Greetings UUCM!

It has come to my attention recently that we as your interim team may not have been clear enough or vocal enough about some shifts in how we’re allocating time amongst the three of us, and what I’m doing this year in addition to working at UUCM. So, here goes:

Rev. Meg, Rev. Terri, and I collectively fill one full time position. This year, differently from last year, Rev. Terri is with you 50% time, and Rev. Meg and I are each 25% time. Our portfolios are largely the same. Rev. Meg handles worship and pastoral care, I handle governance and administration, and Rev. Terri handles congregational life, social justice, and this year, is also handling the majority of staff supervision. The other major change this year is that I’m also working at First Universalist in Minneapolis ¾ time. All of which is to say that you may have noticed you’re seeing me less, and some of you might run into me over at First Universalist if you happen to find yourselves there.

What this has to do with our theme of belonging, I’m not sure! But, it felt important to share this with you so that you all know where we are, what we’re doing, and know that you can you reach out to any of us with any concern. If we’re not the right people to receive it, we’ll be sure to pass it along to the person who is.

With that, I want to offer an invitation to you all into a spiritual practice related to belonging:

Geography of belonging:

 Belonging can be a state of the heart and/or mind, and it can also be expressed physically. For this exercise, consider using an existing map (or draw your own) of the places you go, and the places you feel like you belong. Are there geographic locations you regularly visit where you feel a sense of belonging? Are there places where you don’t feel that sense? Are there characteristics that those places do or don’t have in common? What about at church? If you were to sketch out a rough map of the church, or even just of the sanctuary, are there places where you tend to spend your time, and places you rarely visit? What happens if you visit one of the places you tend not to go? Is your experience different if you sit in a different part of the sanctuary? What about traveling to a different part of your city and walking around the neighborhood? Does shifting your physical body tell you something about the places your spiritual self feels like it belongs?

— Arif

Each week (starting again in August), 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.