Into the Round
Dear friends in Christ,
Earlier this week at vestry, one of our outgoing vestry members reflected on how much more comfortable we have grown with change over the last few years. This outgoing group of vestry members stepped into leadership just six weeks or so before the pandemic brought so much of our familiar life screeching to a halt. They have seen us through all kinds of shifts and changes: how we gather for feasting and fellowship, how we tangibly serve our wider community, and most especially, how we come together for worship, which has changed more times than I can count at this point. He wasn’t lamenting this, though, but rather celebrating it. We have learned a tremendous amount together; this is one of the great gifts of these strange and difficult years. We’ve learned how to evolve, how to see our familiar world through fresh eyes, and how to be wonderfully flexible. Now more and more, we get to enjoy that fruit!
After a good deal of dreaming and brainstorming together, your staff and I are excited to step into a new kind of adventure with this blessed flexibility. This week, we spent time in hearty conversation in our sanctuary, reflecting why we gather for worship in the first place and what becomes possible when we enter this sacred space. With a lot of hope ringing in our ears, we then moved all the furniture around to create a new way to encounter the Holy. The next time you come to church, you’ll see much that is familiar, and all of it put together in a new way. The altar is in our center, and the chairs are gathered in circles around it. The choir and musicians will be more a part of the congregation in this setup, and we’ll be able to hear and see each other in new ways.
Church in the round, as it’s sometimes called, been done here before (a gift and design of our flexible space and especially thanks to having chairs instead of pews!) but it’s been a long time. And so, we are excited to experiment once again with how we pray, how we give thanks, and how we create something beautiful and organic together. And it is just that: an experiment! We look forward to hearing how you experience it, what you think and feel in this configuration, and how you might catch a glimpse of God in a new or different way. Your thoughts are always welcome, and we’ll also have dedicated time for discussion during the adult formation hour on February 12 and 19. I look forward to worshiping with you in this new way, and reflecting together on what it’s like.
Peace,
Liz+