For my new Teaching Parish Committee

We are artists, not evaluators…

Though there are tools that will be offered,

carefully crafted grids for assessment and measurement,

guidance for feedback and evaluation,

do not be deceived: your task here is not technical.

Think guideposts, not guidelines.

Think cairns, not cautions.

This is not science.

This is art. Holy art.

If we do it right, it will be messy.

It will be experimental.

It will contain surprises and hidden messages,

disappointments, and triumphs.

If we do it right, there will be more questions,

than answers; more tasks, than time;

more laughter, than silence.

If we do this right,

it won’t turn out as we imagine it now.

It will take on shape that can only emerge

through the gathering of our gifts,

one upon one upon another,

sums greater than parts.

Our attention and appreciation,

our building up and breaking down,

our care for the process more than the product,

will coax that sacred energy that reminds us,

ours is a covenantal promise we make to one another

over and over, each day anew.