Our Mission and Vision statement contains the phrase “With the strength that comes from community. . . .” That is what our participation in the congregation gives us, the strength that comes from community.
Some participation focuses on building bonds of friendship with other congregants. When the church is open for meetings, included in these would be the pot luck lunches on the third Sunday of every month, and the annual women’s retreat.
Some participation focuses on running the church: Serving as a Sunday morning usher and serving on a committee would be examples of these.
And some participation focuses on helping those outside the church walls, such as our ongoing support of Inter-Parish Ministry and the annual women’s social justice project.
Many activities combine two or all three aspects of congregational life. Chalice Groups focus on sharing, but also have a social justice component. And work on committees or in social justice work always involves forming stronger bonds of friendship.
All these things go to form the beloved community.
