From the Desk of Rev. Karen Gustafson

In a culture of “busy-ness” it is easy to develop an ambivalent relationship with time. In our house, one of the ways that shows up is in the use of the words “only” and “already”. When we are feeling overwhelmed by deadlines and external demands, it is often “already Thursday”. When we are looking forward to some long anticipated weekend activity, it can be “only Thursday”. Sometimes this is the very same Thursday looked at from different perspectives by the same person. I am looking at the Interim time at UCE through both of these lenses. Here it is, already March. The angst around extending the Ministerial Search process for an additional year seems to have abated and I am grateful to all of you who have put your time and energy into the work of looking at many aspects of your congregation’s life, claiming strengths and assets and embracing challenges. Without that willingness this might well seem like “only March”. You have shown a willingness to engage in healing from past losses and disappointments and claiming the legacies of past ministries; you have taken up the task of looking at your committee and group structures and have begun the process of considering how structures might be made more healthy and sustainable. You have considered the value and power of UCE’s Mission Statement and some of you have been willing and able to witness to the power of that mission in your lives. There is movement afoot to strengthen the Religious Education program for children and youth and to increase the effectiveness and reach of your Caring and Pastoral Care efforts. And now you are about to welcome a new Director of Congregational Life to support some of these efforts as well as the work of the well-positioned Social Justice Council. And this is “only March!!” The task for this month will be to look ahead. What are your dreams and visions for the future of UCE? This month in our Brown Bag Conversations and in as many places as I can show up, we will be engaged in what the song from the musical “South Pacific” calls “happy talk.” “You’ve got to have a dream; if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna make that dream come true?” Come to a Conversation; write me an email; tell me a story. If you have not been actively involved in this interim process, it is only March and there is time to claim your stake in the future of UCE.   Gratefully, Karen

Dear Ones, “Finding the stories.” This is the interim task for February. This month I am inviting you to share the stories of how UCE “nurtured your spirit” and encouraged you to express your best intention to make a positive difference in the world around you or beyond. If this seems like a difficult assignment, let me give you some prompts to help you get started. In the car or in the shower or when you need a break from a tedious task, focus your attention on a time when you experienced something at UCE that you carried into the day or the week. Examples MIGHT be: A phrase from a reading A sudden flash of meaning from the Covenant Recalling or reading the UU Principles or Sources A line from a hymn or an anthem A phrase from an anthem A message for all ages An idea from a sermon An announcement of a community event An interaction or observation of an interaction between an adult and a child A sharing at a meeting, group or activity Involvement in an action project Consider how you felt. Consider any immediate or lingering way that experience might have impacted your voices or your actions. Consider a time when your relationship with UCE called you to your “better self” and to a more hopeful future for everyone? Are there seeds of a story here?   EXAMPLE: I had been feeling stressed and crabby as the whole world seemed to gearing up for the Christmas season. There was so much to do. Presents to buy and wrap. Out of town family arriving in days. Cleaning; meal planning; grocery shopping; decorating. I was not feeling any of the “Christmas spirit”. It was Sunday and I almost decided to skip church. Mostly out of habit, we got the family ready and into the car. I hardly noticed the warm greetings at the door around the noisy voice making lists in my head. On the way into the sanctuary I came to the table that was set up for the Mitten Tree. There was a crowd so I stopped and picked up one of the mittens. “cotton underwear, child’s size 6; Spiderman Color book and markers; warm sox and knit hat (red if possible); Hershey’s kisses.” A different reality came into sharp focus. The stress and anxiousness that had taken over my life fell away in a moment of heartbreak for a child whose needs and wants were so close to the same.  I took another mitten and at home over lunch we talked as a family about our privilege and about our obligation to express our gratitude and our generosity and all of the ways that might happen. “   If you have an idea and want help forming a story, please consider participating in one of the story circles after the Sunday service on February 16; at 7:00 PM on Monday, Feb. 17; at 10:00 on  Tuesday, February 18. I  also can be available to [...]

Dear ones, A new year begins, as always, in the midst of so much already begun. I am so looking forward to our time together in January. It feels as though you as a congregation have made some significant strides through the “neutral zone of your ministerial transition. I have so enjoyed hearing some of your stories and supporting your interactions among your selves as you have worked to integrate the lessons of UCE past into the wholeness of the future. I have delighted in the openness with which you have discussed UCE organizational structure and envisioned ways to make your work inside the church and out in the world more efficient and accessible and inclusive. I have been touched by your desire to live more fully into your covenant of engagement. Everyone can become more involved and engaged in clarifying and defining the mission and vision of UCE that will provide an invitation for your next settled minister. This month we will be offering opportunities to discuss and deepen your connection to your Mission Statement, “ Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole.” In our Brown Bag Conversations (see schedule) and in committee meetings and one-on-one conversations and during coffee hour you will be encouraged to think and speak about what that statement means to you personally and what it looks like when it is promoted and shared among others in the life of UCE. You can call or e-mail me at  kgustafson@ucevanston.org with your thoughts and ideas. You can invite me or a member of the Transition Team (see interim page on UCE website) to come to your group or activity to lead a discussion. This your chance to create 2020 Vision for UCE! Also, watch for “Ten Things You Can Do to Be Involved in the Interim.” Happy new year, indeed! Karen

