Our life together consists of two movements: gathering to share in God’s life and being sent out for the life of the world. In reality, you can’t separate one from the other. Our gathering and our sending are always in a symbiotic relationship—they constantly nurture each other.
In the spring, our Pastorates more sharply focus on “sharing in the life of God” through our shared spiritual practices. We do this because the best thing we can give our world is the community we become. And then in the fall, our Pastorates give closer attention to what that “for the life of the world” witness might look like.
These groups meet in homes, share a meal, and then explore together some aspect of our common witness to Christ and his kingdom. Below you will find a sampling of the groups that met this Fall:
The Sacrament of Neighborhood: The Holy Act of Knowing Our Neighbors
Facilitators: Olivia Abernathy and Donald Jordan
Hosts: Brad and Angie Box
every Wednesday at 6:00 pm starting September 13
We all understand that the way of the kingdom involves serving our neighbors. It’s not hard, though, to get caught up in our own small corners of the world that we don’t really know who are neighbors are or what life looks like for them even though they are just down the figurative street. This Pastorate will combine local and contextual data on a different topic or issue each week that affects our neighborhoods. Discussions will be held around each while uncovering themes from Scripture, the Church, and best practices about ways to love and build community among these neighbors, as well as a quick spotlight on a person or group doing just that.
Carry the Fire: Parenting with Hope for the Life of the World
Facilitators: Josh Krebs and Jay Beavers
Hosts: David and Nan Thomas
every other Thursday at 6:00 pm starting September 7
How do we send our kids into the world without cynicism or naivete? How do we prepare them for the dangers of the world without scaring them away from the hard work of relationships? Using Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road as a jumping point, this Pastorate will integrate Scripture and our common practices that make our homes sending places for children “for the life of the world.”
What’s So Amazing about Grace?
Seeking to Make Grace the Church’s Greatest Distinctive
Facilitators: Robin Salyers and Paula Kirby
Host: Paula Kirby
every Tuesday at 6:00 pm starting September 12
We speak of grace often, but do we really understand it? More importantly, do we truly believe in it, and do our lives proclaim it as powerfully as our words? This Pastorate will be a reflection on Philip Yancey’s well-known book What’s So Amazing about Grace? in an effort to explore how we as the church can make grace our primary distinctive. It’s the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and it’s the one thing the world craves above all else.
Trinitarian Ecology and the Beauty of Nature
Facilitator: Jeremy Blaschke
Host: Cindy Jayne
every other Wednesday at 6:00 pm starting September 13
This Pastorate will explore how the doctrine of the Trinity can enliven our understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty of creation. We will discuss several unique kinds of natural aesthetics, from awe-inspiring mountaintops to grimly grotesque creatures, in order to discern what is valuable in creation, why it is valuable, and why the church is called to care for it.
Missio Dei:
Tracing the Mission of God through the Biblical Narrative and into Today’s World
Facilitator: Fr. Wes Gristy
Hosts: Billy and Sally Slack
every other Wednesday at 6:00 pm starting September 13
God’s glorious intentions for his world and for us within in it can be traced through the biblical narrative, providing us today with a compelling vision of what the Church’s role in the world should look like. This Pastorate will interact with Scripture, temple imagery, and sacramental theology, all with an eye toward living faithfully in view of God’s mission.