It's raining here today. Haven't seen much of the sun. So I brewed myself some cranberry apple zinger (I'm guessing there should be some kind of copyright symbol after the name) and spent some time reading. And thinking. And praying.
I read a blog about mid-life crises and about not feeling accepted by the church. I read several about homosexuality (it all started with this one) and about not feeling accepted by the church. I thought about being single, or (in my case) without children and how the church address these issues. I thought about being widowed. I thought about being divorced. I thought about all the different ways that people don't fit the typical "family programming" of church. I thought about all the different ways that we can feel not acceptable, not good enough, not welcome.
I hope we are cultivating a place here where people feel like they do fit, that they are accepted, and that they don't have to fit a mold in order to be a part of our life together as God's people. But how do I know if we are accomplishing this task? How can I make sure that every person feels welcomed and valuable? More importantly, though, how can we? How do we as a congregation focus on this essential task? Your thoughts?
Pastor Stacia
1 comments:
Just realized that I called being single or without children an "issue." Just to be clear, I didn't mean that in any kind of negative or disparaging sense. I simply meant that it is different than many of the family situations to which church life often caters.
Post a Comment