Barbara Child and Marni Harmony
Annually, UURMaPA bestows its Creative Sageing Award “in recognition of outstanding service and creativity in pursuing new ventures after retirement and building on one’s experience in creative ways.” This year’s recipient would likely eschew the word “retirement;” in truth, she doesn’t really know what the word means.
Makanah Morris, Marni Harmony, and Ellen Brandenburg served on the selection committee. Their decision was unanimous: The Reverend Barbara Child.
Makanah commented on Barbara’s thoughtful and responsive leadership of the Commission on Appraisal. “She offered us clear, strong, courageous, and positive leadership with this effort.” She also mentioned Barbara’s voice on the UUMA Chat as one that offers clarity, wisdom, and helpful practical ideas to those currently serving congregations. Said Makanah, “She embodies the role of ‘practical sage’ and offers us all a model for how to do this.” Ellen talked about Barbara’s energy, focus, and enthusiasm being “remarkably sage and creative.” Marni called her a “wise elder owl” (avoiding the word “old”) who has mentored Marni among many others.
A lengthy tribute from Transitions Director Keith Kron was shared. Keith mentioned Barbara’s work around Women and Religion; the Commission on Social Witness; the Commission on Appraisal; as well as her long service as an MSR and his work with her to publish In the Interim. He concluded, “The book has greatly influenced our movement, specifically congregations as they move into interim ministry. Barbara is a tireless worker, with high expectations of others and even higher expectations of herself. She wants to do whatever she sets out to do well and thoroughly. Her commitment to our faith is remarkable. And thankfully she continues to live out that commitment each and every day.”
Most recently, Barbara has been working on a program she calls Espresso Strength Jump Start Transition Work — a program of short-term intensive consulting for congregations that have lost a minister, but for any number of different reasons are either not interested in or not able to engage a full-time interim minister. It’s a program that can appeal to retired or soon-to-retire ministers who have special skills and extensive experience. She’s also busily at work helping to create training videos for new Ministerial Settlement Representatives (today called Regional Transition Coaches). She serves as one of UURMaPA’s Outreach Connectors. And, of course, she continues her pattern of lifelong learning by taking courses at Pacifica Institute in Santa Barbara, CA.
In her message of thanks to the Committee, Barbara wrote, “To all three of you, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful honor you have given me as a Creative Sage. As you surely know, I was completely surprised — and Marni, your delayed revelation of who was getting the award was quite a piece of work! Also, you did some amazing sleuthing. I’m mightily impressed.“I do want to say that, Makanah, you surely deserve as much credit as I do for efforts to preserve the Commission on Appraisal. Jim Hobart was no slouch either. And after all, as a retired interim minister, not emerita anywhere, I couldn’t speak at GA or even vote. I was completely blown away that the delegates voted to keep COA. I guess I simply applaud all of us who worked in one way or another to educate people about what would be lost if COA was eliminated.
“But of course now I write to you mainly, once more, to say thank you for the enormous gifts you have given me — the generous check, of course, but especially the honor of your appreciation of the work I continue to love to do.”
And so, as Barbara would say, “There you have it.” Indeed. Congratulations Barbara!
— Marni Harmony