"What if church was a verb?" asks a new marketing campaign from the United Methodist Church. The premise of the campaign, "Rethink Church," is the acknowledgment that our churches are called to be more than a Sunday gathering place - no matter how traditional or edgy our liturgy. Theologians have long identified the church as the Body of Christ in the world, a vessel of God's continuing activity, redemption and grace. "Church is a verb - requiring transformative, collective action," declares the UMC material. As a denomination, the United Methodist Church is asking what that means for us today. As a congregation, Druid Hills United Methodist is exploring similar questions.
We are a people both seeking God's presence and seeking to reflect that presence in our lives. We are humble in the face of God's mystery, but bold in following God's call for us. There is a tension here that we try to navigate in community. We know we can neither discern nor embody faithful living on our own.
This blog is an attempt at facilitating community, in particular among people connected to Druid Hills United Methodist Church. As this congregation seeks to deepen and expand its ministries, we recognize that we need the insights, gifts and support of one another. This will be a place for people to share stories and resources, struggles and successes, as we ask the question, what does it mean to be the church? How do we work for justice toward the fulfillment of God's kingdom (or, as liberation theologians prefer, commonwealth) on earth?
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