Last Supervision Poetry, this Month Hiking

Union Election Placards outside the University Library

Another month gone and supervision tackled. The weather was contrasts again, this morning in Sheffield I had sweatshirt, gilet and coat and while walking through the fog to the station I was wondering if I would need to get a scarf while I was out as it was that chilly. I got to Birmingham and it is sunny, warm, very definitely spring and I am peeling layers. I had sent three chapters to my supervisor, hoping to get two into draft and a reworking of the third with ideas for the fourth in outline. Well the two are in draft (Ruth and James expect them soon) although the worship one is still needing reworking. The tradition one has gone through on a single draft. Things are moving on.

However belonging if anything has gone backwards, or rather with other chapters coming into focus, this as lost its focus. The result is that I need to do something pretty strong on restructuring and working through. This is where the walking comes in. The first stage is to get myself into the literature on believing and belonging (Grace Davies). Not that I am talking much about the same thing which is why Grace has not appeared much but she is arguing that people have real problems in belonging. There is therefore space to discuss the way congregations create belonging. There is definitely something going on but at the moment things are separate and the only way to get further is to immerse then create space. I did this a while back by drawing a labyrinth, for a previous one. It was semi effective, this time I think I am going to have to get myself out for a walk. I think given space and time it will be to the Dam Cafe and back, which is the only walk that really starts from my front door. So I am at present holding thumbs that Saturday is a fine day.

The rest of the month, I need to tackle flows, although that was the good news this time. The structure I wrote for the chapter on flows is far better than the structure of the chapter on Belonging. Then I need to do a lot of work on the chapter on Community. The last is really only there because I am not seeing my supervisor until 16th April so definitely have six weeks to work on this. That is not to say the weeks are not busy, there is also St Andrew’s AGM, Sarah’s departure and Easter to fit in. So busy but I think manageable.