Made in God’s Image: Focusing Our Vision
As the last program year was drawing to an end, conversations in council surfaced a desire to focus in on our beautiful vision more deliberately. We wanted to find ways to move from abstract phrases to concrete action. As a result, we intend to focus in on the first portion of the vision this year which reads: “With our hearts and hand extended we seek to know that living Christ. That we may ever grow as a compassionate family where all are welcomed, valued and nurtured.”
The reformer John Calvin believed that the basis for why we ought to welcome every person with love, a sense of dignity and equality is that we are all made in the image of God. Calvin was referring to Genesis 1:26‐27 which reads: “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…So God created humankind in God’s image…male and female God created them.” I find this to be one of the most amazing and puzzling passages in the scriptures. Here we have God referring to God’s self in the plural and as incorporating both genders. Our creator appears to be bigger and more diverse within God’s self than we can imagine. No wonder we humans appear in so many shapes, sizes and colors – all of which somehow express the beauty and glory of God.
Our creator invites us to learn to welcome, value and nurture one another as people who are made in God’s image. And, when we say that we want to focus our vision on that image, we mean that quite literally. We will be looking for ways to focus our understanding of one another ‐ through fellowship, gift discernment, hands‐on missions, an exploration of ‘family values’, mutual support in continuing small group activities (prayer shawl, ‘One Anothering’), and a personality type discovery workshop (Myers Briggs).
You will also be invited to a discovery series that focuses in on who Jesus is as the embodiment of God in our midst. As members of the United Church of Christ, we will also have the opportunity to focus our vision in terms of our denominational identity(visit of John Thomas and video discussion).
Aside from all these planned activities, I fully trust that a creative group of people like us will come up with intriguing possibilities of how “we ay ever grow as a compassionate family where all are welcomed, valued and nurtured.”
Here are some existing and emerging ideas that will bring us together and offer opportunities to get to know each other better. Please add to the list:
Offering a host of fun activities for young and old from potlucks to group outings (dinners, shows, hikes, etc.).
Offering hands on service opportunities: Habitat (already begun), mission trips, other missions opportunities with increased emphasis on getting a better image of who is being served and who is serving. We are also currently in conversation with the Council on Aging on how to extend our outreach to seniors in town.
Regular features on members in the Vestry News.
Regular features on committee activities. Committees will also consider in their context how they can enhance our life together in our quest to welcome, value and nurture one another.
Offering more extensive newcomer classes.
Matching members who wish to participate as prayer partners who regularly check in with each other and commit to getting to know each other. This can be done intergenerationally.
Planning a trip to visit our partner‐church in South Africa or an adult pilgrimage to Taize/Iona or an adult/family mission trip.
Expanding the Called to Care Ministries.
What ideas are percolating in your minds? Where would you like to put your energy? Please share your thoughts and ideas with your deacons, council members or others, email or call me. May God bless all our endeavors and may what we do deepen our understanding of God and how all of us are made in God’s image.
For starters, please be sure to bring an object to Rally Day that expresses something about who you are. The object (we will be collecting for a while) will be placed on the communion table during the service. Leave it for a while and find a part of you already waiting for you when you come to church!
I look forward to ‘seeing’ all of you!
‐Ute
