by Lindsay Rogers | Jun 29, 2016 | DRE Blog
We have a Director of Lifelong Learning! I wish to warmly welcome Rev. M. Jamil Scott to WUUC. I had the pleasure of meeting Jamil (pronounced Juh-MEEL) during his interview rotation. He has the compassion of a Buddhist minister and the charm of a southern gentleman (he was raised in Mississippi; you’ll see what I mean). When you meet him, if you haven’t already, I think you’ll agree he’s warm, funny and exceptionally qualified to lead Lifelong Learning.
Jamil will officially start with us Aug. 7 and is currently serving as the Acting Director of Lifespan Religious Education at First Unitarian Society of Denver. He is an ordained Buddhist minister and has worked extensively on multi-faith, multi-cultural, privilege and racism issues.
The four interim coordinators: Rebecca Guthrie (nursery/caterpillars/childcare), Cora Goss-Grubbs (youth programming), Alison Bush (curriculum implementation), and I (elementary RE program coordinator) have been in contact with Jamil and are working on transition plans to ensure a smooth start to the fall church season. Summer RE, Finding Our Way in the Natural World, started June 26 and will run through Aug. 21. Aug. 28 is Ingathering and a Full Community Worship service. Fall RE programming will begin Sept. 4 with our monthly church theme Covenant. We are still actively recruiting fall RE teachers (we call them “Guides”). If you have any questions about being a Guide, the transition with Jamil, or anything else, please feel free to reach out to Rebecca, Cora, or me. We serve at your pleasure and want this to go well for everyone, especially the children, youth and Jamil.
I have been asked by a few if I am sad to lose my job as one of the four coordinators on interim contract “keeping the trains running” while we searched for a DLL. I can tell you with no reservation, no, I’m not sad. It was always part of the deal that this gig was temporary, and WUUC and the children deserve more than just “keeping the trains running.” Jamil has the knowledge, skill, experience, enthusiasm and new ideas to bring a full breadth of learning and opportunities to the children, youth, and members of WUUC. I couldn’t be more excited about Jamil joining the staff. I look forward to doing all I can to ensure his success. I know you will too! And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for all your support and patience as the four of us worked to continue the current RE program and prepare for what is to come. It was a blessing to serve in this role and it will be a pleasure to turn it over to Jamil and see where he leads us!
In gratitude,
Lindsay Rogers
RE program coordinator
Jamil’s full bio was sent to the Announce list. You can find it here.
by Lindsay Rogers | May 25, 2016 | DRE Blog
“I truly believe we can either see the connections, celebrate them, and express gratitude for our blessings, or we can see life as a string of coincidences that have no meaning or connection. For me, I’m going to believe in miracles, celebrate life, rejoice in the view of eternity and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others. This is my choice.”
– Mike Ericksen, Upon Destiny’s Song
This has been a year of many blessings in my life. Before this year I never used that word to describe the good fortune I’ve experienced. I always associated that word with God bestowing something good on someone of the Christian faith and, since I neither consider myself a Christian or a Believer, I thought the word blessing wasn’t applicable to me. This year has opened me up to a new attitude toward and understanding of what it means to be blessed, and I have started to claim and own that word.
The blessings in my family are too numerous to count and I am eternally grateful for my good fortune and the love, patience and good humor my husband shares with me every day. Sadly, it is not hard to recognize suffering in the world among individuals and within families. I don’t know why some are so fortunate and some struggle. I have certainly experienced loss, pain, shame and disappointment, but I do not take for granted the sheer luck I have had and the sacrifices many have made on my behalf to get me to this place. I am very aware that not everyone has the resources and relationships I have that have helped buoy me in dark or lean times. I don’t think it’s always possible for everyone to win the race of life when we all don’t start at the same line or have a clear path to the finish. I know I am blessed.
I was a very observant child. I wanted to figure out how people found happiness and success. What was it about them that I could learn in order to have those things too. As an adult I have tried to surround myself with people who bring me joy and inspire me to work harder to be a better wife, parent, neighbor and contributor in my communities in order to make the world a better place. WUUC has been a huge part of that journey for me. It’s not hard be around WUUCies who aspire to constantly learn and experience new things. It’s not hard to be inspired by WUUCies who live a life of service to our church and others. It’s not hard to find ways through WUUC to make the world a better place — locally or globally, intimately or expansively, in small bits or on long-term projects. It’s not hard to receive love and support from WUUCies who are willing to share your burdens and celebrate your joys. It’s not hard to find ways in which you can share your knowledge and experience with youngsters discovering their world or young adults striking out into the wider world. The opportunities to serve and be served are endless at WUUC. In all of these ways, I have been blessed.
In 45 years, I have figured this out for sure — what will be most important in the end is who I have known and who I have allowed to know me. I have much to learn and much still to contribute. WUUC has given me experiences I might not have had on my own and exposure to folks who know better and do better than I from whom I can draw inspiration. I know I am blessed. And for that, I am grateful. I wish you the same.
