Appreciation of a Life of Ministry
Given by Rev. Leia Durland-Jones at the June 12, 2022 Community Worship
I am honored, truly honored to be here today with you all as we, together, mark this momentous milestone, the retirement of Rev. Dr. Linda Olson Peebles. It is an honor to be part of this day because Linda is a person of integrity and wisdom and we, her final congregation, have been given this precious opportunity to reflect back to her what a gift she is and has been not only to us, but our wider faith and denomination.
Many of you know that Linda and I met almost 30 years ago at an annual fall conference of the Liberal Religious Educators Association. It was my first Fall Con, and her third. We’ve been connected ever since through conversations over coffee or shared meals, participation in family weddings, celebrating births, notes in the mail, and witnessing each other in our ministries through the years.
Through her sermons, leadership, and casual conversations, you’ve no doubt heard her say that she sees herself as a minister, yes, and also as a community organizer. Linda is wonderful at seeing the big picture, asking discerning and helpful questions, and inspiring and organizing people. Am I right? She shows up. She knows how to get things done and helps people see a way forward. She cares deeply. She models how to live one’s faith.
Early in her career, before she heard the call to formal ministry, she was a Board Member and then later a teacher and then Director of the Fort Hunt Preschool. All three of her children attended this school and now three of her grandchildren attend. While there, Linda helped children, families and the community learn and work together— a gift she has and a type of community organizing, you might say. Karen Fenderson, from the school, remembers how Linda continued to come down the hill with her guitar and sing to the children, even after she was no longer the Director. Beth Peebles, Linda’s daughter-in-law, says she has heard stories of how during Linda’s leadership there were daring hot wheel races and preschoolers attempting woodworking. Linda, you have always modeled listening to children and letting them lead the way. As you might imagine, the skills necessary for directing a preschool can serve well in ministry, too.
The call to work with the faith development of families and people of all ages led Linda in 1990 to become the Director of Religious Education at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church. The job and Linda were a great match! She thrived and with her vision and leadership, so did the congregation. While serving as DRE, she attended seminary and earned her Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School, one of our UU seminaries. She was ordained a UU minister by the Mount Vernon congregation in 1997 – and I was delighted to be in attendance on this joyous day.
Following her ordination, Linda served as the Minister of Religious Education at Mount Vernon until 2001. Her years at Mount Vernon were full of creative and dynamic leadership and she was beloved. During this time, she also began her volunteer service on the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Board of Trustees – always an advocate for the marginalized, underrepresented, and holding up the importance of denominational support for religious education.
In 2001, it was time for a change and Linda accepted the call to serve as the Minister of Religious Education at the Arlington, Virginia congregation—a role she served in until 2013.
I remember visiting her at the church and marveling at the size of their lifespan faith development program – so many classroom spaces and even a volunteer’s lounge and workroom! I was particularly envious of the dedicated chapel space they had for children’s worship – complete with very cool adjustable lighting. It was snazzy. It was during this time, in 2011, that Linda was awarded her Doctor of Divinity from Meadville Lombard, where she also served as adjunct faculty.
Linda’s reputation as a leader and stellar educator caught the attention of the Unitarian Universalist Association and in 2013 Linda was presented the prestigious Angus McLean Award. The McLean award is given annually to someone who has made outstanding contributions to religious education. Linda was recognized for sharing her passion for Unitarian Universalism and MacLean’s spirit of justice and love, through “outstanding leadership and service to Unitarian Universalism at congregational, district, and Associational levels.” Her accomplishments included nurturing multigenerational learning, service, and leadership as a Minister of Religious Education, promoting the Our Whole Lives lifespan sexuality education program, and giving voice to our “longing for justice and peace and love” as a UU musician.
In 2012, Linda began her service as the volunteer president of the UU Minister’s Association. It was thrilling for many of us to have Linda in this role, not only because we knew she would be such a wonderful leader but also because she was the first Minister of Religious Education to serve in this position. This is a big deal. In her role as UUMA President, Linda worked hard to help the organization grow and change in healthy ways. Current UUMA leadership shares, “Linda, the gifts you have brought to the congregations and communities you have served have made the difference in countless lives. Thank you for all you have given in the name of your call and to support the ministry – both during your time as UUMA President, as a chapter leader and as a dedicated mentor, colleague, and coach. Your dedication to your colleagues and to the health and vitality of the ministry shines through in all you do. Your presidency came during a great time of change for the UUMA. Your wisdom, generosity and grace helped to lay the foundation of our current policies and build a strong foundation for a revisioning of the UUMA’s mission and vision.”
During her time as UUMA President, Linda also worked hard to heal wounds that were and still are sources of pain between many professional religious educators and their clergy colleagues. This is a long-standing and ongoing struggle which isn’t always acknowledged. Linda modeled compassion, empathy and understanding of the dynamics and her words during her Presidency named hard truths and went a long way to help mend hurting hearts.
Linda’s ministry thrived at UU of Arlington, and it was mutually decided in 2013 that she would shift her portfolio and become Arlington’s Minister of Faith in Action. Linda’s own passion for justice work and skill for community organizing made this a perfect fit. Arlington’s current Senior Minister, Rev. Amanda Poppei, shares “Linda, I often think about the minister’s role in its various components: priestly, pastoral, and prophetic. Your ministry at the UU Church of Arlington so clearly included these. I have heard stories of the child dedications and the weddings you officiated, the way those ceremonies held people in pivotal moments in their lives. I have heard about the visits you made, your huge heart for caring and the times your showed up for people in their most challenging moments. And I have heard the stories of your work for justice, the way you invited people to join you to make the world a better place. And you can’t forget that first Arlington same-sex marriage, where you managed to be priestly, prophetic, and surely pastoral all at once!” And, I’ll add, to have your photo performing that ceremony shared around the world. The UU Church of Arlington was so very lucky to have you serve them so faithfully and with such inspiration for sixteen years.