Dear ones, Winter has arrived in the place where I live when I am not with you in Evanston. Last week end we had what is being termed an ”epic blizzard,” that had even folks with better things to do challenging their computer search engines to find the most accurate comparisons of past snow fall, wind gusts and days of school closings. I found myself thinking about “traction.” I used my search engine to look it up and found an epic number of unhelpful definitions. “Traction,” in common northern Minnesota parlance, refers to the amount of shoe or boot “grip” needed to sustain forward momentum on ice sidewalks or tire grip needed to keep a vehicle moving on a snowy roadway. An effectively spinning wheel with no traction is just, well, a spinning wheel; a foot encountering glare ice is a foot in the air. What I was more interested in as I thought of UCE is the kind of traction that is needed for any kind of plan to move forward. As physical traction depends upon the adherence between the wheel and the road, the success of our interim plan depends upon your participation. During this first quarter of the first year of our time together the traction has been nothing short of stunning. Nearly half of you have showed up for one or more of the Interim meetings or gatherings - from Sunday services on transition and story, to town hall meetings, to brown bag conversations, retreats and workshops, and one-on-one meetings with me. You have brought your thoughts back to your groups and returned your insights in e-mails and coffee hour encounters. As we used to say in some far off time, “You rock!” Your grip is good! AND the second part of the traction piece is all about momentum. “Grip” AND “sustained forward momentum.” We are entering the “winter season” of this project where the barriers to traction begin to emerge. Slippery surfaces abound. Busy lives, early sunsets, slippery streets, frosty windshields, narrow streets, etc., and the draw of the home hearth. Not to mention a creeping feeling of “done that, been there,” “many voices don’t need one more,” and “this is taking too long.” This is where the wheels start to spin and we run the risk of getting stuck. All of these are true stories and there is a bigger story. On the “Interim” page of the UCE Website you will find the report of where we have come - the initial report with updates; the report of last month’s Volunteer Workshop; and the Legacy report that helps frame past ministries in terms of the ways in which UCE has been shaped by the lasting gifts of past ministers. You can also access the sermons on transition and the need for a larger story. December will be Interim Lite. There will be some Brown Bag groups where we will continue to look at the Covenant of Engagement. I will be attending meetings with [...]

Dear ones, Some years back, I attended the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rochester, Minnesota on the first Sunday in May. On the grounds of the church stands a maypole. After the service everyone was invited out into the spring sunshine to join in the ritual of weaving the colors of summer and new life. Amid singing and laughter, and some intense and serious (and less obvious) direction from some seasoned maypole dancers, we wove together individual strands into a beautiful monument to human spirit, creative energy and disciplined know-how. When I imagine this interim process at its best, this is the image that I see. In September, you identified strands of story and structure, assets, challenges, and strategies. In October, you engaged in reflection and chose quality over reactivity in your consideration of an extended interim. Like the weaving of a maypole which looks so easy when the dance is happening, the grounding of a congregation in sustainable structures and relationships involves much planning and preparation. Story, structure, assets, challenges, and strategies. These are the main strands that we will be weaving together over the rest of the interim period. During my November visit, the Sunday services will focus on attention to story and how the stories we tell about our own lives and about the life of UCE are shaping the future. Can we maintain the truth of our old stories and also expand and deepen them to make way for a more promising future? In our Brown Bag gatherings we will begin a conversation that attends to UCE’s Covenant of Engagement. Where do we see this covenant at work? What are the challenges to keeping the promises it makes? In a gathering of volunteer leaders we will attend to the structures of our volunteer efforts. This is a time of high energy at UCE. What might you do to strengthen the structures that sustain that energy during times of transition or stress? What might entice new volunteers to participate and lead? How is your membership sustained? In addition, I am available to meet with individuals by appointment or with small groups/committees/covenant groups/ etc. by invitation to discuss any aspect of the Interim Plan (see UCE Website under “Interim”) . At the Town Hall meeting at the end of my October visit, I was acutely aware of the disappointment around the extension of the interim period. I can only hope that that disappointment might be turned into determination to make the very most of this time, to dig deep and take long looks. This is not so much about “solving problems” as “embracing challenges." Let us weave on! Karen