by Eva Kortekaas, Netherlands Fellowship   

During the first week of September, I once more traveled to England to join my fellow students for another Residential with Unitarian College. This time we stayed at Holland House in Cropthorne in the heart of the Worcestershire countryside. It was a beautiful Tudor farmhouse in which you could still see many of its original features. In fact, the guest information said if we had to call the firefighters, we need to say it is a Tudor house with characteristics from this century! The farmhouse was surrounded by lovely gardens with little corners to sit and contemplate, evocative statues and a swing tall enough to fit even me comfortably. The swing was definitely one of my favorite place to sit and take a breather or just to fly away for a moment.

If I thought the May Residential had been packed with content, this one was even more intensive. This Residential was focused mostly on the art of preaching and Unitarian theology. In just a few short days, I listened to and provided feedback on eight sermons of my fellow students, delivered a sermon of my own which I received great feedback on, participated in four sessions on Unitarian theology, planned a Christmas Carol service with my fellow students and attended two further sessions on preaching as well as one on blended worship. While it was certainly exhausting at times, it was a delight just to dive into all of this. Watching and listening to my fellow students preach gave me the opportunity to see various styles in action, each offering a mirror for reflection or an idea to draw inspiration from in the future.  And while some of the Unitarian theology was familiar to me from my earlier studies, a lot of it focused the practical application, on what it means to be theologian-in-residence for a community and to become more conscious of what potential theology lies behind choices you make as a minister. This can vary from the hymn you choose for a service to which words you choose to share with a congregant in need of pastoral care. During one of the sessions, we even discussed four different case studies a minister could encounter during their work.

Sometimes people ask me how attending the Residentials has affected me. This is only my second Residential, but I already feel certain parts of me shifting or coming to the forefront more. For example, during a session led by Rev. Linda Hart, we discussed finding inspiration for sermons, and she used the phrase ‘being a detective of divinity in daily life’. I have to say, I absolutely love that phrasing, and I interpret ‘divinity’ pretty broadly. For me, it’s anything that connects us to ‘what is greater than ourselves.’ I think that part of me has been around for a while, but I never expected it to jump out so forcefully. Yet, the day after the Residential, while in London meeting up with friends, it was like a switch had been flipped. There were two moments that really jumped out to me.

On my way to a nearby Underground Station, I passed a church, St. Giles. I had walked by it a few times, but on Saturday morning I noticed they had set up facilities for the homeless. There were shower cabins, something hot to drink, and supplies were being passed out. But what struck me the most, though, was a van serving as a lending library, either to borrow a book or to just stop by for a conversation. And that idea, a moving library for the homeless, stuck me so much. As UU’s we often talk about the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, but seeing this suddenly showed new layers of what that truly means. I realize I often think about the physical needs and other practical aspects, maybe a conversation for some companionship… And not that those aren’t important, but this lending library tended to a different layer of human dignity, one I had never quite considered before. Of course these are people who might want to escape to another world occasionally. Of course these are people who might read or want some diversion. And in respecting that, we respect an important part of their inherent worth and dignity.

The second thing that stuck me was a piece of modern art. Near Tottenham Court Underground Station, three spaces were set up for an installation called “Discover The Spaces In Between”. Here were digital artworks, blending music, sound and movement in 3D. It was like stepping in a magical world…  floating butterflies, squares flowing in each other, watching the development of the earth unfold and so much more. I even found myself in the story of the Apostles caught in a storm, based Rembrandt’s painting. It was like I was there in the story, made even more poignant because I had just heard this story in a sermon by one of my fellow students. The entire space, with screens covering three-and-a-half walls and the ceiling, worked together as a seamless whole. There were benches to sit or lie down, but many people simply used the floor. I think I easily spent an hour there in total, spread out over various moments of the day. When it got dark outside, it became even more magical. What really struck me there, though, was how this artwork transported people to another world, maybe even a bit of a transcendent world. And it wasn’t just the images. Young and old were there and in those moments of awe, fleeting but genuine connections seemed to form among us.

Has this ‘sense’ stayed with me as strongly now that I am back home, caught up in the hubbub of daily life and fighting a cold? Yes, though, it’s not as acute. Still, I find it in the daily encounters with people, on the bike rides home from work at sunset and in countless other moments. I’d say I have my metaphorical magnifying glass and deerstalker cap at the ready. However, I do plan to intentionally create space for this regularly, making sure it doesn’t get buried, and I might even explore ways to expand it further.