In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.
– Shunryu Suzuki
We are marking this transitional time in our community by emphasizing a ministry of presence, celebrating accomplishments, saying our many goodbyes, and preparing for the arrival of your settled minister! The final months of a long-term ministry are a period when the minister steps back from the world of agendas, projects, and new initiatives to be present to the community and the precious and short time that remains before departure. This setting down of ordinary routines creates space for the new minister’s arrival and it asks all of us to slow down to make this a time of mindful appreciation and celebration and memory. This will be the first time I’ve departed a ministry of this length–let alone one that required journeying together through a global pandemic, devastating wildfires, attempts to overthrow democracy, civil uprisings, and the ongoing march of fascism in this nation. I am sitting with thanksgiving over all that we accomplished in developmental ministry, grief remembering the losses of so many beloveds in our community, and curiosity around the many bright possibilities the future holds.
I am so proud of our dedicated Ministerial Search Team for leading us through a year of the profound discernment work that resulted in this community calling the amazing Rev. Diana L. Smith as your next settled minister! It was always the ultimate goal of developmental ministry to create a sturdy organizational foundation and nurture a flourishing spiritual community with a clear sense of identity, mission, and vision to support the next settled minister. This kind of ministry will be different from what we’ve engaged in during this period as there won’t be complex developmental goals and your settled minister will be able to attend more to other aspects of congregational ministry. Each minister also brings their own gifts, passions, limitations, and other realities, and this is a time to get curious about the many ways this transition will propel even more growth, vibrancy, and transformation in our beloved congregational home. I am so excited about all of the possibilities on the horizon! I also love you and I am going to miss you!
Our friends at Soul Matters provided the following questions to guide our reflections as we practice awakening our curiosity this month, and in the months ahead:
- During your childhood, what were you not allowed to be curious about? How did that shape who you are today?
- During childhood, what one or two things were you most curious about? How do you see an echo of that in your life today?
- Has being curious ever come at a cost for you?
- Is it time to be more curious about what your body is trying to tell you?
- What is the greatest adventure that your curiosity took you on? What did that adventure teach you about yourself?
- Have you ever been punished for being curious? Have you ever punished someone else for being curious?
- Do you think you are worth someone being curious about? Have you always felt that way?
- When it comes to you worrying about the future or being curious about it, which one wins?
- Which were you taught was more important: the “expert mind” or the “beginner’s mind”?
- What familiar thing (a person, object, or routine) in your life is asking you to approach it with a beginner’s mind?
- Have you ever opened a Pandora’s box of your own? What’s one thing about that moment you’d do differently?
- If a crystal ball could reveal something about yourself, your future, or anything else, what would you want to know?
- How has approaching mistakes with curiosity rather than shame healed you and helped you heal others?
Pastoral Support is available to any members or friends of the congregation who feel they may benefit from confidential and supportive spiritual companionship. To request pastoral support, please email the Pastoral Care Team leaders at pastoralcare@uusm.org or call the church office at (310) 829-5436.
We’d love to hear more from you! If you have a joy or sorrow to share with the community in a Sunday service and in our weekly announcements, please email joysandsorrows@uusm.org or call the church office at the number above.
With mindful appreciation and abundant love,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Developmental Minister
