The Wandering Christian Conversation

The Wandering Christian Conversation is now meeting in in the church parlor every other Thursday. We’re currently reading Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity. The next session will be Thursday, May 24th at 6:30 PM for snacks and gathering, with the discussion starting at 7:00.

“An unquestioned answer is worse than an unanswered question.”

Like that old, soulful U2 rock anthem, do you sometimes find yourself singing “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for?” Or maybe you find yourself “losing your religion” just like that classic R.E.M. song says. “I cant Live… with or without you” might perfectly describe your relationship with the institutional church… But in any case, you definitely feel emotionally distant from the Christian spirituality and Sunday worship you grew up with and possibly experience now. Curious to find out why you’re having these feelings/thoughts? But more importantly, curious if there is a better way to think about and practice faith?

The roots of this disconnect between what we are and what we grew up with are many: generational, philosophical (postmodernity, for example), educational (if you grew up in an anti-intellectual church), and cultural. Someone recently observed, “We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the church. Not since the Reformation five centuries ago have so many Christians come together to ask whether the church is in sync with their deepest beliefs and commitments.”

“Wandering Christian Conversation” will take up & explore these and other theological/cultural questions. The possibilities for exploration are actually exciting once you start being creative and think “outside the box!” We are united by a love of asking questions, Enjoying a drink together, and reading/discussing Emerging Christianity-type books. On our part, we are a multicultural, multi-creedal, and global Christian-type of group. We come from many backgrounds and traditions. But most importantly, we embrace and wrestle with the faith we were raised in, the traditions of all the major christian denominations (orthodox, catholic, and the multitude of protestant streams) as well as the faith we hold for ourselves.

Authors that we might discuss would be Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Donald Miller, Neil Cole, Tim Keller, and more. If you love to read books by these authors and others like them, you’ll fit right in. And if you don’t like to read, you can just jump in the discussion.

This group is for Christians who, like Jacob, wrestle with God and don’t let go until we hear His voice directly… and most of us have a limp because of it. :)

All faiths, all beliefs, all doctrinal stances, all questions, all colors, all races, and all ages welcome. We don’t promise answers, but we do promise a safe place to ask your questions and honest feedback for you to think about.

 

Cooking Class

Join us May 7th from 5:30 to 7:00 PM for the “Healthy Choices, Healthy Life” cooking class with Judi Perna. This is a great opportunity to learn about vegetarian cooking and enjoy a meal and good company. This month’s menu is pasta pomodoro, special salad, desert, and tea.

The cost is $5.00. Please reserve your space by calling the church office, emailing Carol Lewis, or clicking the link below to reserve on meetup.com.

RSVP

Plan B

Join the Green Team on Sunday, April 29 at 11:45 am in the Parlor to see the film, Plan B, Mobilizing to Save Civilization. Originally seen on PBS, this documentary narrated by Matt Damon shows distress signals regarding climate change and describes a 4-point strategy to deal with these problems. Pizza and soda will be served.

We are showing this film again per numerous requests, because many were unable to view it when it was shown in the evening last year. Mark your calendars and invite a friend!

RSVP

Experiencing the Heart of Christianity

This 12-week group is based on the book, The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith, by Marcus Borg. Together we will discuss and practice how Christian spirituality can be experienced in a 21st century pluralistic society. Sign up in the lobby. We will need six people to sign up for the group to take place. Contact Pastor Jason if you are interested or would like more information.

New Sunday Evening Worship Service

Beginning Sunday, April 29 at 6:00 PM, we will be embarking on a new worship experience. You are invited to gather with us in the parlor for simple music, participatory worship, and weekly communion. Praxis (the Greek word for “practice”) is not a show to sit in a pew and watch, but an opportunity to become involved in worship, spiritual formation, and connection with God, one another, and the world.

In the coming weeks and months, it will be shaped by those of us who participate as we seek to center ourselves around Christ. If “three hymns and a sermon” isn’t how you worship best, this might be an opportunity for you.

For more information email or call (561-247-2609) Pastor Jason.

And keep checking the website for more information!

Scholarship Application

Members of the church are invited to apply for the 2012 scholarship. All guidelines and applications may be found here. Applications are due by May 15th.

We Are Now Open and Affirming!

Last Sunday, the membership of First Congregational Church of Lake Worth voted to adopt the following statement:

The people of First Congregational Church of Lake Worth believe that all people are created in God’s image and thus are blessed and loved equally by God. In seeking to follow Jesus Christ, we invite diversity and affirm the dignity and worth of every person.

Therefore, we welcome all to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our church family. We embrace persons of every age, gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, faith background, marital status and family structure, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, and educational background.

We are open and affirming. All are welcome!

Thank you to all who participated in the discussions that were held and special thanks to our Open and Affirming leadership team: Janet Lisle, Mark Stanford, Carolyn Ludwig, and Debbie Copeland.

Easter Sunday at First Congregational Church

You, your your family, your friends, and your neighbors are invited to join us this Easter Sunday, April 8th, for a glorious morning of celebration. The festivities start at 9:15 AM with a delicious pancake breakfast. Then we will gather for worship at 10:30 AM with uplifting music, family-friendly activities, and an inspiring Easter reminder that no matter what you are facing in your life that it is absolutely, positively “Not The End.” And then right after worship at 11:30 we will let the kids hunt for over 1500 Easter eggs on our church campus.

This is an occasion you will not want to miss. We hope to see you there!

 

Ginny Somerville Named “Lay Woman of the Year”

Ginny Somerville, Janet Lisle, and Carol Lewis were at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Florida UCC Women in Cocoa Beach, FL. The theme was Re: Generations.

Our own Ginny Somerville was honored as “Lay Woman of the Year” by the Florida UCC Women for her ministry in our church. Carol Lewis was also installed as the representative of our region. You can see more photos below:

www.flickr.com





Eugene Peterson 2

Today we spoke about Abraham “walking blamelessly” before God and the expanded meaning of the Hebrew words – a day in and day out, repeated, during the ebbs and flows of life, wholly walking and living with God. Last week, I had the privilege of being in the presence of a man who has done just that thanks to the generosity of our church.

You can read my reflections on my time with Eugene Peterson on my blog. The one thing I want to say here is that it was obvious to me that I was in the presence of a man who in his 80 years has lived what most have just talked about.

Two of the eight sessions can be viewed for a limited time here on the Q website. I encourage you to watch one or both of the sessions if you have the opportunity.