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Many decades ago, Unitarian minister, A. Powell Davies wrote, "Let me tell you why I come to church. I come to church --- and would whether I was a preacher or not --- because I fall below my own standards and need to be constantly brought back to them...I must have my conscience sharpened --- sharpened until it goads me to the most thorough and responsible thinking of which I am capable. I must feel again the love I owe my fellow men and women. I must not only hear about it but feel it. In church, I do."

"...We meet each other as friends and neighbors anywhere and everywhere, but we seldom do so in the consciousness of our souls' deepest yearnings. But in church we do --- in a way that is intrusive, yet leaves us knowing that we all have the same yearning, the same spiritual need of assurance of faith and hope. We are brought together at the highest level possible. We are not merely an audience. We are a congregation."

It is in this spirit I approach you today to charge you up, to tell you what the charge is for ministry. Charge: To place a burden upon; entrust with a duty, responsibility, task or obligation

First, let me congratulate you on finding Manish. I have known him from the time he began his ministerial studies at Harvard Divinity School.

I feel privileged to be his mentor as he started out in the ministry. I look forward to a relationship with him that deepens over many years. I wish for you a similarly rich experience. You will, over time, discover the possibilities in each other. In that regard, and based on my experience of ministry and of this good man, let me charge you how to use this minister, how to abide in the faith with Manish Kumar Mishra.

First, he is his own person. He is an independent thinker who gathers information from many sources while thinking things through. So, your charge is to see him as he is and to try to avoid looking at him through the lens of any other experience with any other minister. Don't saddle him with the baggage of other ministers you might have known, loved, or struggled with. I know, we all come to new relationships with all our histories attached, and the temptation may be great to make rules of engagement based on those other experiences, but my brother Manish is one-of-a-kind. My guess is that he will try to see you in the same way and not insist you measure up to or avoid the pitfalls of other congregations.

Second, if you have a beef with him, take it to him. I know that people think of going to see the minister much more often than they actually do. Like going to the doctor, sometimes just thinking about it cures what ails you. And, especially if you have a problem with something he's doing, or that you think he's doing, the imagined appointment with the minister assumes larger proportions than it actually may have. He's an astute listener and a generous one. Take your concerns to him.

A corollary to this is to never, ever, not if you are angry, not if you feel justified, especially if you are feeling both of those, never talk to someone else instead of him, hoping the message will get to him somehow. The proper term for this is triangle. It may be the most stable geometric form, but to create one in human relations with indirect communication is cowardly. You have a Committee on Ministry. One of their jobs is to facilitate communication between minister and congregation, not to take anonymous time bombs to him.

I guess another shorthand for this is Don't start trouble. This admonition would seem odd only if you don't believe that we all bring all of ourselves to church, including an aptitude for the occasional well-made piece of gossip seasoned with a bit of bile. You may have heard this before but it's worth repeating: "The trouble with church is because you and I are in it." Don't do it.

Third, let Manish teach you things. If you disagree with what he says, or with what you think he believes, contend; ask questions; require of him thorough explanations. But, don't dismiss him because "we've always done it this way," or because you think you know all there is to know. You have called him to lead. Let him lead. Let him bring his knowledge and sensitivities and fresh point of view to you. Don't smother him with too tiny expectations- let him take deep breaths and speak strongly to your strengths. Require of him rigor and an edge. At the same time, don't put him on a pedestal and deify him.

Fourth, trust that Manish has the best interests of the congregation at heart. This has all sorts of manifestations and ramifications. He will have to tell you where his boundaries are. I hope those of us who have mentored him on his ministerial journey have taught him well, and that our actions matched our words. In an emergency call him at home at any time, but not for some piece of business that can wait until he's in the office again.

And, on Sunday before and after the service, don't accost him with some problem that needs his lengthy attention. Write it down put it in his mailbox or email him.

Fifth, extend your love to this enterprise that you call your church. Give him the room he needs for himself and the replenishment of his soul. In services and in meetings, he will comfort you and he will discomfort you --- doing both is his job. When he makes mistakes, cut him some slack, and do the same for each other. If you get mad, reconcile as soon as possible. Don't go away mad, come back and contend, with love and honor. Nothing you do with love can come to ill.

Sixth, be open to change and the transformations that change brings. Be willing to be conscious of change, to be aware that growth doesn't happen without change, to name your fears about what change might do to the life of your community, to stay present to those fears with faith, hope, and love. Or, as the Chinese would say, shake hands with your fears. Befriend them. Make peace with them. Acknowledge them, engage with them but do not be paralyzed by them. And, at some point in the whole process of change, learn to let go - let go of the illusion of control, let go of needing particular outcomes, let go of the need to win, let go of the attachment to see immediate results.

Seventh, practice radical hospitality. Remember the first, unstated principle of our tradition - when you enter through our doors, you may not lock them after you. Others will come, as you have come. They will come bringing their ideas and they will have things to say. What you first found when you entered these doors is not the be-all-and-end-all of our living tradition. Our movement grows and changes with the necessity of the times, the call of the asking years. You will change. You may even be transformed. And, you will change others. But you may not lock the doors to keep some ideas out. And you may not close your hearts against anyone.

In the end, there is only one reason why you must be forever and passionately hospitable. It is not because you need more people to sing in the choir; it is not because you need more pledging units, or more children, or heaven forbid, more people on your committees (though every institution needs a constant influx of new blood, personality, and energy if it is to remain vital). You need to be hospitable to strangers, guests, and newcomers because your mission is to serve and strengthen Unitarian Universalism and share it with others and the world that it might, in turn, transform persons and life in positive, saving ways. The reason you must ever expand and deepen your hospitality beyond the good and comfortable community you already are is the conviction that Unitarian Universalism has a message that powerfully and uniquely helps to create human health, liberation, justice, decency, hope, and joy - both in individuals and society at large.

And, eighth, and last --- find the hidden possibilities among you. In doing whatever tasks you set yourselves, continually rediscover your story and your strengths. In the losses, schisms and troubles you have had, find the deeper stories of redemption and healing. This is the ministry to yourselves and with Manish Mishra.

I wish you well and offer you my blessing for ministry together that is larger than you imagined, that is never done, but always calling you to one more act of love that may tip the balance of the world toward wholeness.

Amen. Blessed be. Om Shanti.