As I write this today, I am sitting here in the midst of transition. For the first time in my life, I am no longer a resident of the great state of Oregon, where I was born and raised. I no longer live in Portland, which was my home for the last 5 years. And last Sunday was my last day with HOMEpdx, the community in downtown Portland that I have been blessed to be a part of for the last three years. So why all this transition? On January first my wife Rebecca and myself begin the wonderful and daunting task of helping to begin a new church community in Everett, Washington. This is not something either of us are jumping into lightly, and something that comes after a long time of discernment. We both feel that this move, and this new endeavor, are what we are supposed to be doing in this next season of life.
This is something that we are not supposed to do alone. Obviously, the new church cannot be done alone. We are excited to meet new people, continue the conversations we have already been having, and see who else might feel called to join us in the crazy new adventure It is our hope that this church will be a place of love, a place of justice, a place where a diversity of voices are not only heard but are called to lead and serve, and a place where all people are welcome. And this will require the wisdom of others who will join us on this journey.
We also hope to learn from those who might not be able to join us, or who are already practicing church, whatever that looks like, in their own respective traditions and locations. This is one big reason why I finally decided to have a website (Rebecca, my crazy talented wife, actually made the website, because she is awesome). I hope that this is a space where you not only can keep us with us on this new part of our journey, but also where you can join in and wrestle with the questions that come up as we ask what church should look like in 2015. One beautiful thing the internet has provided is the ability to collaborate across distance. So our church-in-formation, which will be embedded in the location and context of downtown Everett, can learn from your church and the context you are in. With all that is going on in the world, we need to be able to listen to others, outside of our location and context, as to how we as a new church can practice the gospel of God’s love and justice in our community.
With all of that, welcome to my website. I am not the best at regularly writing on a blog, though I do hope to get better at that practice as part of my new routine. I am also horrible at promoting myself, even when I should, though eventually there may be some of that here as well. This will be an evolving space, as this journey moves Rebecca and myself in uncharted waters.
If any of this connects with you, you can follow along this journey here. And If the idea of this new church intrigues you, you can read more about that here. I look forward to connecting with friends new and old, and I wish you the best this holiday season.
This is something that we are not supposed to do alone. Obviously, the new church cannot be done alone. We are excited to meet new people, continue the conversations we have already been having, and see who else might feel called to join us in the crazy new adventure It is our hope that this church will be a place of love, a place of justice, a place where a diversity of voices are not only heard but are called to lead and serve, and a place where all people are welcome. And this will require the wisdom of others who will join us on this journey.
We also hope to learn from those who might not be able to join us, or who are already practicing church, whatever that looks like, in their own respective traditions and locations. This is one big reason why I finally decided to have a website (Rebecca, my crazy talented wife, actually made the website, because she is awesome). I hope that this is a space where you not only can keep us with us on this new part of our journey, but also where you can join in and wrestle with the questions that come up as we ask what church should look like in 2015. One beautiful thing the internet has provided is the ability to collaborate across distance. So our church-in-formation, which will be embedded in the location and context of downtown Everett, can learn from your church and the context you are in. With all that is going on in the world, we need to be able to listen to others, outside of our location and context, as to how we as a new church can practice the gospel of God’s love and justice in our community.
With all of that, welcome to my website. I am not the best at regularly writing on a blog, though I do hope to get better at that practice as part of my new routine. I am also horrible at promoting myself, even when I should, though eventually there may be some of that here as well. This will be an evolving space, as this journey moves Rebecca and myself in uncharted waters.
If any of this connects with you, you can follow along this journey here. And If the idea of this new church intrigues you, you can read more about that here. I look forward to connecting with friends new and old, and I wish you the best this holiday season.
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