We gathered in love, laughter, and a few tears to celebrate a remarkable milestone: ten years of inspired leadership and deep connection with our beloved minister, Rev. Joe Cleveland. The service was both a celebration and a heartfelt farewell as we prepared to bless him on his journey forward.
Through music, story, and shared memories, the sanctuary pulsed with the spirit of gratitude, as we celebrated a relationship that shaped our community, deepened our faith, and brought out the best in us.
“Rev. Joe showed that there is a love holding you when you need it most,” said Jenn Pratt, speaking from her experience on the care team. She reminded us how he embodied compassion — visiting the housebound, showing up in times of grief, and offering his calm presence during life’s most tender moments.
“Rev. Joe’s involvement goes far beyond what we think of as pastoral care,” Jenn said. “He sees people. He really sees them. And then he shows up.”
Sermons That Stirred the Soul
As part of the celebration, Alan Bartenhagen presented Rev. Joe with a small but powerful token: a flash drive containing over 300 sermons he has delivered over the past decade — from his first candidate week in 2014 through the pandemic and the transition into hybrid worship.
“These sermons helped us become more mindful and inclusive,” Alan said, recalling titles like “An Invitation to Stillness,” “Listening to the Poetry of the Earth,” and “One Wild and Precious Life.” “No matter the topic,” he added, “you helped us more fully live our UU principles.”
We remembered how Rev. Joe’s sermons consistently challenged us to think more deeply, feel more compassionately, and act more bravely. Judith Thomas praised his ability to weave together insights from science, literature, and music — a reflection of his own path through math and science, then English, and finally music. “He made us think. He paid attention. And he got involved — not just with us, but with the wholecommunity..
Some of us first came to know Rev. Joe not just in the pulpit, but in the streets. Lucy Manning shared how his visible, courageous engagement in local justice efforts — from rallies and vigils to city council and school board meetings — gave her the courage to step outside her own comfort zone. “I don’t recognize the person I’ve become,” she said, “but I like this person better. So thank you.”
Judith Thomas reminded us of a moment when Rev. Joe spent hours assisting a family wrongly detained — one of countless examples of how he has walked the walk with us, living out our values of justice, compassion, and solidarity.
Music as Ministry
Of course, no celebration of Rev. Joe would be complete without honoring the music he brought into our lives. Whether he was leading us in song, accompanying us on guitar or banjo, or quietly joining the choir to strengthen our sound, his musical gifts were a steady heartbeat in our spiritual life.
“Music may be Rev. Joe’s top passion,” said Bev Lawson, recalling hymn sings, fundraisers, and quiet Sunday mornings filled with harmony and grace. “He shared it with us generously, and joyfully.”
His music wasn’t just performance — it was ministry, woven into the fabric of our worship and our relationships.
Growing Together, Trusting Each Other
And in that stretching, we became something more — a stronger, more loving, more connected community.
A Legacy Woven with Love
At the close of the service, Diane Kiernan presented Rev. Joe with a framed photo of our Journey Well quilt — a symbol of our shared story. For twenty years, that quilt has been part of our congregational life. Now, it will travel with him as a reminder of the love he leaves behind — and the love that goes with him.
Our service followed the rhythms we know well — the chalice lighting, the story for all ages, the covenant and hymn, the stones and water of joys and sorrows — but the mood was something more: a mingling of blessing and farewell, of holding on and letting go.
As we sang and prayed, remembered and released, one refrain rose clearly above all:
Topics: Beloved Community