With this fourth and final issue of our 2021 newsletter, we begin to move from honoring our past. Throughout this year, we explored the past 50 years of service as Sikh Dharma Ministers (from 1971 through 2021) in our first three quarterly newsletters.
In this fourth issue, we present essays written as part of the New Minister Candidate process in answer to the question: “What does it mean to be a Sikh Dharma Minister?” We share these essays with permission from the authors, who are some of the individuals ordained as Sikh Dharma Ministers within the past five years. Their Minister Candidate essays reflect the process of self-evaluation and inspiration that is key to becoming a Sikh Dharma Minister.
We hope you will find in these nine essays words that speak of our shared values; words that might serve as a reminder to many of us of where we all aspire. These essays may also prompt us to embrace a common ground for continuing this journey of building our dharmic future. Some of our core values, as expressed in these following essays, include:
- Dedication to serving our global sangat and humanity;
- Commitment to living according to our Sikh Dharma principles and the Minister vows and oath;
- Devotion to the Shabd Guru as our touchstone for guidance and comfort;
- Participation as an active and vital member of the Panth Khalsa (the body of the Ministry) in shaping the future of our dharmic organization.
We believe these essays touch deeply on our shared journey as Ministers. They can serve to help us reflect on both the diversity and the unity that we embrace as Sikhs who are servants of the Guru. During these unprecedented times of change and transformation—as we pray for the ability to engage in healing, understanding, and reconciliation—we look forward to engaging in avenues of meaningful dialogue and connection to allow us to continue to move forward.
Our bond is our motto—Sikh Dharma Ministers: Working in Unity and Purity to Serve Humanity.
Copyright(c) 2021