Helen "HP" Rivers

“If we’re lucky, we find people along the way who know it is going to get better before we believe that it will, who can hold the hope for us when we don’t have any of our own. My name is Helen and I’m a Hope Holder. ”

Excited to share a proper introduction to me and my ministry after a couple weeks of overthinking what to say. This internship and CPE are unique – in addition to having a supervising minister, CPE educator, and internship committee, I’ll be publicly posting regular video blogs, reflections, and updates about my work over the coming year.

My goals in this are multifaceted –

-I hope to offer a tangible example of how community-based UU ministry can work and why it matters.

-I hope to highlight inequity and barriers in the formation process in a way that is honest, productive, and orients towards solutions.

-I hope to help humanize our religious leaders and help empower lay individuals to realize they are just as capable of driving positive change in their communities as anyone else.

-I hope to lift up and directly challenge the ways ableism, classism, and other systems of oppression show up in our faith and work.

-I hope to specifically highlight the role of religious education, non-clergy religious professionals, and strategically-minimized labor in the work of building the beloved community.

Overall, I hope to use my experience, education, and creativity to do what I do best – tell a story in a way that is accessible, educational, engaging, vulnerable, and authentic. I am so excited to finally be in this phase of my formation and so incredibly thankful for everyone who has helped me get to this point. Thank you for being a part of my journey.