Now that I have been around and meeting people, talking to people in emergent communities and reading lots of books, it seems that now is a good time to stop and ask: "What have I learned so far?"
Hmmmm...
That while I am called to the work of evangelism, I am not an Evangelist nor evangelical. I'm an Episcopalian with a twist. :)
That because people tell me that there is nothing for younger single people and no younger single people in this area that we have an opportunity to create something for this demographic to participate in and help create. There are a lot of churches in Midland, but not everyone likes going to traditional church.
that Saginaw needs people to love her. Oh, don't misunderstand me, there are people there loving her right now, but she needs lots of love from lots of people.
That Jesus is already present here, we just need to make ourselves aware of it.
I'm searching for a new way to live, a new way to be Christian. I want it to be fun, life-giving and tangible. I want to see what my faith looks like in my own two hands as they reach out for another's.
Of course, I only have more questions too...
What is it to live everyday as a Christian in a relational, connected, non-judgmental manner? What is it to fall in love with the very things God has fallen in love with? What if we were to think about growing into ourselves rather than out of ourselves? How do we practice radical hospitality? Better yet, how do I practice radical hospitality? What am I afraid of and how do I overcome it? Where are the communities God is calling me into? Where are yours?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
My New Job
My name is Sarah Fossati, I'm ordained and I have the coolest job in the world. My title is Missioner to Young Adults and while this works for the diocese that hired me, I don't really like it. There's nothing inherently wrong with the title, its just that when I hear churchy words combined with words like "young" I think of church basements filled with pizza and movies while pastors/leaders try to keep pace with the "young". In short, I think of youth group--for teenagers. I'm not the only one either; many have come up to me (very kindly, with a desire to help) with the understanding that I'm going to be working among kids. But noooooo!
I'm actually going to be working with adults--that's right, people who can vote. And we're not going to be in church basements (or in churches really), we're going to be in homes, bars, cafes and nice little meeting places on campuses where everyday life happens because, really, when was the last time that you saw "everyday life" happen in the church? The closest I've seen recently is when a baby threw up on a friend of mine who was baptizing the baby--otherwise, church is pretty clean and life-free.
If you're reading this and thinking, 'Hey! I like church and plenty of life stuff happens there' then you probably hate me. That's ok, but let me finish. I'm not saying that profound and wonderful life moments don't happen in church, I'm saying that most of life has been separated from the church and most profoundly with our use of space. YOu know why the altar rail is there? Because back in the day, the priests need to keep ANIMALS away from the altar. What in the name of God were animals doing there!? Well, people kept them like people always have. Church was happening where people's lives were also happening. This isn't the case anymore. The worship area has become particular, sacred, sterile and devoid of animals, life activiies such as cooking, cleaning and even meals, which is the supreme irony because we come to church (in my church) to share at the Lord's Table.
I love church, and I get a lot out of traditional services, but I am also excited to be working with young adults to create churches that arise out of the everyday, profane realm of common life in order to bring Christianity into the everyday of someone's life and not just Sundays, or even not at all. This is my job: to be a kind of church planter among 18-30 year olds. What does a church like this look like? I'm not sure, but I can't wait to find out.
I'm actually going to be working with adults--that's right, people who can vote. And we're not going to be in church basements (or in churches really), we're going to be in homes, bars, cafes and nice little meeting places on campuses where everyday life happens because, really, when was the last time that you saw "everyday life" happen in the church? The closest I've seen recently is when a baby threw up on a friend of mine who was baptizing the baby--otherwise, church is pretty clean and life-free.
If you're reading this and thinking, 'Hey! I like church and plenty of life stuff happens there' then you probably hate me. That's ok, but let me finish. I'm not saying that profound and wonderful life moments don't happen in church, I'm saying that most of life has been separated from the church and most profoundly with our use of space. YOu know why the altar rail is there? Because back in the day, the priests need to keep ANIMALS away from the altar. What in the name of God were animals doing there!? Well, people kept them like people always have. Church was happening where people's lives were also happening. This isn't the case anymore. The worship area has become particular, sacred, sterile and devoid of animals, life activiies such as cooking, cleaning and even meals, which is the supreme irony because we come to church (in my church) to share at the Lord's Table.
I love church, and I get a lot out of traditional services, but I am also excited to be working with young adults to create churches that arise out of the everyday, profane realm of common life in order to bring Christianity into the everyday of someone's life and not just Sundays, or even not at all. This is my job: to be a kind of church planter among 18-30 year olds. What does a church like this look like? I'm not sure, but I can't wait to find out.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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