The “Home Is…” visioning process proved more arduous than I imagined. It was a long journey with a dynamic and diverse team. Over the course of 18 months, the team sifted through mountains of information from the membership. There were moments when the task seemed overwhelming, and junctures when I honestly felt we would never find our way. With the zeal of a convert, I now happily declare that we made it successfully to the finish, thanks to your enthusiasm and to the grace of God, the holder of the future.
The vision is contained within these verbs: to engage, to heal, and to transform. Together they suggest a pathway our church can follow toward practical, active, and meaningful connection to each other and to the wider community. The vision unclutters that pathway so that nothing will inhibit members’ engaging with one another in order to right wrongs, ease suffering, and generate a more wholesome and just world.
The questions we as members must now answer are:
- In the depths of my heart, what do I believe God is calling me to do?
- What cause, or need, or source of suffering continues to tumble within me in a way that may be calling me to some active response?
- Are there others in the congregation (or beyond) who might share my passion for the cause roiling within me?
- How can I find such like-minded companions, and what—through shared study, conversation, contemplation and prayer—might we accomplish together?
This is what the “Home Is…” Team means when it speaks (in the vision booklet) about “unleashing” the power of Home Church. In our congregational visioning meetings, members have indicated their desire to engage in ministry personally; to heal local, national, or global brokenness; and to transform the old into the life-giving new. Our vision is that rather than boards and committees handing down ministry goals from the top, determination of the future work of Home Church rests squarely in the hands of members.
Those moved to embrace this vision will have access to support, resources and guidance. Making these available to you will be the work of the soon-to-be-constituted Vision Implementation Team. But there is no need for you to wait. If God is calling you to engage in active ministry, talk to others about it, talk to staff members if you like, and let’s just get going!
Questions for Reflection:
What one personal, social, local, national, or global concern burns most intensely within you? (Mine is the desire to counter surging anti-Semitism.)
Can you find within or beyond Home Church even one other person who shares your passion, and with whom you might discover a tiny opening for healing and transformation?
—David Piner, “Home Is…” Visioning Team Member