Greetings, Slatersville, from Pastor – no, wait, Reverend? – Sean. My heart and mind are still buzzing from my ordination on October 20th! It was an extraordinary time in which I was surrounded by family members (including some I hadn’t seen in years), friends (including some I hadn’t seen in decades), fellow clergy, visitors from neighboring churches and even other denominations, and – of course! – you, my closest partners in Christ.
On that special day, one on which our church felt packed to the brim, I found myself achieving a dream I’d never really thought possible: my ordination as a Minister of Word in Sacrament in
the United Church of Christ. After years of stumbling along the path God had laid for me, Slatersville Congregational Church eagerly invited me in – into community, into a church family – and showed me the ‘ropes’ of ministry. As I finish out my third ‘official’ month as your settled pastor, I find myself humbled by this community. Thank you for your warm welcome – for me, for my family and friends, and all those visitors who ventured into our sanctuary for the very first time a few Sundays ago. Bravo, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I celebrate, too, the ‘calling’ of my partner Emily Carle to the United Parish of Upton (UCC/UMC) in Upton, MA – her first pastoral call, just as Slatersville is mine! – and the great possibilities that lay ahead of us for partnership. Situated further north in the Blackstone Valley, Upton’s congregation welcomed me readily and expressed sincere interest in having our churches work together after Emily’s ‘start’ on January 3rd, 2025
Even in our busy world, know this truth: we have friends out in the wider world, throughout the Blackstone Valley and beyond, just waiting for us to say ‘hello.’ What might we make of a possible partnership with Upton? The sky’s the limit – and past the sky, perhaps God will help us with the lifting.
Amidst these celebrations is, as we all know, the stress of current events – and potentially, a chance at fellowship amidst that stress. I cannot avoid mentioning our upcoming election on November 5th, 2024: this is, for many of our congregants and much of our nation, a stressful time. Please know that I am available to you for pastoral care, and happy to coordinate a time to meet and discuss.
Please, reach out – or, if you’re available, join your fellow congregants at a special post-election Service held at our church on November 6th at 6:00pm – that is, the day after the election on November 5th. No matter the result, no matter your creed or who you voted for, I believe it is good for our church to join the rest of our nation in healing and community: to sit alongside one another in reverence of our God, to lift prayers together, and to simply be the church. We are a church of Democrats, Republicans, and those unaffiliated; we are progressives and conservatives, all united in our love for God. So please, if you feel troubled, join us: sit with us, and let’s be together no matter the world outside.
I leave you with these holy words, gleaned from the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Numbers – one of the ancient texts from which Jesus drew his faith, a text that still speaks to us in this day. May God’s face shine upon you, Slatersville, and be gracious to you; may God lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace – peace in your soul and mind, peace in your heart and body. Let us feel that peace – and if we can, be that peace for others.
Blessings, beloved. See you Sunday!
Pastor Sean Amato