What’s Next For Cedar Cross?

One of the questions for Questions Sunday was, “We’ve become a Reconciling Congregation, what’s next?” I love this question because it’s one I ask myself, and I want to ask all of you.

Becoming a Reconciling Congregation has energized our Church. It has honed our sense of identity and purpose, excited us about our ministry in the world and given us a message to share with others in our community. There are people who have come to our Church because of our becoming Reconciling. I am very proud of Cedar Cross UMC; special thanks to the members of the Open Hearts committee who helped us to be transformed. But that cannot be the end of it.

In the sermon I preached on the day we celebrated becoming Reconciling I said that I do not see this as an end, but as a beginning. It is about making sure a certain group of people are loved, accepted and invited to fully participate in the life of the church, but underneath that is the spirit of love and acceptance for all. Where does that spirit lead us now? What shall we do with the spiritual momentum we have acquired? We are growing in all ways – spiritually, as a community, with new faces and stories. What do we do with this energy? I really mean to ask everyone these questions and welcome feedback.

The Beta-Vitality Task Force is working on these questions – we have met now for one year and have one year to go. We have talked about small groups, hospitality and spiritual disciplines; our last module was on marketing. The motivation for my choosing the book I did for Adult Sunday School (Thirsty for God a Brief History of Christian Spirituality) is because of our focus on small groups and spiritual disciplines. (When we started this last fall we took a number of tests/surveys which indicated that this was an area in which we need to grow.) We have had at least 30 in class each Sunday and over 50 participating! This is one place where we must continue to give our spiritual energy. To continue to develop relationships and grow as a community is vital to our future.

And then I think about reaching out. Becoming Reconciling drew us together as a community but it also was reaching out – it was a political statement to our Church and to the culture at large. We have also been spiritually invigorated because we were doing something that was larger than ourselves, that we felt was a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need this too. Where will that underlying spirit, that value of love and acceptance take us outside of our community? Are there other issues in our society that we feel passionate about? The plight of the poor, healthcare, the environment, etc? At Fairwood UMC we became a Greening Congregation, a designation that is offered by Earth Ministry here in Seattle. In addition to highlighting environmental issues the Greening Committee took out all the ivy and blackberries from their small patch of wetland and planted native plants – they made bat houses, sold trees and worked on trails.

Another group that we could enter into relationship with is Faith Action Network which is doing the same kind of work that used to be done by the Washington Association of Churches – mostly political lobbying. Currently they are working for the passage of Initiative 594 which would close the loophole allowing for guns to be sold without a background check. Is this a path we would like to take?

I feel the Spirit alive at Cedar Cross UMC. But where will it take us now? I would love to hear from you. Pastor Jim