Mar 24 2023
The UUFA and our former minister, Rev. Alison Eskildsen, collaboratively designed a Ministry Council model that earned our congregation national recognition as a UUA Breakthrough Congregation. Innovative and energetic, the Ministry Council has continued to evolve over the last decade.
Currently the team of six trained Lay Ministers, working with the ordained clergy, Music Director, and Director of Religious Exploration envision the activities of the Fellowship as falling into several broad categories: Caring/Sharing/Playing, Learning/Growing/Showing, and Celebrating and Worshiping. (Governance is its own category, led by the Board of Trustees.)
In the Caring/Sharing/Playing category, most of the programs are led by congregation members who give of their time and talents to further our ministries and mission.
In the Learning/Growing/Showing category, Director of Religious Exploration Kahla Childers plays a leadership role in the Children’s Ministry, while congregation members take leadership in adult religious exploration classes and activities. In the Celebrating and Worshiping category the ordained clergy and Director of Music take the lead, with members of the congregation playing an important supportive role.
Active members with volunteer experience at UUFA may feel called to explore Lay Ministry as an act of deepening service and commitment. Contact the minister for more information.
Ministry is a calling, whether someone is seeking ordination or serves as a Lay Minister. The ordained clergy serving the Fellowship help aspiring Lay Ministers discern their calling and their fit into this program. After one is accepted into the program, a year-long training takes place. Lay Ministers serve a two-year term with an option to continue for one additional two-year term.
