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Now, to begin with some things the Vestry is doing: For some time now, the first few minutes of many of our meetings have been spent in some type of teaching or learning. This year, we will be reading a book together, Christianity for the Rest of Us, by Diana Butler Bass. Bishop Mayer suggested it during our Vestry Retreat last month, and our goal is to read and discuss a chapter a month from Section II. In April we will do an overview of the book and begin looking at Part II, which talks about ten practices that Bass sees as characteristic of lively and effective mainline parishes that have something distinctive to offer in contrast to the evangelical mega-churches.
Central to her thesis is the idea that we need to look at how to be a ‘Village Church’, a place of welcoming community, searching, and wisdom in a culture that seems not to be very interested in these things. Behind this is the obvious, if often ignored, reality that the older ways of doing church among the mainline churches is really no longer a viable way to go. We are not an extension of the establishment or an entry into social respectability. So, what are we, and where are we going. The ‘good old days’ whatever those were, are gone forever; and something different, something, perhaps, more distinctively Christian, is called for.
Bass is one of a long series of writers who are struggling with the notion of re-visioning mainline American church life given our new social and religious realities. It really began, I think, with Loren Meade’s, The Once and Future Church and Hauerwas and Willimon’s Resident Aliens, two seminal books in this genre. The fact is, the world the Church has lived in for a long, long time is changing–I suspect it’s gone most places other than the old Confederacy and the Central Time Zone, and we need to see this, pray this, and look for ways that we can find God’s hand, God’s word and call to us in all of this.
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I want to have a statement about the upcoming Bond electin for the hospital. I am for it. If anyone is interested in joining a prayer group, call, write or email me at 432-270-2144, mhiettwilliams@hotmail.com or margaret.williams@midland-memorial.com
In Christ,
Margaret
I just want to get my vote in for a move of the Sunday service from 9am to 9:30 am. or 10 am.