The Reverend Gregory S. Ward
It is a tremendous privilege to serve as minister of this church. Ministry here allows me to play many roles. Primary among them are:
Worship Leader – I understand the purpose of worship as a grounding, centering and clarifying moment in our week that informs, inspires and transforms us toward being our best selves. I believe that the best way to reach the diverse mix of people who come through our doors is with a diverse mix of voices. That is why I have created a team of eight extremely talented people to serve as Worship Associates. The ability to speak of the holy is not one relegated exclusively to the ordained. As much as leading worship myself, I see my role to help others learn to exercise their spiritual muscles and discover how they can help others coming on Sunday mornings with spiritual needs.
Pastoral Presence – We are in the midst of great change – in the world and in our personal lives. To make meaning from change, it is imperative that we surround ourselves with compassion, empathy and understanding. There are two ways we do this at UUCMP. OurCaring Network Team are our helping hands. They organize meals, transportation, childcare or general assistance for members in crisis as well as let us know we are being thought of by coordinating cards, flowers and visits. Our Pastoral Associates Team offers offers people chosen and trained from among the congregation for their abilities to offer reverent and caring attention. In difficult times, such as a death or illness of a loved one, our pastoral associates are trained to listen and help us make sense of what’s going on. They don’t fix us but rather put us in touch with our most deeply held values.
Organizational Leadership – I also work to insure that the church channels its volunteer resources to cultivate leadership for our values - within and beyond the walls of the church. This means working with the Board of Trustees, a dedicated staff team and a great number of compassionate, understanding and justice-minded lay leaders.
Personal Background - I am a life long Unitarian Universalist. Having grown up in east Los Angeles, the middle child of two hard working parents in a racially divided neighborhood, I looked to institutions to provide the care and attention that was so important to me. The place I found it the most was my church, which helped me build relationships and community, strengthen my sense of self worth and cultivate in me the values that led toward being fair minded and serving others.
I graduated from UCSD with a BS in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology and worked for a short time as a pharmaceutical engineer. But my heart was in community building and helping children, youth, parents and the elderly develop rewarding and sustaining relationships.
I received my masters of divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in 1996 and served congregations in the Bay area, in Toronto, ON and Atlanta, GA.
I am married to Liz with whom I continue to learn and grow and find more meaning and joy in life. We live with our fuzzy daughter – Blondie (a 12-year-old Corgi-Chow mix). We celebrate the life of our grey tabby cat Blanche, who died in a house fire on May 12, 2011 at the age of 12.
Religious Perspective - I see myself, first and foremost, as a believer in what the Dalai Lama's calls, 'a religion of kindness.' I have tremendous faith in the human spirit to be be resilient to disappointment and struggles and respond to love and attention. I believe that the future of life on this planet and our ability to live in harmony locally and globally depend on our ability to practice love and appreciation in all our relationships. Mysticism best describes my belief that all life is interrelated. I believe that when kindness and compassion are enacted anywhere, their effects are felt everywhere. And when one life is devalued, everyone’s living is cheapened. I am influenced by the traditions of Judaism and Christianity because of how they tether our current movement to the history of our culture’s dominate religious sources. I see the power of these traditions’ stories and the way that our culture has incorporated them into the language and ethics of our society. I feel it is important that we understand these traditions if we are to be successful influencing the dominant ethical structure. My own personal spiritual practice draws from Buddhism in that I find my own grounding in a practice of meditation and my belief that we become more of our true selves when we let go of unnecessary attachments, many of which we end up holding onto out of fear. Finally, I believe that psychology holds many of the keys toward exploring the unconscious and making it conscious, resulting in deeper relationships – through greater awareness of self and a better understanding of how we relate to others and the world around us.
