What does it mean to belong to a church, to UUCM in particular? Why did you choose to become a member or attend regularly as a friend? What about this place allows you to go deeper, to give of yourself, to take risks, to seek connections, to try, to wonder, to work, to have fun?

What we love, we empower, wrote a now retired UU minister.* In your relationship with and your belonging to UUCM, you commit to empowering this place. And in return, it commits to empowering you. This happens in big and small ways through the trust, vulnerability, and openness that are required in the quality of belonging.

For a short time, we, your interim ministry team, your troika, are blessed to belong here too. In our being at UUCM and in our loving you, we are empowering you to know yourself as a congregation in deeper and wider ways … we are empowering you to discern how and why you belong to your current community, the people to come, the minister to come. And through this time of healing and change, you are empowering yourself to love bigger and to love bravely.

By what we do here, by what we contribute each in our own way here, by the people we become here, by the ideals and the visions that we embrace and follow, by the families that we help to shape here in this church—we increase the store of love and justice in this world.*

Know that the capacity of this store is endless. Know that the capacity of belonging is endless. What we love, we empower. Give of yourself so that what you love will thrive.

Blessings,
Rev. Terri

*From the Rev. Patrick T. O’Neill in an essay for Bless the Imperfect: Meditations for Congregational Leaders edited by Kathleen Montgomery

Each week, the interim ministry team will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme, the state of the church, or the state of the world. Meg, Terri and Arif will alternate writing this “In the Interim” post. We encourage your comments.