Congregational Discernment Update
Dear Members and Friends of Community of ChristChurch,
Thank you again to everyone who participated in our second Community Discernment Gathering, held last Sunday (Feb 25th) after worship. 26 people attended in person and via Zoom.
Our facilitator, Pastor Melissa Reed, invited us to share our stories and memories of Community of ChristChurch over its 27 year life span. These stories and memories contained the fullness, the complexity, and even the messiness of a life well lived... grief and lamentations right alongside joy and celebrations.
In a closing ritual, we named what we wanted to let go of in this process and we also named what we hope to carry with us into the next steps of our journey. Pastor Melissa reminded us that the waters of our baptism are able to hold all of our stories, all of our memories, all of our grief, all of our joy, all of our learnings, and all of our hopes. We give thanks that God's Holy Spirit has never been absent from us throughout all of it.
We invite you to mark your calendars for the
Third Community Discernment Gathering,
which will be held after worship on Sunday, March 24th, at 10am.
Like the first two gatherings, this will be a hybrid event
(In Person and on Zoom) at Aloha United Methodist Church
(2270 SW 198th Avenue, Aloha 97003.)
For this third gathering we will ask such questions as: 'Who are we now?'
and 'What community relationships have we forged over the past few years?'
The meeting will end at noon and refreshments will be provided.
These gatherings are part of a four-to-six-month discernment season; each gathering is another step in the process. We hope that you will prayerfully consider participating, not only in this gathering but in the whole process.
We hope you will attend this third gathering in person if you are able. However, if you are not able to do that, please consider using this new
ZOOM LINK to participate remotely.
Please reach out to Pastor David or one of our Church Council members if you have any questions. We will continue to keep everyone updated on all the opportunities for participation.
Your Church Council Executive Team:
Suze Engbretson, President
Inga Henderson, Secretary
Rev. David Eppelsheimer, Pastor