• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
MENUMENU
  • Visitor Card
  • Calendar
  • Latest News
  • Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors

OUUC

Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation

MENUMENU
  • About
    • Visitors
      • Directions, Parking, Transit
      • What to Expect When You Visit
      • Accessibility
      • Safety
      • Visitor Card
    • Who We Are
      • Mission
      • Covenants
      • Org Chart
      • Staff
      • Board
      • Bylaws and Policies
      • Leadership Development Committee
      • OUUC History
      • About Unitarian Universalism
    • Membership
      • Membership – Why & How
      • Membership Classes
      • Newcomers
    • Facilities
      • Use Our Space
      • How We Care for Our Space 🏗️
    • Contact Us
  • Worship
    • Upcoming Services
    • Worship – Why & How
    • Recent Services
    • Music Ministry
    • Spiritual Practices
      • Spiritual Practices – Why & How
      • Spiritual Practice Groups
    • Holidays & Holy Days
    • Offering
      • Offering – Why & How
      • Share the Plate
    • Rites of Passage
      • Rites of Passage – Why & How
      • Child Dedications
      • Weddings 🏗️
      • Celebrations of Life
  • Learn
    • Children’s Programs
    • Youth
    • Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education Classes
    • Adult Faith Development
    • Volunteer Training
    • Growing as a Leader
    • Learning about UUism
    • Learning About Justice
      • Faith in Action Forums
  • Act
    • Current Justice Efforts
    • Being of Service
      • Simple Volunteer Opportunities
      • Teams Within OUUC
      • Teams to Serve Wider Community
    • Faith in Action Alert List Sign-up
    • Connecting to Advocacy
  • Connect
    • News & Communications
      • Sign Up for Mailing List
      • Weekly Update
      • The Spark
      • Latest News
    • Community Dinners
    • Congregational Care
      • Pastoral Care
      • Caring Friends
      • Support Groups
      • Personal Care And Support Record
      • Healthy Congregations Team
      • Safer Congregation Response Team
    • Social/Affinity Groups
    • Young Adults & Families
    • Volunteering
    • Partner Church in Kissolymos, Romania
    • Contact Us
  • Give
    • Ways to Give
    • Stewardship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Legacy Giving
    • Fundraising Events
      • Auction
      • Book Sale
    • Share the Plate
    • Donating Stuff
    • eSale Giving
    • OUUC Merch
  • Visitor Card
  • Calendar
  • Latest News
  • Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors
Home / Religious Education / Seminary and Sabbatical for Sara

Jan 06 2022

Seminary and Sabbatical for Sara

I have a couple things to share with you all this month. The first is about my upcoming ordination as an Interfaith Chaplain. As many of you know, I’ve been attending seminary at the Chaplaincy Institute (ChI for short) for the last two years. Because of covid, all my classes shifted to Zoom (like everything else!), but I still had a wonderful and rich experience at ChI. I’ve now completed all my seminary requirements and been approved for ordination, which is currently scheduled for April 9th. The ordination ceremony will be streamed on YouTube, and you all will get an announcement with the link if you want to “attend” then.

Why did I decide to answer this call to ministry, and in this way? It was not because I was dissatisfied with my role and my calling here with you all at OUUC. I have no plans to go anywhere! In many ways, I have been fortunate to already have a role and a community that has allowed my gifts of ministry to flourish for many years. But I did feel called to go deeper, and that is just what ChI provided for me. It is not a UU program, and it is not as academically focused as I usually am …. And that was just what I needed. This journey with seminary and ordination has been a journey deeper into my own heart and spirit, and has pulled me down out of my head and into deeper integration. I feel more fully engaged as my whole self because of this formation work I’ve been doing.

The other change that will come with ordination is that I can show up in the larger community as an ordained faith leader, which does have advantages for prophetic social and environmental justice work. I feel deeply called to tend to a world and the beings in it that are suffering and struggling. Some of that can be addressed within the circle of our congregational community, and some of that is a larger ministry to the world.

And my second piece of news is that I will be taking the other half of my planned sabbatical from Feb. 1 – May 1st. During that time, I will have a two month “personal reading retreat”, attend the retreat and the ordination from ChI, attend a professional conference, and serve my volunteer commitment to the religious education credentialing committee of the UUA. We have plans in place to support the people and the programs of the congregation while I am away, which I’ll share in the coming weeks.

So, before I am away, what are your questions? I’ll try to answer them in the next three issues of the Spark, so please send me your questions at: faithdevelopmentministry@ouuc.org

In loving faith,
Sara

Written by Sara Lewis · Categorized: Religious Education

Footer

OUUC Logo Olympia
Unitarian
Universalist
Congregation

Contact Us:

2306 East End St. NW
Olympia, WA 98502
(360) 634-2005
Send Us a Message


Office Hours:
Tuesday and Thursday, 12-4 pm
Sunday during services

Follow Us:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
OUUC Connect/Realm Login

Copyright © 2025 · Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation · Log in