In February, the congregation voted unanimously to approve the creation of a Restructuring Task Force. Since then, six of us have met, prayed, laughed, struggled, learned, and reflected. We feel called to be a part of this group, and our time and work together is challenging each of us to examine our personal faith and being in community with others concerning that faith. We believe our role is to:
Inspire each other and the congregation as we hold and invite the Spirit into an honoring of the past and an exploration of the future;
Support each other and the congregation as we journey, knowing the ambiguity will cause anxiety and that we must deal with individual and corporate grief in order to be a healthy church;
Listen and craft space for collaboration and collective discernment;
Seek a process and framework that supports momentum and movement;
Nurture facilitation and communication systems so that the congregation has a clear understanding of the purpose and process of possible changes.
You will be able to find the four lay members of this group by our red name tags that read Bridge 141. Bridge 141 emerged late one Wednesday afternoon: a bridge supports movement from one place to another over some obstacle; it also is a means of connection and transition. First Congregational Church has had a rich history for the past one hundred and forty one years, from 1883 at Astor and F Streets until today. We want to honor that past and build on the many gifts those going before us have provided. We want those 141 years to be visible in all we do.
It is our best hope that we can support this congregation in our next transition from today into the future.
We cannot do this work alone. We expect that you, the congregation, will take an equal, engaged, and exciting part in discerning what our transformation may look like. The purpose of this work is to make our Vision come alive and transform the ways we “do church… considering changes, even radical changes, that will help us to refocus on what it means to live in the way of Jesus, what is means to be a community gathered around the way of Jesus, and what it means to be a community living in the way of Jesus in our neighborhoods, communities, and the larger world” (Charles Kuchenbrod, “Which Path Are You On”).
Look for invitations to engage in:
Wednesday discussions - at 9:00 am and 7:00 pm focused on resources about change and transformation in the post-pandemic church.
Casual family/intergenerational get-togethers - planned for different times to make connections in new ways.
Worship - over the next several months we will have opportunities to explore the tenets introduced on Palm Sunday, Who before Why; Awe before Excellence; Humility before Hero; and Abundance, Not Scarcity.
Rotating exhibits - of pictures and stories in the narthex and online honoring our rich heritage and those that moved this church forward through challenging times for 141 years.
Regular updates - of the Church Council discussions on “restructuring” provided in print and multiple video formats.
This is an ongoing effort and we do not have an identified end date.
We have only just begun – join us – help us listen to the Spirit
