| | | |  | Second Congregational Church, UCC*
Hillside Street, Bennington, Vermont (802) 442-2559
"resolutely inclusive, spiritually alive, and empowered for ministry in the world." |
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Who are we and where are we going? Posted: March 2nd, 2010 @ 10:06am
Those are quintessential Lenten questions–Who am I and where am I going? It’s the season to take an honest assessment of whether the life we’re living is the life we intend to live and to make some adjustments, practice doing things differently, if it appears we’ve strayed a bit from the path we’d rather be on.
Am I living the life God intends for me to live? (And how might I get in touch with what that life looks like?) Is the way I’m living informed by the Way Jesus lived his life?
Of course, those are questions not only for us as individuals but also for us as a community of faith. One of the “Practices of Faith” in my Lenten sermon series is “Living in Community.” Who are we and where are we going?
On Sunday, March 14, we will “arrange” our worship a little differently so that by 11 o’clock, we will move into a presentation in the sanctuary of some of the major changes the Church and society have gone through in the past 500 years (a whirlwind tour!), including some of the changes that have taken place within the collective lifetime of our congregation. We’ll share the results of our age-distribution survey and how that compares with the rest of the county, so that we’ll get a snapshot of one aspect of who we are. Then we’ll pose some questions to think about over the next several days. Happily, the Youth Group is preparing a delicious Potato Brunch for us, in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day later on in the week, so by 11:15, we’ll be ready to eat!
On the following Sunday, March 21, I’ll be speaking about another “Practice of Faith,” which is Discernment. Following worship, we invite the whole church family (with nursery care provided for the littlest ones) to join in a “World Café” conversation in Webster Hall, over refreshments, which will help us talk with each other about where we’d like to go as a community of faith. Of course, none of us know exactly where life will lead us, so part of the conversation will be about how we want to travel with each other.
I am grateful for the wisdom and experience of Ernie Lafontaine, who will be joining me in facilitating these conversations. I urge you and your family to plan on being with us on both the 14th and 21st, for you are part of who we are!
Grace and peace,
Mary
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