Rev. Megan
Berkowitz
Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman
Search Committee
May 3, 2024
We are delighted to celebrate the pastoral installation of Reverend Megan Berkowitz this Sunday, May 5, at 3:oo p.m. in the UCW Sanctuary.
We have been on a wonderful journey which began in February 2022 with the Transition Team and their work to identify who UCW is now, who is our neighbor, and who is God calling us to be. Their work set the foundation for our search which concluded in March 2023 with the selection of Megan. On Sunday April 30, after a beautiful worship service, our congregation voted unanimously to call Megan to be our Senior Pastor, and she started leading our congregation shortly after in August 2023.
We, as the Search Committee, were searching for a candidate who exhibits strong pastoral leadership skills and who could minister across faiths, someone who is passionate about extending our ministry beyond the doors of our church to our neighbors locally and globally, someone who values youth ministry and faith formation, and someone who could help us to grow to become a more inclusive and welcoming church. We are blessed that we found all of this and more in Megan. She is the candidate we all felt being called to us over all others. Reflecting on our time together, we could not be happier or feel more blessed that we found each other.
In this process, we learned about ourselves, formed lasting bonds with each other, and experienced UCW in ways we hadn’t previously. Most importantly, we got to know Megan and got to see her enter our ministry and lead our wonderful congregation into a new chapter of spiritual growth, fellowship, and service.
Having Megan and Leila as part of our church family is a joy and an honor and we invite everyone to celebrate her installation with us!
With gratitude,
The Ministerial Search Committee
Carol Bascom-Slack (co-chair)
Buz Bedford (co-chair)
Bart Kelso
Soo Laski
Elisabeth van Reijendam
Susan Hunt Stevens
Jandi Strong-Dennis
Past Posts
- From Our Pastors
Pastor Megan
December 8, 2024
Advent is the season of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love; it is the season of anticipation and joy in the gift of Christ we already know has entered the world and is eternally present among us; it is, for many of us, a season of parties and gift-giving and whirlwind celebrations. Learn More - From Our Pastors: November 29, 2024Pastor Megan
November 29, 2024
UCC Professional Development Program I returned last week from the fall gathering of NGLI, the UCC’s professional development program for young clergy. We gather each fall in Arizona for a time of creative learning, prayer, worship, music, and more. The setting, in the desert outside of Phoenix, is an intentional choice by the program organizers. Learn More - From Our Pastors: November 15, 2024Pastor Megan
November 15, 2024
Congregational Meeting Recap Thank you to everyone who joined in the Congregational Meeting last Sunday, and particular thanks to co-moderators Susan Hunt Stevens and Susan Gedrick for leading us, and to Jaap van Reijendam for ensuring those on Zoom could take part as well. The brief workshop Leila led on 1:1s, in the GBIO and community organizing model, gave us a tool for connecting with one another more deeply. Learn More - From Our Pastors: November 8, 2024Pastor Megan
November 8, 2024
Post Election Interfaith Gathering I want to share with you a small portion of how I opened our interfaith post-election gathering, as we prepare to gather in community together this Sunday for worship and the congregational meeting. Learn More - From Our Pastors: October 18, 2024Pastor Megan
Octoberr 18, 2024
Recent Celebrations Did you miss the recent celebrations at church? Here are some photos from our new sign celebration and the Blessing of the Animals! It has been a fall of connecting – with one another, the wider community, and God’s creation (including beloved pets like Barky, Felix, Jack, Rosey, and Lucy!). Learn More - From Our Pastors: October 11, 2024Pastor Megan
Octoberr 11, 2024 So much in the world at large and within our own community and families feels like it is in upheaval, right now. War, storms, the coming election, health challenges, grief, transitions, and more make it feel as though the ground is shifting for so many of us. I was reminded in a conversation this week of the framework offered by Joanna Macy in The Work that Reconnects. In it, she explains that how we choose to tell the story – of the world and society at large, but also of our lives – affects how we feel and how we act. Learn More - Hurricane ReliefAs I’m sure many of you have been, I have been devastated to see the pictures and reports coming out of communities in the Southeast that have been affected by Hurricane Helene, and wanting to find ways to help. One of the blessings of being affiliated with our two denominational partners is that our impact to help when disasters like this occur can be magnified by the existing systems of support that the denominations have in place. Learn More
- From Our Pastors: September 13, 2024Pastor Amy
September 13, 2024 It was a joy and comfort to be together again as we kicked off the new church year last weekend. Something special happens when we worship and are fed together at the communion table; when we hug, cry, and laugh together; when we celebrate together in the sunshine. Learn More
