Erin Splaine Writes to FUSN

March 24, 2010

Dear Friends,

The moment your Search Committee extended the invitation to be your Candidate was one of profound joy. The time between then and now has only strengthened that feeling. With the help of your Search Committee and the thorough printed materials you prepared for your search process, I feel as if I have come to understand your vision for your future and feel a deep connection to all of you at FUSN. I am eager to meet all of you and begin our journey together!

As a way of introduction, I have been a Unitarian Universalist minister for 12 years. For nine of those years I have served your neighboring congregation in Wayland. Prior to coming back to First Parish Wayland I served our congregation in Northampton, MA. I say "coming back to Wayland" because it is the congregation where I did my internship and the one that ordained me.

My roots in New England are deep. I was born in New Hampshire and although my family continued to move south — first to North Carolina and then Texas — I consider myself a New Englander through and through. I am the second child of four born to two very energetic people. My siblings and I shared an eclectic upbringing that has molded who we are as individuals and as members of a family. I was a student athlete for years and still count my time at the gym, outside on my bike, or walking my dog, Bartlett, as very important parts of my day.

Working and communicating with people has been at the core of most of my professional experiences. I have spent time in the world of finance, as a small business owner (a painting business), and in Washington, D.C. where I was Press Secretary to a Congressman. Though I loved these diverse parts of my professional life through it all I could not quell a sense that there was more. I needed to find out what it was that I was meant to do with my life. My search for meaning and connection brought me to Harvard Divinity School and to Parish Ministry.

My work as a Minister continues to be a journey of discovery and wonder. I am blessed to do the work that I love — work that brings me in deep contact with others. Ministry is at its core the work that we do together in the context of our communal life. The ministry that I love is one that endeavors to build community, through preaching and outreach, both within and outside the church community.

Now our separate paths have brought us together. I am very much looking forward to beginning our shared journey. In my mind and my heart our week together in May cannot come fast enough. It is with great humility and an abiding sense of hope for our future together that I anticipate our building our ministry together.

Peace,

Erin Splaine