We are a Faith Family, Together

This weekend we have the privilege of welcoming new members into our faith family. To our new members we say, “Welcome! We are glad that you are here.” We are the vibrant, Spirit-filled church we are because of new people like you who come into our midst.  

Welcoming new members is a great  opportunity for all of us to remember who we are as God’s people here at Abiding Presence. As some of you might recall, this past spring the church council and I invited the congregation to help us identify our core values. Core values serve as guiding principles that shape our life together. They reflect how we understand our call to be the Body of Christ in this time and place. 

 At Abiding Presence:

All Are Welcome
We are a Faith Family, Together
We are God's Hands and Feet in the World
We See People as Christ Sees Them

Today, I want to focus on what it means to live out our value of “We are a Faith Family Together.” As I look at it, there is a lot packed into this one phrase!

Family
As a congregation, we place a high   priority on supporting families, especially parents/caregivers and children/teens. Our worship environment is one that offers grace to adults as they teach children how to worship. We invest with time, finances and staff in our growing children, youth and family ministries. We envision new ways to connect with students, such as the Sunday night Youth Group ministry we launched this fall. We want to be a church where families/children/teens are fully integrated into all aspects of our life and ministry.

Families at Abiding Presence come in all different shapes and sizes. At any given worship service and throughout the week you will find families who are nuclear, extended, biological, adopted, blended, separated, LGTBQIA+, interfaith and not-so-sure-about-faith. Our definition of “family” is as broad as the beautiful diversity of families in our congregation and the community in which we live.

Faith Family
More than just wanting to support   families, though, we understand the church to be family. You will often here me teach, preach, write and talk using the phrase “faith family” to describe the church.

All that said, when we talk about family, we realize that it isn’t a word that creates a sense of warmth and       acceptance for everyone. For those whose prior family and/or church experiences have been less than   positive, we grieve with you and want this faith family to be a place where you find hope.

Together
At Abiding Presence, we live life together. It’s not perfect. Often times our life together is messy. Some days it involves a lot of forgiveness, grace, patience and strength. Many days, it offers great joy. We seek to be faith family that is real and authentic as we do life together.

We are a Faith Family, Together
I am grateful for each one of you and your place in this faith family. It is my privilege to walk with you in the holy space of being one of your pastors, raise my children alongside you and do life together with you.