Summer Research

The following is taken from my sermon on May 25, 2014. You can read the full sermon by clicking on this link. http://www.christepiscopal.com/worship/documents/SixthSundayofEaster.pdf

This summer I invite you to consider inviting a group of un-churched friends, family, or neighbors to your home or neighborhood gathering place for coffee, beer, glass of wine, or dessert. Let them know that you are a Christian and that you are doing research for your church, and that this gathering is to hear from them. This is not a recruiting exercise but an honest attempt to listen to the hearts of those who are not active in any faith community.

• What excites and what saddens them?
• What is it about their experience or perceptions of organized religion that doesn’t attract them?
• Where do they find hope and joy?
• What feeds their spirits?

I suspect that many of you have these conversations already. What is different is that we are doing this intentionally as a faith community . . . listening to others.

If you would like for me to be there, I’ll do my best to be attend. But this is not a clergy-centered exercise, but an attempt to be proactive by the community of Christ Church. Just as Paul walked around an unknown city (Athens) and paid attention, so I invite you to take that walk. If you cannot bring a group together, perhaps you can have similar conversations one-on-one. Listen carefully.

You can report back at any time by email, face-to-face, or (heaven forbid) written letter. In August and September, we will schedule opportunities to talk about what we’ve learned. May God be with us!

–John Paddock