On February 1st the “MonthofMinistry,” an initiative led and created by two of our Interfaith Ministers, Rev Sass Adams and Rev Jo Royle (in consultation with various other ministers), began! The purpose of the month is for any and all OneSpirit Ministers to post on their socials introducing themselves, their practices, and their services to the wider community. You can view a compilation of the posts this far on the OneSpirit Instagram page, which will direct you to each Minister’s own page.
Rev Sass and Rev Jo created a list of prompts to inspire the posts for the #MonthofMinistry. On day 3 of the month, the prompt was “What is an interfaith minister?” While I do intend on creating a space on our website to host more of these beautiful prompts, answers, and posts once this month ends, I wanted to share how Rev Sass and Rev Jo answered:
From Rev Jo Royle:
Rev Jo responded to the prompt with a video on Instagram, which you can view here!
The caption reads, “As we’re such a varied bunch… each with our own individual vow, supporting people of all faiths and none and each with our own beliefs and spiritual practices… it’s probably best to search #MonthOfMinistry to get an idea of the tapestry we weave as a collective.”
From Rev Sass Adams:
“It’s not generally clear what an Interfaith Minister is when you first come across one, read on for a brief rundown:
❤️ The OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation is a seminary within the UK that trains and ordains interfaith ministers. These ministers are entitled to use the prefix Reverend.
🧡 We come from many different faith backgrounds and have different philosophies and personal theologies, yet are well-versed in a multitude of religious traditions. We adhere to the Onespirit Code of Ethics.
💛 We are trained in world religions and inter-spirituality and can assist people in identifying their own spiritual beliefs through a process of spiritual self-discovery.
💚 We approach ‘religious duties’ from a more inter-spiritual angle. We perform the same or similar duties to members of other religious clergies such as weddings, funerals, baby naming, or any other ceremonies, spiritual development, spiritual counselling and pastoral care.
💙 We share a commitment to serving individuals, couples and families in a very personal and respectful way, building ceremonies around the wishes, preferences, beliefs and practices of the clients we serve.
💜 Like hospital chaplains, we generally do not proselytize on behalf of any one faith tradition, but respect and honour them all.
🖤 Unlike faith-based reverends, we are generally self-employed!
🤍 Interfaith Ministers are often found in the wild, carving out their own definition of what ministry means. It may not be spiritual counselling, it may not be a ceremony, it could include social media (for example 😉), or art therapy.
🤎 We have a reverence for all life, and we are called to serve.”
Continue tracking the #MonthofMinistry hashtag all month to learn more about these open-hearted and diverse individuals who come together to serve!