June 5, 2024

“This place is sanctuary, and it is for you.”
– Kathleen McTigue

Beloveds–

Our Soul Matters theme for the month of June is Renewal. I’m thinking this week about how part of GNUUC’s mission is to embody sanctuary and about how necessary access to sanctuary is in seeking renewal. Who can relax, let alone renew themselves–in body, mind, and spirit–when they don’t feel safe?

I’m also thinking about GNUUC’s history of being sanctuary, and I have lots of questions: For GNUUC, what is “this place” now? It’s surely more than just our sanctuary and garden (although that, too, I should hope!). Notably, our “this place” now includes online spaces and email and website. It could include social media, if we decided to work on that. Thinking of our physical spaces, I wonder for whom our campus might be sanctuary. We already share our spaces; who else needs safety and hospitality? Who might be part of the “you” when we say “this place is for you”? What can we do to convey better the sense of sanctuary we want to extend to others? 

Don’t know about you, but this time of year usually finds me “ready for a vacation”, for some time dedicated to personal renewal. And it might be a good time to think ahead to the new church year (which officially starts in July, but really takes off in August) and to start dreaming of how we want to spend it. 

Yours in the hunger for sanctuary and renewal and the longing to share, 

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org