When neighbors ask me how things are going at church, the word that keeps surfacing is “alignment.” What a gift it has been to cast our eyes in the same direction and focus our attention on unity.
These days feel familiar. More than 20 years ago, after a sustained season of longing and discernment, we began to sense the Spirit preparing us for something new. It was in that season, as in this one, we found ourselves leaning into trust that God wasn’t finished with us yet.
The leap of faith we took together in the first decade of the 2000s was met by God’s abundant grace and brought about a tremendous season of vitality. The threshold we now stand upon in the mid-2020s feels familiar. It feels like God is drawing us, yet again, toward a future shaped by hope.
Life Together Over the Last Six Months
Over these last six months, we’ve experienced so much life together:
- We’ve seen long-needed facilities improvements take shape throughout the building, thanks to the dedication and diligence of many behind the scenes.
- We’ve also witnessed a deepening commitment to participatory worship, as more and more congregants have stepped forward to serve in worship leadership, enriching our shared experience of God’s presence.
- We ordained Rev. April Kennedy into Gospel Ministry.
- We celebrated baptisms with Brenda, Spencer, Adah, Luke, Ben, and Raquel.
- We grieved the passing of Jean and Woody, everyday saints whose lives shaped us in lasting ways.
- We’ve embraced new rhythms and responsibilities. One of the most tender transitions in our shared life was Judy Fiske’s retirement from the staff after 45 years of faithful ministry. Her move from a staff leadership role to “the pew” has been met with grace on every side, a testament to Judy, the congregation, and the steady presence of our staff team.
- We celebrated ministries, honored quiet acts of faithfulness, deepened relationships, and tended to the daily rhythms of church life in ways too numerous to name.
Becoming a Church That Sees and Is Seen
For generations, we’ve been known as the church that feeds people, a reputation rooted in compassion and care. That calling remains strong, but we are also maturing into a church that sees people with deepening clarity and compassion.
This has long been true of who we are, but in this season, people are beginning to name it. More and more are saying they feel seen. And in being seen, they are helping us see more clearly who God is calling us to be.
This clarity is shaping how we serve, how we prepare, and how we receive the gifts God is bringing through our neighborhood.
We are also becoming a church that is being seen, seen by neighbors across our city, some for the first time in a long while.
Building for Hope
The Building for Hope initiative is a powerful expression of this transformation. It has become a prayerful invitation to reflect on who we are, to name what we cherish, and to faithfully imagine the kind of future God is calling us to pursue together.
We are also becoming a church that is increasingly visible to our neighbors across the city, many of whom are engaging with us in meaningful ways for the first time in a long while. The Building for Hope initiative is a powerful expression of this transformation. It has become a prayerful invitation to reflect on who we are, to name what we cherish, and to faithfully imagine the kind of future God is calling us to pursue together.
Gratitude and the Road Ahead
We’re not naïve about the challenges ahead. These are demanding days for churches everywhere. And they are also sacred days.
I am grateful for the renewed energy among us, the unity we’re experiencing, and the growing sense that we are pushing forward because we believe God is doing something new.
Thank you to our staff, who lead with deep care and conviction. Thank you to our lay leaders, who carry the weight of this work with faith and joy. And thank you to each of you, for continuing to show up with open hands and hearts.
These are good days. Let’s keep walking together.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Pastor
