Dear Siblings, 

I spent much of the past week in Philadelphia with the UCC’s Next Generation Leadership Initiative, as part of our Congregational Vitality trek. We visited three unique congregations. One is a multiracial Reconstructionist synagogue, Kol Tezdek, in West Philly, operating out of a commercial space in a mixed-use residential building. We also visited Old First UCC, a historic Congregationalist church in the Old City, which has adapted a significant portion of its property to support a new housing-first initiative. On Sunday, we worshipped with Salt & Light, a nearly 1000 member UCC/PCUSA church merger that has two campuses, a thriving ministry for children and teens, and is celebrating exponential growth in membership.

All three of these faith communities turn the current narrative about organized religion upside down. People are seeking these places out, in large part because they see these communities putting their hearts, minds, mouths, and money where they know their faith calls them to be— with each other in the struggle for a world made new. 

Aside from those campus visits, it was a wonderful time spent with the other folks in my cohort + the two other cohorts on this trip! A lot of idea cross-pollination happens on coffee runs, at lunch, or in between learning sessions. 

Our own congregation was the recipient of similar cross-pollination last week with Rev. Andrew Warner of the Wisconsin Conference. We’ll sit with the same text from last week, Acts 2:42-47. We’ll focus less on stewardship and more on our common lot and life together, as we discern our journey in ministry. 

Please be sure to stay after worship this Sunday for our Called Congregational Meeting. 

See you Sunday, 

Thomas