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“I am particularly impressed by Elka’s sensitivity to the aesthetics of worship and art as a tool for ministry and spiritual growth. She demonstrates an intuitive understanding of how visual and kinesthetic experiences can often convey stronger messages about social witness and values clarification than the typical written or spoken word. This is particularly evident to me in the cohesive quality of the worship experiences she creates and in her pulpit presence, which is both strong and yet open and inviting.”
-Rev. John Tolley, Affiliated Faculty, Meadville Lombard Theological School
Worship and preaching
Worship is the center of our congregational lives together. It feeds our spirits and shapes our journey together. We find connections to one another and to the holy. Together, we explore the great timeless questions in the context on our lives today. The intimacy we share with each other and with the ultimate in this space is essential to the fulfillment of our common mission.
Creating inspirational, provocative and moving worship fills my spirit. My years in the theatre and experience leading youth worship have led to a keen understanding of how to shape worship both in careful planning and in the moment as the spirit moves. While I enjoy bringing creative elements and out of the box ideas into worship, there is also something special about the form of our worship connecting us to a long history of our spiritual ancestors. I attempt to balance traditional worship elements with contemporary or interactive moments to create worship that speaks to all of us.
Worship is a communal endeavor. While it is the role of the minister to oversee and shape the overall picture of worship, it is a gift to be able to work with others in the process. In our diverse faith, we must engage more than one perspective in order to create worship that can bring us all together.
Music has an incredible power to invoke the holy and evoke emotion and I relish chances to work with musicians in worship. I also look for other ways to engage the arts and story in the worship experience, from movement to visual art to drama and storytelling.
Preaching is a unique art form that combines intellect, poetic flair, passionate delivery and understanding of both human emotion and dramatic arc. We must allow ourselves to be vulnerable in healthy and appropriate ways. We weave together stories from our lives and from the world around us with deep questions and religious truths from around the world and across time. I find this practice thrilling. This is an almost uncanny mix of my talents and I have confidence in my abilities in the pulpit and sometimes outside of it when I preach from notes. Above all of this, though, my best sermons are the ones in which I am fullest present to the moment. The most important preparation I do on Sunday morning is my personal prayer before entering the sanctuary that grounds me and reminds me to allow the spirit to move through me.
Worship and preaching just seem to come naturally to me. I owe a lot of this to my experience and to the learning I have done from all of the talented ministers in my life. Also, I believe that I have an aptitude for all that it takes to create and lead worship that moves people and that draws us forward in our collective journey. Still, I continue to work hard in this area due to my passion for it and my belief in the incredible power of worship done well.
“Elka is a strong preacher and worship leader. She speaks with feeling. She demonstrates confidence as well as vulnerability when leading worship. We see her emotions without worrying that she may lose control or need to be taken care of.”
-Internship Committee, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
"A Sunday with Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd in the pulpit is the kind of Sunday you look forward to. She speaks wisely in a style that is energizing, thought provoking, and, most of all, emotionally moving. In ways that are both immediate and profound, she is able to reach around the platitudes to deliver a message that stirs the hidden reefs of our interior. And she can stir the pot, too! Rev. Carrier-Ladd is not one to step away from the tough issues. She could tell what conversations our congregation needed to be having and she addressed them from the pulpit, challenging us and inspiring us. I would describe her as a wise and powerful presence, full of empathy and kindness."
-Michael Lewis, Member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tippecanoe County
