On May 19th, 2024 our congregation formalized and celebrated our covenant of shared ministry with the Reverend Dan Lille during his Installation Service & Ceremony and reception at Bear Creek United Methodist Church (BCUMC). Those in attendance in-person and virtually, represented a wide swath of people who have supported both Rev. Dan and our congregation through our four years of shared ministry together: Rev. Dan’s ministerial colleagues and mentors, Rev. Dan’s and Emily’s family and friends, WUUC congregants and our family members as well as our amazing WUUC staff. As Kermit Sprang said during the service in his Greetings from WUUC, “we have been through times when we have felt totally unified – and times when we feared we were tearing ourselves apart. And through all of that Dan has been there with us, and we are where we are now –stronger, more together, more ready to face the future –largely because of his presence.
The event itself was made possible by the efforts and coordinated work of the WUUC Installation Team with the music coordinators, guest ministers, musicians, choir, caterers, ceremony & reception volunteers, photographer, and the gracious hospitality of BCUMC Pastor Brook McBride and staff who donated the use of their sanctuary and building to WUUC for the afternoon. I am deeply grateful to all those who made this event so inspiring and memorable.
So, what did we do together during this Installation Service and Ceremony? An installation service formally celebrates the shared ministry and covenantal relationship between the minister and congregation that has called him. As Kermit Sprang further shared, “because we called Rev. Dan as our minister in May, 2020 this installation has a different character as it affirms a relationship that has had time to develop, that has been tested, and tried, and that we already know is working.” And yes, it will always be work in progress for both minister and congregation.
At this Installation Service/Ceremony Rev. Dan and members of the WUUC congregation shared covenantal words with one another, our promises to each other in creating and building this shared ministry together as beloved community. As we finished saying our words of commitment to each other, Rev. Dan and the Congregation finished the Act of Installation with the shared words, “Thus do we covenant. May we live faithfully into our shared ministry with courage, compassion, and love.
Rev. Dan, Emily and Natalie – Welcome, you’re home.
