It is hard to believe that I have officially been your Pastor for a full 5 years now! Oh how time flies and life changes!
When my family came here in 2021, there were hard conversations happening about what life would look like as a congregation as the panic around COVID-19 was weaning. We asked about when to take ropes down so people would sit every other pew. When talked about masks or not. There were conversations about when to bring back fellowship time and Sunday School. Our church leaders wanted to make the most informed decisions for the physical, mental and spiritual health of the congregation and those conversations were hard.
When we felt like life settled in after those decisions were made, we started having conversations with a coach to help us discern our next phase of life as a congregation- who is God calling us to be in the world. We stepped into the mission statement: We are called by Jesus to serve all. Our values are: putting Jesus at the center of all we do, caring for God’s creation in sustainable ways, welcoming all people through radical hospitality, and investing in our community through loving service.
We’ve started putting flesh on those bones by starting our Unity with UCC ministry, having an environmental Bible study, and being active in community events. We have put together an Open and Affirming Team that is helping us think about how we welcome all through radical hospitality and it’s importance.
Our Open and Affirming Team just hosted a viewing of the film 1946 that opened our eyes to how one decision was made in 1946 to translate two Greek words into 1 English word, homosexual. That translation was not a fair translation of those two words and created a negative ripple effect for how the Christian community treats LGBTQ+ individuals. In the film we had a great model of how people with opposing views maintained a respectful relationship, even with differences. It is my prayer that we can take that model and replicate it in our own community life- that we can struggle with questions and emotions together, with the Spirit as our guide.
When we talk about being Open and Affirming, we are talking about more than just LGBTQ+. We are talking about being a community that is inclusive of all people and that is really hard! I just finished reading True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace by Brandan Robertson where he talks about the difficult, multi-faceted work that comes with the value we claim of welcoming all with radical hospitality.
This summer, I hope to do a small group book study to help us think about how we welcome people with disabilities and how we might be able to enhance our ministry for people living with disabilities.
I hope you will join us in our continuing work of widening our welcome to all of God's people.
