Let’s connect!
That desire is the engine driving this new blog, written by synod staff members for the people of our territory. We want to deepen our connection with you where you are in your ministry context. So we’re reaching out with a blog whose content is likely to vary quite a bit; from how we’re filling pulpits in this time of change to thoughts about upcoming Sunday morning Gospel readings to effective ministry strategies we’re seeing around the synod. And, we want to hear from you.
I’ll start things off with a quick reminder of a point I raised at the recent Synod Assembly. The theme was Evangelism, or Sharing in Hope; and I maintained that congregations’ Sunday morning worship services are natural training grounds in evangelism. If we want to make God-talk a more common part of our everyday speech, let’s equip our members to do exactly that by providing some practice time when we gather for worship.
For example, what would happen if congregations devoted five minutes at the beginning of each worship service to “God Sightings,” where members would be able to take just a minute to say where they had seen God active in the previous week? This would have to be arranged in advance, of course, but would serve the twin purposes of hearing one another actually talk about the activity of God and encourage all of us to look out on God’s world with eyes of expectation. Yes, this is indeed God’s world; and God is right there, active in it for those with eyes to see. (And by the way, that’s exactly the perspective you’ll find in Diana Butler Bass’s book Grounded: Finding God in the World, an excellent read.)
If you try God Sightings in your church, let me know how it goes. Drop me a note at rgustafson@css-elca.org. Blessings on your holy experiments!
--- Bishop Roger