Preaching at First Parish Sudbury: November 4, 2012

I am preaching at First Parish Sudbury early next month. Below is a blurb I sent for their newsletter. I feel weird about the self-promotion bits of the biographical sketch but self-promotion is part of the itinerant preacher’s job description. And it is true that I’ve won awards for my preaching, scholarship and activism…

This Land is Your Land?

At it’s 2012 General Assembly the Unitarian Universalist Association passed a Responsive Resolution Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. This service will explore what this resolution means and how it is a call for personal, associational and theological action.

An award winning preacher, scholar and social justice organizer, the Rev. Colin Bossen is currently working on his doctorate at Harvard University. He is studying the relationship between theology and social movements. Prior to returning to academia Bossen served as a parish minister for six years. He is the author of two religious education curriculums and a close to two dozen published essays, articles, book chapters and poems.

Preaching at Tufts

I will be preaching at Tuft University’s Protestant Worship Service at 7:00 p.m. on the following Sundays: September 23, October 28 and November 18. Stay tuned for the service topics.  

A Covenant Concerning the Continuing Relationship Between Rev. Colin Bossen and the Members of the Unitarian Universalist Society

Having the best interests of the Society at heart, Rev. Bossen, Board President Melissa Vandergriff and District Executive Rev. VanBecleare freely enter into the following covenant on the behalf of the congregation. On August 13, 2012, when Rev. Bossen’s settled ministry at the Society formally ends, Rev. Bossen will break all ties with the members of the congregation until such time as the Society calls a new settled minister. This means that Rev. Bossen will not contact members electronically, through post or the phone during that period.

After the Society calls a new settled minister Rev. Bossen, at the invitation of the settled minister, may return to the Society to participate in memorial services and as a guest preacher for special occasions. Rev. Bossen may also be in touch with congregants for reference, denominational and social purposes. At no time will he offer members of the Society advice about congregational life or pastoral care.

Finally, the following exceptions around contact with Rev. Bossen will be:

1. If a member of congregation, during the interim period or during the first year of the settled minister’s tenure, requests a letter of recommendation to apply to seminary Rev. Bossen will write it.
2. If Rina Shere, a member of the congregation and the current Director of Religious Education, needs a recommendation or advice on the ministerial fellowship process Rev. Bossen will give it.
3. If Shirley Nelson, the Society’s Office Administrator, needs help with administrative details relating to the transition and informs the interim minister, Rev. Bossen will provide it.

Rev. Colin Bossen
Melissa Vandergriff
Joan VanBecleare

Site Under Construction

I am in the process of constructing and launching this web-site. Over the next few weeks I will be posting the texts of many of my sermons and re-starting a regular blog. In the meantime you can browse my published writings or visit the sermon archives of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Cleveland.