And while Linda was ministering in the congregations she served, she also made time to be a founding clergy member and on the strategy team of VOICE, which is the organization in northern Virginia akin to IMPACT. She was and is still an active member in the Arlington Interfaith Women’s Prayer Group, she served on the board and as President of United Community, a faith-based organization empowering neighbors in need through human services. Linda also volunteered her time with Goodwin House and their Clinical Pastoral Education Program. Chaplain Pomerleau writes, “Intelligent, perceptive, knowledgeable, articulate, bold, faithful, energetic, strong —a long list of adjectives does not do justice to Linda Olson Peebles and her many attributes. It has been and will continue to be a blessing to know and work with her (even though she says she is retiring). She has contributed immensely to the work of the Goodwin House Clinical Pastoral Education. The students and members of the committee who have had the opportunity to get to know her truly value the ways she has touched their lives. Linda is a rare individual who has the ability to analyze problems, ask the right questions and get answers—all while remaining amiable. She is unafraid to ask the hard questions, to say what needs to be said to grapple towards spiritual growth and organizational success.”
And it has been these strengths, skills, and wisdom that Linda has brought to her three interim ministries these last few years. In 2017-2019, she served the Accotink UU Church as their Lead Interim Minister. 2019-2020 she served the UU Church of Rockville. Her colleague Rev. Rebekah Savage shares, “Linda, I was truly delighted when you were selected to serve as the Interim Senior Minister at UUCR just a few years ago. It was a tender time in the life of UUCR with many transitions and deep spiritual discernment and then, our collective world fractured with the beginning of the pandemic. Your clarity, steady leadership, and commitment to excellence in shared ministry all served our beloved community and wider faith with grace and heart. I am confident that your service at the UU Church of Rockville is representative of your decades of spiritual leadership. I am even more confident that your particular gifts for ministry have blessed generations of UU’s and people of faith and conscience near and far.”
To that, I say, “Amen.”
And we, here in Charlottesville, at UUCville, we too, as others have said, have been so lucky, so fortunate, so blessed, to have the stars align and bring Rev. Linda to us as our Lead Interim Minister for 2020-2022. We’ve laughed and said she’s been our Pandemic Minister since her time with us included living through the challenges of doing church during COVID. Linda and I agree that we never could have imagined we when first met each other all those years ago at LREDA Fall Conference at Lake Cazenovia, New York, that we would have the chance to minister together in the same congregation or that we would be gathered here today to honor her call to ministry, her life’s work as minister, and the blessing that she is.
Linda, Pam spoke of many gifts of your ministry with us. You have been an inspirational preacher and teacher, a meaning-maker and a truth teller. You have helped us heal and find our grounding again. You know us, you know our stories, and you love us. And we love you. Your life in ministry has not always been easy. And for all the love and glowing affirmations we have shared this morning, we know you have also had disappointments and frustrations. Everyone does, it is part of being human. Yet, we know you have not always been treated well by colleagues and congregants. We know people and systems have hurt you and let you down. We know your gifts and skills have been dismissed. And for this, on behalf of those who have hurt you, I say, I am so sorry. You have always deserved to be treated with kindness, honor, and respect. I name this today because it too is part of your journey and lived experience. I am so grateful that you found your way through the challenging times and continue to shine your beautiful inner light with all of us.
You and I have talked about today being bittersweet— the sweet being the anticipation of what is to come in retirement—time for the arts, music, swimming, with your beloved grandchildren and other family members, travel, exploration, rest… and the not so sweet… letting go of a life of active ministry, something you love and do so well… You shared with me that what often helps you make a transition is when as you step out of a job well done, you are offered a new position that reflects on your abilities and calls you forth in new ways. So, in that spirit, I have a new job offer for you today. Of course, we’ll understand if you need time to think it over and of course, negotiate any of the terms and expectations.
The job title is:
Matriarch of the Olson Peebles Clan, a position vacated not that long ago by your own mother.
Position Description: Be the wise woman around whom the family gathers, share the family stories, legends, rituals, traditions, and lore. Be the keeper of the wisdom and pass it along as you see fit.
Duties included but not limited to: expressing artistic creativity, offering inspiration as needed, dreaming, teaching by example, listening well, holding space for those in need, and asking meaningful questions, and speaking truth to power. And, taking care of yourself, doing what YOU want to do, bringing as much joy and play into your life as you can.
Benefits: You set your own hours and you name your price. And, you get all the love and affection you can handle. And, there are opportunities for on-the-job learning, too!
Skills needed: you have them all and more—your big heart, wise mind, and your loving spirit.
We hope you’ll accept this new call, to retirement and to embody the role of matriarch of your family. We thank you for all the life energy you have given to our faith. We thank you for YOU. You have touched more lives that you will ever know and for this and so much more, we are so grateful you were born.
We celebrate you, with joy, as you embark on this New Beginning.
Blessings on you now and always.
During Service Rev. Linda was presented a prayer bead necklace by Ann Salamini. The prayer bead necklace was created with a bead representing each of the sixteen organizations that Rev. Linda served during her UU ministry. The materials are varied: stone, ceramic, glass, metal, bone, and pearl. They are arranged in a rainbow fashion to tie in our beloved UU symbol.