibilities and the beloved items that bring comfort or hold meaning from where you were and try to fit it all into the new dwelling. The necessities get unpacked first – it is usually fairly easy to assign them their spots. And then you begin the work of fitting all the other pieces, which used to go a certain way in specific rooms, together in this new habitation. I’ve learned that, for me, this is not a quick and simple process. I have to sit in the space, move around in it, listen and let it speak to me. In its time, with love and attentiveness and some creativity, what started as a house becomes home.
I began my time as your Conference Minister this past Monday, September 27th, by spending the day with Transitional Minister Rev. Char Burch and Associate Conference Minister Rev. Heather Fosburgh. The opportunity to spend the day with both of them together was such a gift, and I am grateful for their willingness to travel to Huntsville to share information, answer questions, and provide such a wonderful starting point for me as we start this new season of ministry in the SECUCC. I send out a special thank you to Spirit of the Cross Church in Huntsville for providing room for us to meet comfortably and safely!
Now begins the process of tending to the necessities, and at the same time sitting in this collective space of ministry settings and amazing people called the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ, moving about in it, and, most importantly, listening as you speak to me. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, your ideas, your concerns, and your stories. I invite your open and honest sharing. And I pray that, together, we will continue to live into the vision that God has for the Southeast Conference, the UCC, and the Church Universal.
I cannot express enough how truly blessed I feel to begin our time together stepping onto the strong foundation built during your time of ministry with Char, and others before her. Nor can I tell you how thankful I am to be part of such an incredible staff team. I ask that you hold them all in your prayers as we move into this next season of ministry together.
As a youth, one of the highlights was when we circled up and passed the peace to one another. I realize that, due to the pandemic, the rise in cases, and the Delta variant, we can’t all meet and gather together in the ways that we might otherwise do to connect and get started. And I know that, for many, passing the peace in the close, physical ways we used to be able to is sorely missed. And so, Southeast Conference, United Church of Christ, as we begin this journey together, I send you these words that are so dear to me:
May the PEACE of Christ be with you, and KNOW that you are loved.
