Church of the Larger Fellowship Installs Jane Rzepka as Minister

The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) installed the Rev. Dr. Jane Ranney Rzepka as its new minister at a service on Friday, June 23, at 6:00 pm. The service of installation, which took place at the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, was associated with the annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Approximately 60 people from across North America gathered in Downtown Presbyterian Church for the installation following the annual meeting of CLF.

Helen Pickett, a member of Dr. Rzepka's Ministerial Relations Committee, gave the opening words. Ms. Pickett then lit a flaming chalice, a worldwide symbol of Unitarian Universalist (UU) worship, while Natalie Gulbrandsen reminded the congregation that "The mission of our Church of the Larger Fellowship shines ever anew." Ross Davis, piano, and David Angell, violin, gave a musical response to Ms. Gulbrandsen's words, playing the popular UU hymn "Spirit of Life." Then the congregation joined in singing "As Tranquil Streams."

Betsy Hill Williams, the Religious Education Director of CLF, welcomed the assembly. She remarked on the spectacular interior of the church, inspired by ancient Egyptian architecture and decoration. Ms. Williams reminded those gathered of UU tradition that congregations, not some higher authority, have the right to install their own ministers.

Linda Melski, outgoing chair of the governing board of CLF, performed the actual installation, asking all those legal members of CLF who were present to rise. "In our free church, the act of installation symbolizes a covenant between the people of the congregation and a minister they have chosen," Ms. Melski said.

All members of CLF in attendance were asked to rise and read the words of installation together: "We, the members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, in accordance with the practice of our church, do hereby install you, Jane Rzepka, as our minister. We ask you to minister among us in our search for religious truths and values, respecting both our diversity and our tradition."

The Rev. Dr. Eugene O. Pickett, minister emeritus of CLF, gave the charge to the minister. Dr. Pickett pointed out that Dr. Rzepka was entering a "different kind of ministry, one where you will never see most members." CLF is a UU congregation that serves isolated Unitarian Universalists and other religious liberals around the world. Dr. Rzepka will stay in touch with her congregation through publications, telephone and the Internet, as well as occasional face-to-face contacts.

In spite of the unusual nature of CLF, Dr. Pickett told Dr. Rzepka that her relationship with CLF members was "still a special and privileged relationship." He charged Dr. Rzepka with developing a relationship with "far-flung members" of CLF by moving CLF further into the electronic age, in spite of continuing technical challenges and discomfort with change.

The charge to the congregation was delivered by the Rev. Scott Alexander, minister of CLF just prior to Dr. Rzepka. Mr. Alexander charged all the members of the congregation with developing their own ministries in four ways, their ministries to self, to others, to community, and to all creation. In these ministries, he emphasized recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings, building community, and protecting the natural world. He added that CLF members must "work on finding ways to do this in partnership with" Dr. Rzepka.

During his charge to the congregation, Mr. Alexander repeatedly reminded CLF members that they must find ways to support Dr. Rzepka's work with them. Mr. Alexander emphasized that this must include financial support. "I emphasize `financial'," he said. "We need the money to accomplish our goals for CLF."

"These are challenging, challenging times for CLF," he said. "We must support Jane as she leads us into new ways of doing things," including the expansion of CLF Internet services, an expansion that will require substantial funding.

The closing meditation was offered by the Rev. W. Bradford Greeley, newly elected to the CLF Board. Mr. Greeley called on the "spirit of life," and the "spirit of our Unitarian Universalist faith." He went on to call on the "spirit of ministry," saying "May the spirit of ministry bless Jane as she leads our unique congregation in the exploration and celebration of life and the rituals of our liberal faith." He concluded the meditation with these words:

"May the wonderful spirits which imbue this hour with seriousness, importance, and joy, enrich the lives of every one of us, the better to help us to minister to all."

At a reception hosted by the CLF Board, Robert L. Smith, a CLF member from Schenectady, New York, said he was generally pleased by the service of installation. He remarked that he "liked the Egyptian motif in the church. How could they have found something so Unitarian Universalist?"

Jack Peterson from Chevak, Arkansas, said that he liked the service of installation. "It was inclusive of all. It wasn't too Christian, or too pagan, it included all branches of the faith. It was totally UU." He was struck by Mr. Alexander's words, saying, "The vision Scott laid out for the future was very realistic and very challenging."

Cheryll Wallace from Omaha, Nebraska, noted the warm feeling at the service and at the reception. "Even though we're from all different places and a lot of us have never met, there was a wonderful sense of community here," she said.

Asked about her future with CLF, Ms. Rzepka said, "We face many challenges in the next year or two. But we have excellent staff and a hard-working board. And I'm always impressed by our individual members. I'm really looking forward to my ministry at CLF."

Ms. Rzepka will lead her first worship service as minister to the CLF June 24, as part of the General Assembly of the UUA.