Opportunities for Beloved Community
Keep Presenting Themselves
Rev. Anastassia Zinke, Minister
This month, we have explored the culture of Beloved Community, as experienced and yearned for in our lives. Every time we know ourselves to be beloved I’m deeply joyful. We also don’t create, support, and envision the Beloved Community for ourselves alone. We lift up, with honesty, this profound and healing way of being truly with one another so it can exist in many places. We create it through partnerships. We also invite people into ours. I mean this metaphorically, but also literally in a physical sense.
During this pandemic, I received an email from Chevon, a black yoga and holistic wellness business owner living and working in the Annapolis area (themysticyogini.com/). Chevon works tirelessly “to advocate for equal rights and to spread awareness through mindful spiritual practices and holistic healing.” The studios that she had been practicing at closed down. This could have led some to give up, but for Chevon, “seeing my brothers and sisters emotionally, physically and spiritually healing during such a trying time has been priceless. I want more than nothing to continue helping our community.” Her deeply restorative work deserves the right space, for her and those who come to practice with her. For the past several months she has been leading these yoga healing sessions from one of our rooms in the Fahs house. If you see her or her clients, please greet them with the spirit and hospitality of Beloved Community.
This hospitality and space sharing has also led Chevon to become curious about us. She has been attending our worship services and has even signed up to be part of our Leader’s Series. Chevon is quite an incredible person, I hope you can continue to offer her welcome and enjoy getting to know her, as I am sure she will enjoy getting to know many of us.
I’m appreciative this month of how much wisdom of the Beloved Community is within UUCA and also how we can grow our insights, grow our capacity, grow our people, grow the invitation and the promise of Beloved Community by engaging those outside of our metaphorical and literal walls.