Ministry — Reverend J Sylvan

Preaching and Worship

Preaching and Worship are central to my ministry. I feel that a strong service provides a gravitational center for a congregation. I truly love crafting and sharing the experience of worship with a community. I sometimes joke that even when I mostly wrote poetry, what I was really writing were little sermons. I draw on my background as a theater artist and poet to create full worship experiences that the community can help shape and participate in. I craft entire services with an intention in mind, interweaving readings, music, sermons, and other aspects. In my sermons I try to balance deep reflection and inspiring calls to action. I do not sugar coat hard truths, but I strive to present them levelly and kindly.

Additionally, I see great potential for church communities to make space for and work in collaboration with art and artists, both in traditional worship services and beyond. Art, music, and performance can be expressions of divinity and connection, and I seek to explore opportunities to bring these experiences to faith communities in creative ways, such as supporting and hosting concerts, singalongs, plays, open mics, and services outside of traditional Sunday morning worship times.

Religious Education

I consider children and young people to be a part of the congregation no less than adults who pledge. RE is vital not only for children, but for the health of our faith. As with the rest of my ministry, I find incorporating creativity such a theater, writing, or art into Children's RE and Youth Ministry can enrich the experience for everyone. Here, I draw on my many years as a youth poetry instructor.

I feel it is important to have a children's message or time for all ages in the Sunday service, as well as many opportunities for multi-generational worship and activities. At Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church, I’ve made a point to involve children and youth in services, giving them opportunities to perform in skits and participate in ritual.

Adult RE provides great opportunities not only for enrichment and education, but also for community building and deepening. I find that RE classes can provide adults with shared knowledge and experience that can strengthen bonds. I also like to use Adult RE as a place to challenge previously held beliefs, and educate about social issues with segues into social action.

Social Justice

I have been connected to many LGBTQ+ activist communities, most of which are arts-based, and have led and spearheaded several initiatives myself over the years. Since 2012 I’ve published articles and poetry and staged theatrical work that speaks to the queer and nonbinary experience, and everything I do comes from this position.

In matters outside of my personal experience such as racial justice, I continue to try to take the lead of those in the affected communities who are doing the work and use my privilege to support when it is appropriate. I am dedicated to anti-racism, and to continuing to learn and incorporate anti-racism into my own actions, faith, worship, and work. In seminary I was honored to be a part of a Black student led, two-semester course called Freedom School, based off the original Freedom Schools in Mississippi in the 60s. In this course we explored race and anti-oppression in theory and praxis, culminating in the creation of a magazine full of paid original artwork and writing by BIPOC women and queer people. I currently work with an anti-racism coach who challenges me to continually bring my anti-racist values into my work, and holds me accountable.

During my time in Houston, I’ve moderated an informative panel about trans and nonbinary youth in reaction to harmful Texas legislation, and guided Bay Area UU Church to work with other local UU congregations to hire a Voting Justice Coordinator to enhance our UU the Vote work. I have also worked with our President, staff, and Board to begin the process of voting on the Eighth Principle.

Coming into a ministry I would first learn what the community is already doing and see how I can support and uplift it. Then I would incorporate my experience and connections to see where else we could extend the work.

Pastoral Care

The role of spiritual guide is one of the most important of a minister. I consider witnessing the pastoral milestones of congregants and helping them to make meaning from them a cherished responsibility. I commit weekly dedicated time to managing pastoral concerns myself, as well as working with and supervising any lay ministers who may be doing this work. I find home and hospital visits deeply rewarding, and always allow time in my schedule to prioritize such visits.

In pastoral relationships, I not only draw on my Clinical Pastoral Education background at Serenity Enterprises, but on my years as a yoga teacher. In my yoga and meditation training, I learned to sit with discomfort and silence without trying to make things “better.” Sometimes what is needed is simple witness and presence. I always try to center myself and quiet my mind before a pastoral care session so that I can provide sacred witness and presence. And as with the rest of my ministry, I find pastoral care relationships are most effective with clear communication and boundaries.

Interfaith Engagement

In keeping with our sixth principle, it is vital for UUs to work with members of other faiths –including those we may not agree with. I actively seek connections with a myriad of other faith communities, including more conservative traditions. When writing Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical, I was highly aware that David is an important character in Judaism and Islam as well as in Christianity. Because of this, I was careful to engage both Jewish and Muslim collaborators early in the writing and workshopping process. These collaborations both strengthened the work and established lasting relationships that inform my ministry to this day.

At Bay Area UU Church, I collaborate with a local rabbi who frequently leads services as a guest when I am away, and I am working with local Christian congregations to re-start the Clear Lake Interfaith Council after two years of pandemic-related silence. BAUUC is also located up the street from a large mosque, and we routinely collaborate with them on events and actions, such as lecture series, fundraisers, and Voting Justice activities. Much of this relationship is mundane—coordinating space, sharing contacts, etc. I think that is part of what we should strive for in many cross-faith relationships. Not every interaction needs to be deep and spiritual – those interactions can be one-off. In fact, much of real long-term relationships exist in the everyday, and in the mid-places between surface-level and the depths of spirit.

Denominational leadership

When I served as the UUA's LGBTQ and Gender Justice Fellow, reporting to Reverend Michael Crumpler, I spoke directly with many congregations who were struggling to incorporate trans and nonbinary worshipers into their communities beyond the surface level. While the work was frequently not easy, I felt a deep love and gratitude for these congregants who were struggling through the awkwardness of discomfort in order to become a more radically welcoming community.

I am active in current and emerging conversations within Unitarian Universalism, especially in the LGBTQ+ realm. My article, "The Risks of Radical Welcome: Arlington Street Church and Gay Rights 1973-1983" appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of UU History, and I expect to continue to be part of the conversation on LGBTQ+ celebration and ethics in the Unitarian Universalist faith.

As a leader, I try to urge people forward kindly, but not always gently. I always try to lead by example. I hope that Unitarian Universalism can live into its legacy as a progressive and forward-thinking faith, while also reckoning with the parts of its past that create and uphold oppression. I envision a future in which we will once again become a religion that is at the forefront of progressive theological discourse.

And Beyond…

Through my musical, Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical, my podcast It's in the Book: A Queer Bible Podcast, and other such projects, I hope to continue to develop the queer theological conversation within and beyond Unitarian Universalism. I believe projects such as theater, podcasts, YouTube videos, and popular articles can advance progressive theology as well as a critical exploration of the history and traditions that have brought us here, and I intend to continue to use what I’ve learned from my many different vocations to serve this purpose. I plan to continue to work to normalize and celebrate queer and trans theologies and queer and trans lives. And I plan to continue making theater, music, and other art as expressions of my call.