C is for Change.
Dear friends,
One of my favorite contemporary songs is “Change,” by Adrienne Lenker of the band Big Thief (you can watch her singing it here.)
Change, like the wind/ Like the water, like skin/ Change, like the sky/ Like the leaves, like a butterfly.
I thought of Lenker’s words this week while I was walking at Great Meadows in Concord, and I saw the marsh sparkling and writhing with spring: trees budding, carp in the water, an osprey overhead, even a butterfly! Change is beautiful and exciting, and change also can bring sadness.
Here at First Parish, as in every thriving ecosystem, we are in the midst of change. This week, we announce the exciting news of a new UUA Ministerial Intern who will join us for the next church year. Back in the winter, FPL was contacted by several prospective UUA Ministerial Interns who were finishing up their Master of Divinity programs. After preliminary conversations, Kit and I and a small committee of lay leaders interviewed two finalists. We feel so fortunate to be welcoming our first choice, kel alford, next year. kel is a wise, creative, and humble person who brings many gifts to ministry. Please scroll down to hear directly from kel and learn a little more about her! (kel prefers lowercase for her name.)
kel will be with us from September 1, 2026 through mid-June of 2027. Working 25-30 hours per week, her position will include worship leadership and preaching, pastoral care, teaching, participation in committees and groups, and more. First and foremost, kel is here in a covenantal learning agreement as part of her journey towards ordination in the UUA. Folks who have been part of FPL for a while will remember that we’ve been a site for a number of UUA Interns in the past (including Rev. Rosemary Lloyd, once upon a time!). It is a privilege (and challenge) to be a good “teaching congregation,” and we look forward to learning much from kel in turn. kel’s hoping to join us in person for one of our final services in early June, so we can say hello to her then.
We are also in the midst of change in the sense that our Ministry Associate, Sarah Klockowski, is beginning her own search for a called ministry position after seven incredible years with FPL. Many of you cheered Sarah on at her Ecclesiastical Council a few weeks ago—what a wonderful evening that was! FPL is committed to keeping Sarah on board until she does indeed find that call. When Sarah accepts a call to her next congregation, we expect to have a few months to say goodbye. At that point, FPL will begin a search for a part-time Communications director to fill that half of Sarah’s portfolio.
The rituals of spring call us into new beginnings, where excitement and sadness sit side by side. Change is afoot, which is one way to say, we are alive. Know that your ministers, staff, and lay leaders are here for you as we process these transitions. We are so grateful to be on this journey together.
See you in church,
Nate and Kit
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It is a true honor to be invited into the life of this congregation next year, and the ongoing work of building trust across difference. I am excited to learn, serve, listen, create, and help weave a little more beauty, courage, healing, and wholeness into our shared life. I am choosing First Parish in Lincoln because it feels like a spacious and faithful place to keep becoming — grounded in inherited traditions, open to honest seeking, and committed to being a “big tent” spiritual home. I am especially drawn to FPL’s deep welcome, theological breadth, and willingness to honor difference without asking people to leave any true part of themselves at the door. I am grateful for the chance to continue growing in preaching, pastoral care, worship, justice-making, and creative ministry in a congregation that understands formation as relational, dynamic, and alive.
kel’s most recent sermon
15 March 2026
Arlington Street Church
