Discovering Who We Are on the Path God Has Set
The new year steadily approaches and with it comes an energy of change. “New year, new me” becomes a mantra of the multitudes, and I do not think churches escape the change-oriented energy. At the start of this project I was focused on the change question. How can the church be better? Be fixed? Be re-energized? However, halfway through the year, I have gained so much more respect for who the church is right now. First Church Milford has a big heart for their community – both inside and outside the congregation – and puts effort into serving their neighbors. There may be other reasons for the church’s need to participate in this reimagining process, but sustaining a love for the body of Christ is not one of them.
One of the more recent activities we did was an asset mapping exercise, helping the working group recognize the complexity of their congregation and the beauty of the physical church. From musicians to leaders to social workers, the congregation itself is a plethora of resources that can be tapped into for public service activities. First Church Milford is blessed for spacious sanctuary, land, and kitchen space to feed these people in physical and spiritual manners. The working group has several members, but the assets mentioned by each member were not the same (or close to it!). Everyone tapped into their own little corners of the church community to pitch a wonderful mosaic of First Church Milford. Now that we have a better understanding of who we are, we can gain a clearer image of where we’re going. Our next step is bridging the gap between imagination and reality.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next, seeing what dreams this working group brings out into the daylight. We only have another semester together; the reimaging process never truly ends, even if this one officially concludes at the end of spring. I am assured that whatever comes next, God will be at work. For now, I am confident that the love and compassion prevalent in the very foundation of First Church Milford can help guide them further down the path God has set out.
Image credit | Image generated by Canva’s Text to Image from the prompt “mosaic picturing a peaceful path in vibrant colors”