Consulting Minister

Cell:	802-384-5002
Home:	802-885-1944
E-mail:	billstephnelson@vermontel.net

The Rev. William E. Nelson began his ministry with KUUF on September 7th , 2008. Bill presides at worship services on the first and third Sundays of each month, with the second and fourth Sundays led by Assisting Ministers George Peterson and the Rev. Dick Dutton, respectively. A typical week will find Bill in the Andover/New London area at least one day per week, with additional days as needed.

Bill “retired” in 2007 from his ministry in the United Church of Christ, and is currently seeking plural standing in the Unitarian Universalist Association. This is actually a kind of return to his early ministry, when, while in seminary at Vanderbilt University, he was preparing for ministry in the UUA, and serving as Student Minister at a UU church in Nashville, Tennessee. Throughout his career in the UCC, Bill has maintained strong relationships with his UU colleagues, and has served as guest minister at several UU churches.

Bill and his wife Stephanie, both natives of Cleveland, Ohio, have lived “across the river” from us in Vermont, for the past eleven years, where they share their home with Hubbard, their rescued greyhound dog, and Paws, their twenty-year-old cat. Bill is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, with a degree in Sociology and Anthropology, and, as mentioned above, of the Divinity School of Vanderbilt University. Among his many interests Bill includes a passion for art (particularly Modern Art), classical music, and literature, as well as occasional travel, primarily to art venues around the country and abroad.

As would be expected in a UU setting, Bill’s approach to religion is open and inclusive. He has great respect for each individual’s spiritual path, and an intense interest in exploring just what it is that contributes to our becoming true human beings. He describes himself, in fact, as a kind of “humanist with spiritual overtones and transcendental tendencies,” all blended together into a “genuine appreciation of, and gratitude for, the many and diverse challenges of being human.”

Bill enjoys getting to know people, and can be reached on his cell phone – 802.384.5002 – or by e-mail – billstephnelson@vermontel.net.

A User’s Guide to the Minister

A close friend of mine from seminary days, who currently serves a UU congregation in New Jersey, has recently published in his newsletter a “User’s Guide to the Minister.” Actually, he borrowed the idea from another UU minister, and I thought it was a fine idea, so I’ve come up with a version of my own:

I want to get to know you; so should you not hear from me first, please be in touch. Whether or not you have anything in particular about which you want to talk doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s good just to “visit.” Since I don’t have an office in which to receive people, we’ll have to meet either at your home or in one of the local eating and/or coffee establishments, and I’m happy with either. It’s a little early to establish a firm schedule of when I’ll be in the New London area, but just now Tuesday is the day I’m projecting, with flexibility enough to include other days as well.
You can reach me almost any time on my cell phone: 802.384.5002. I also have a home number, 802.885.1944, but the cell phone’s with me twenty-four hours a day, so that’s your best bet. Or, I’m happy to receive your e-mails, at billstephnelson@vermontel.net.
Please let me know, or ask someone to let me know if you’re sick, or especially, if you’re in the hospital. Because of privacy concerns, hospitals no longer contact clergy people, and few of us, I’m afraid, are gifted with telepathic resources adequate for knowing everything that’s going on.
I take confidences very seriously; anything discussed with me goes no further.
Finally, should I have said or done something upsetting, or less than thoughtful, please let me know. I’m pretty good at accepting criticism, and I need to know if anyone’s unhappy. (Or happy, for that matter.)

Gratefully, Bill

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To me, human life in all its forms, individual

and aggregate, is a perpetual wonder; the

flora of the earth and sea is full of beauty and

of mystery that science seeks to understand;

the fauna of land and ocean is not less

wonderful; the world that holds them both,

and the great universe that folds it in on every

side, are still more wonderful, complex, and

attractive, to the contemplating mind.

–Theodore Parker (1810-1860)

As is the case with many Unitarian Universalist congregations, we of the KUUF shall at the end of June, take our July-August break from regular, weekly worship. I’ll have to admit to mixed feelings about this particular UU custom, since I very much enjoy our Sunday morning gatherings, and I’ll miss them. There’s something about the coming together of like-minded friends to intentionally deal with life’s most deeply meaningful – and often challenging – issues, that’s refreshing, stimulating, and comforting, regardless of the season.

At the same time, though, I appreciate also the value of stepping aside from the routine and immersing oneself in a summer mode of recreation and relaxation (for those for whom that’s possible, that is; there are some of us who never quite get to that point). Summer Sundays can give us an opportunity to reflect on who we are and where we are in life in a way that’s somewhat different from what happens in a worship service.

The above-captioned words of Theodore Parker, one of the historic “saints” of the UU movement, capture this opportunity very nicely. There’s a true magnificence in the cosmos that draws us in and reminds us daily, that we are children of the universe, participants in the mystery of life. Each of us is part of something we can’t begin to understand; but we know nevertheless, that we belong. And summer breaks can, should we take advantage of them, bring us to the contemplative mind of which Mr. Parker speaks. Even if it’s just in sitting on a lawn chair listening to the birds, or watching the morning dew on the grass.

I’ll be keeping busy during our two-month hiatus. It’s my intention to do some serious planning for the fall, as well as catching up on some reading and writing that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. Stephanie and I have a couple of short trips planned, but most of the time we’ll be right here at home; and just because it’s summer, that doesn’t mean that I won’t be “on call,” should I be needed. Meanwhile, though, we still have June ahead of us, and I hope to see most of you on the 14th and 28th, my preaching Sundays. George will be handling the first Sunday, the 7th, and Dick the third, the 21st. We’ve made this change in our regular schedule so that I can be with you all on the last Sunday before the break. And don’t forget the picnic on Sunday, August 23rd, at Doug and Meredith Smith’s home.

With sincere thanks for a great First Year, Bill