Exodus Experiment
Adonai went in front of them during the day in a column of cloud to guide them
and at night in a column of lightning to give them light.
-Exodus 13:21 (Common English Bible)
I just finished an inspiring video call with Rev. Phiwa Langeni of the UCC’s Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD). These last six weeks they’ve been leading a group of clergy through something called the Exodus Experiment, in which we each look at our local ministry setting and consider what wilderness we might be wandering and where God might be leading. Part of the introduction to the Exodus Experiment read: “just as God cared for those in the literal wilderness of yesteryear, God does the same for us [now] … God has been, is still, and will yet be with us every single step of the way, wherever it may take us.”
It’s probably no surprise that I’ve been focusing on where our congregation is heading as we navigate this pandemic wilderness. What will it look like when we cross our River Jordan? And when will we get there? It’ll definitely be different from what we knew before, but how? The wilderness holds a lot of unanswered questions, and Rev. Phiwa kept asking great ones.
For example, they asked about First Congregational’s purpose statement: Welcoming All, Growing in Faith, Living God’s Love, Justice, Compassion…
- What did it mean, on a day-to-day, on-the-ground level, to welcome all pre-pandemic?
- How did we enact our purpose of growing in faith, in particular instances, in 2019?
- In what ways did we as a faith community, tangibly and concretely, live out God’s love, justice, and compassion?
- And what might it look like now, with who we are becoming in this pandemic wilderness? How might our welcome, growth, and living out our purpose be shifting?
I’m particularly eager to receive your responses to that last question. Since we haven’t been gathering in person for quite some time, I only get to hear such insights from those of you serving on boards and committees, or those who’ve reached out for a connection. I am longing to hear from all of you: what do you imagine living out our First Congregational purpose statement might mean—in concrete ways—as we head into 2022? Let’s dream together!
I’m inspired for what our ministry may look like as we seek the other side of this wilderness. Of course I fear hunger, thirst, and snakes along the way (if the Israelites weren’t exempt, neither are we!). Despite that, we’ll continue this trek of following God together as community, wherever it leads.
Looking forward to conversations,
Pastor Sharon
