I feel a real sense of forward motion in the
church. We've given time and attention these past three weeks of Wednesday night
studies to talk about ways we can be more visible in extending an
intentional welcome to all people. Whether we use language like Open and
Affirming or Welcoming and Inclusive, there's an underlying reality at the heart
of Spirit of Joy. We aren't just waiting for people to walk through the doors.
We want the community to know: if you've ever felt excluded because of who you
are or who you love or where you are theologically or politically or
philosophically, or for whatever other reason, we hope you'll find you belong at
Spirit of Joy.
We'll talk about more ways we can get this
message out to people who have given up on hearing it. I don't think I could
ever be active again in a church that's not "out" there inviting everyone into
full community. I resist labels as much as the next person, but without a little
truth-in-labeling, who will know there really is a church here for them? I'm
looking forward to seeing where our conversations take us.
We have quite a few things to be aware of as a
community. See below:
CORRECTION: Pancake Supper and Ash
Wednesday (Talent Show to be held later)
Okay, I was premature in announcing how we'd kick
off Lent. Your loving and thoughtful responses were a great example of how our
community communicates at its best. I heard you say it would be better if we
postponed the talent show to later in the spring, giving more advanced notice.
Good! We'll make that a big event in March. And you thought we should still have
dinner and tie it to Ash Wednesday, but do it actually on Wednesday, not
Tuesday. Again, much better. SO, here's the new and improved plan:
Wednesday, February 13, we will get together at
6:00 for a Pancake Supper in the upstairs community room, followed at 7:00 by an
Ash Wednesday service in the sanctuary. Game night is still February 22. And
we'll have the talent show on a Wednesday night in March, date to be
determined.
At long last, our Children's Sunday School
begins. This week! Come one, come all!
The focus this week is LOVE, and the text our
children will read, hear, and talk about is 1 Corinthians 13.
Wendy Barta leads this week's lesson. Candy Retka is
the guest storyteller with the elementary kids, talking about how she's learned
a lot about love in caring for her mother. We'll also have a middle school
class, thanks to Dirk Niles. You might be prepared to talk about what love means
to you, how you've known you're loved, how you've loved others.
If you haven't signed up to be a guest
storyteller for the elementary class, we still have a few openings in March. I'd
like to have the calendar full this week. It's a great way for the kids to get
to know you... and for you to get to know them. Then we can really say with
Jesus, "Let the children come." Let's talk Sunday about what you can
share.
Website up and
running
After several months of development, the new
website is up and running! It's built on a more user-friendly platform so I can
update and make changes easily. I just wasn't technologically gifted enough to
figure out the previous one. And yes, the calendar is live! If you have items to
add, just email me and I can get them on there right away.
Could you do me a huge
favor? Go to http://www.spiritofjoymn.org, and help me out by looking at it
through newcomers' eyes. Try it on your tablet or cell phone, too. This will
be crowd-sourcing at its best! As you have ideas of things that
first-time guests and visitors should find, email me with changes you think they
would hope to see. Keep in mind that the main audience is not you, inside the
church, but those who are outside our circle, people who are looking for a
church for the same reasons you were looking once. Maybe their questions weren't
welcome elsewhere, or their gifts weren't valued, or they've never been to
church because they've assumed all Christians are like the ones they see on the
news or hear on the radio. In the next few weeks, the site will be made loads
better for them, and the church more accessible, because of you!
If you have pictures that you think would be good
to upload, send them to me by email. We can put them on the
church Facebook page, too. We'll be respectful of privacy and not
show any children's faces close-up without permission from their
parents.
Known issues I'm working on (in other words, you
don't need to tell me about these):
Furnace up and
running
We've had someone out to repair the furnace this
week, and we've found that some repairs cost more than others. We've decided to
take the least costly route, which means the thermostat in the upstairs
community room now control the heat and air for that room as well as the nursery
and kitchen downstairs. Bottom line: if you need heat for either the nursery or
the upstairs, use the thermostat upstairs to get it. The one outside the nursery
won't control anything right now.
Dates for your
calendar:
Today is the early bird registration deadline for the Joint
Religious Legislative Coalition Day on the Hill event February
21. http://www.jrlc.org for details.
This Sunday be sure to sign up for Dinner
Club, Flowers, and Fellowship
Hosting. Also bring non-perishable items for the Food
Shelf.
Monday, February 4, 6-8 p.m. - JRLC dinner
meeting to hear about the Governor's tax reform plan, at Mary
Mother of the Church in Burnsville
Sunday, February 10, 10:45 a.m. - Global
Warming Preach-In during worship
Monday, February 11, 7:00 p.m. -
Centering Prayer
Thursday, February 14, 3:00 p.m. -
Freedom to Marry Day Rally at Capitol Rotunda - register at http://mnuited.org
Saturday, February 16, 6:00 p.m. - St.
Stephen's Shelter dinner
Wednesday, February 20, 6:30 p.m. - AED
(defibrilator) training for everyone who wants to learn
to use the church's new life-saving device
Blessings and Peace,
David |
News from SOJ >