On June 18th, WellSprings came together to ordain the Rev. Beth Monhollen to the Unitarian Universalist ministry! Rev. Beth served as our Beldon Ministerial Intern for the past two years, bringing so much joy and spirit to WellSprings as she shared her tremendous gifts for ministry with our congregation. Later this summer, Rev. Beth will begin a new position at the UU Congregation of Urbana Champaign. We will miss her presence among us, dearly – and, we are so excited to see what her ministry brings to our wider faith movement, in future years.
Below you’ll find a gallery of images from Rev. Beth’s ordination ceremony. You can also watch a recording of the ceremony on our YouTube Channel.
Rev. Beth also shared a goodbye letter with our congregation, earlier this week, which you can read below.
Dear WellSprings,
Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement over the past two years. Being your intern has been a joy and I will be reaping the benefits of the seeds planted in my time here for years to come.
From the days in 2021 when we were gathered only online and you welcomed me into your homes and hearts via computer screens, you provided me with opportunities to learn, to grow, and to deepen my ministry. From leading weekly “Monday Mindfulness” and “Tarot Tuesdays” and drop in Zoom hours, to my moving here and getting to experience the incredible energy on Sunday mornings and participate in WellSprings 2.0; from sitting in on Board meetings and serving with Leadership Development and YouthSpirit, to providing pastoral care and moving efforts forward to revitalize the Caring Team – these past two years have been fuller than I can express in this small space.
But please know that I have valued each interaction and held holy each of you as we crossed paths, whether it was in-person or online, for one service or for weekly meetings. I love you, WellSprings, and am honored to have been your first official Beldon Intern, and to be one of the ministers who you’ve ordained and launched into the world.
Thank you for blessing me with a beautiful ordination ceremony and for the generous time and energy so many of you poured into the service and the reception. It was a wonderful “last” day with you!
My last official workday is June 26, the day after the close of the UUA General Assembly where I’m honored and proud to serve as a voting delegate for WellSprings. My work e-mail address will become inactive on June 30. If there are questions or concerns that I might have helped you with in the past, please reach out to Beth Trandahl at office@wellspringsuu.org. And, of course reach out to Rev. Lee, for any pastoral needs you have.
As I prepare for the next phase of my journey, the healthy boundaries of my ministry (and yours) means that I will not be in contact with you for the next year, so that I can focus on getting to know the new community I will serve (and to make space for you to fully welcome the next Beldon Intern). But, as I said in my final message: it is in community, and especially our spiritual and religious communities, that we can practice the magic of letting each other be enough.
The magic of ordinary miracles is what we created together and we will go on creating that magic, me in my new home and you here, WellSprings. Trust in the magic and miracle of who you are. May it be so.
