As part of an activity for our first Visionary Leader workshop, Molly Baskette asked working groups to bring in one sacred object and one “sacred cow”—in her words, “something that is an actual obstacle to growth”—from our sites.
I have to admit that joining the Reimagining Church group took me a bit outside my comfort zone. I had the same fears and questions that everyone has expressed to our group from the start. What is this really all about, why are we doing this now, and what are other groups around CT doing in their journey to re-imagine?
I first walked into St. John’s Episcopal Church in late August of 2022. I had just moved to town and was about to begin my seminary education at Yale Divinity School. Like most churches in the post-COVID era, there was far more pew space than parishioners. The congregation, without the leadership of a priest, led themselves in Morning Prayer, and the words of the prayer attributed to St. John Chrysostom echoed in my ears: “You have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them.”
At St. John’s, we seek to engage each part of ourselves — heart, soul, and mind — in the practice of loving God and our neighbors. Part of it is done during our worship services, with readings, songs, and prayers celebrating our connection to God’s creation and in gratitude for the gifts shared with us. Another part of it is done in the activities among our community as stewards of God’s gifts. Yet another part is done in various ways of serving our neighbors with food and fellowship opportunities.
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What Is Your Ten Acres?By Molly CookeAs part of an activity for our first Visionary Leader workshop, Molly Baskette asked working groups to bring in one sac |
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Baby StepsBy Michael Copenhaver, St. John’s Working Group memberI have to admit that joining the Reimagining Church group took me a bit outside my comfort zone. |
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In the MidstBy Molly CookeI first walked into St. John’s Episcopal Church in late August of 2022. |
