“He drew a circle that shut me out – Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him in!”

― Edwin Markham

A long time ago, in what now seems like a galaxy far, far away, I was black-balled from a clergy association. My friend Becky, an Episcopal Priest, had invited me to come to that unfriendly clergy association’s meeting. She said she was tired of being the only woman there and, as minister of the town’s Unitarian Universalist church, I should be a member.

At the meeting, all of the ministers except Becky grilled me about my theology. They even wanted me to sign a statement of faith avowing that I believed what they believed. Both Becky and I said such a document was inappropriate in an interfaith organization which we felt should be inclusive – not exclusive. After the meeting, as I drove Becky back to the Episcopal church the two of us were howling, “Can you believe it!”

We were flabbergasted at what we had just experienced. By the time we got to Becky’s church, we had decided to form our own group and that we would invite everyone including the guys who had just blackballed me. We would meet once a month at a restaurant that was something like Maurice’s – both nice and affordable. At first, we competed with the exclusive group. That year the town had two community Thanksgiving services. But, within months, our group prevailed and the old group finally joined us.

A decade later, as I began serving the First Universalist Church of Norway, I had no plan to contact the area clergy association. I was new on the job and didn’t dare take on another drama. As it turned out it was once again an Episcopal priest who called to invite me to a meeting of the Oxford Hills Area Clergy Association (OHACA). OHACA is open to all Oxford Hills clergy and is truly welcoming. The group does good work and has charitable projects but, I confess it is the fellowship I find at OHACA that means the most to me.

Like teaching or counseling, the ministry is a profession where one works alone and it can get lonely. Meeting with a group of people who do the work I do and who understand the challenges and rewards of church work has been a life-enhancing gift. My colleagues in OHACA – representing many faith groups – live what they preach. They welcome the stranger and they treat their neighbors as they would wish to be treated.