This Didn't Make it in Sunday's Sermon...

Yesterday, I (Pastor Hannah) grabbed coffee with a neighbor I've been slowly getting to know over the last year. She's easy to talk with and exceedingly patient. In recent conversations, she's been asking me more about faith and sharing some about her own recent awakening to Jesus. As we talked this morning, she asked me, "What's your church like?"

I started beaming.

I didn't tell her about what we do on Sundays together. I told her about you.

I told her about how our community is full of people who love Jesus and live out his teachings with stunning compassion and devotion. You sit on boards of non-profits, show up on Fridays for the unhoused, pray with power, take care of aging and sick relatives, welcome people around your dinner table, wake up early to be with Jesus in solitude, visit people in prison, practice costly reconciliation, and are invested in your neighborhoods flourishing.

The life of Christ is present among us in a way that makes me worship! It's fun for me to brag about you all.

On Sunday, I revisited our vision through the lens of Ephesians, noticing how our vision is merely a contextualization of what God's been dreaming about for a long, long time. As I sit with how competent and compassionate our congregation is, as we take faith-filled steps toward our vision I wonder if the first thing we need isn't more talking or work, but rather to fast and rest.

Burnout is a real threat for many of us, and I know no better preventative medicine than saying yes to God's invitation to practice Sabbath–24 hours a week of ceasing from work, delighting in God, and feasting. Self-sufficiency is also a threat for many of us. There is something about fasting that reminds us, in our bodies, that we are completely dependent on God and can't do anything apart from Christ.

These are counter-cultural, difficult disciplines. They ask us to let go of striving.

I'd encourage you to pick one or both up if it's been awhile since you've practiced them. If you've never tried fasting or Sabbath, and want to join in with others in our community this year to learn and integrate some of the counter-cultural, time-tested Christian practices, you're invited to join the 50ish of us who will be at Rooted on Sunday from 5-7pm in the cafe. Sign up here so I know how much food to cook for everyone.

My neighbor-friend is planning to join us at church this month. I can't wait for her to meet you all. There will be plenty of other new faces on Sundays this month–I counted a surprising 15 new folks this past Sunday. As I looked around the lobby wanting to connect with some of them, I noticed many of you were already doing so–pulling up chairs to your table and starting a conversation.

Let's keep up the good work of seeing and serving people in the spaces God's put us in. And let's remain curious about how we can increasingly work from a place of rest and dependence on God.

A Note From Pastor Donnell

I wanted to clarify one thing from the recent Board Summary about the Denomination Research Committee winding down its work at this time.

The committee worked for months to understand our congregation's priorities and the denomination options available to us. In that process, they became aware that people in our congregation—including our pastors—hold differing, nuanced theological convictions about LGBTQ+ marriage. This proved to be an important consideration when exploring denomination because many denominations are splitting around this question of theology and practice.

At the same time, there is significant alignment across our congregation around how we practice belonging: LGBTQ+ people have no restrictions on participating in the life of our church. That's not changing here.   

We see this moment as an opportunity to continue the vulnerable, Christlike work of cultivating belonging across difference—including differences in our theological convictions. 

As a community—congregants, Pastors, and Board—we get to discern together what comes next in our relationship with a denomination. We’d love to hear your questions, concerns, and ideas about how we might have this conversation and discern a path forward together. You can send your recommendations and questions to churchboard@a2communitychurch.org. 

If you'd like to talk with me (Pastor Donnell) more about any of these things, feel free to schedule a time. 

Thank you to the Denomination Research Committee for your hard work, compassionate listening, and honest conversations.

Were you traveling for Labor Day weekend?

• Catch Pastor Hannah's sermon about our vision on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.