Maybe it’s because I was a teacher earlier in my life; maybe it’s because I feel like a perpetual student; maybe it’s just that I like to buy new pens and notebooks, but this season is always exciting to me. After weeks of necessary and important breaks from our routine, we’re gearing up to reinstate them, though a few will be modified. It’s an exciting time.
New possibilities.
New goals and expectations.
New people joining us in our Acts of Faith.
It’s been a good summer. I’m always tempted to preach about “What I did on my Summer Vacation,” but this year it was lovely to look around and see that enough COVID had lifted that many of you were also on summer vacation.
One of the interesting things about Fellowship of Faith is that the numbers have held steady or even grown a little for our Sunday worship. That, Evening Prayer, the Food Cupboard, Matthew 25, and Living Bread Ministry were the Acts of Faith that continued throughout the summer. We weren’t totally shut down, but I’m sensing a real excitement to reclaim the rhythm of our church life.
But as with every school year — no matter how familiar things may seem to us, there are a number of things that will be different. Especially us, ourselves. That’s part of growing and changing. This is a perfect time to try something new. If you have been wondering about what it’s like to feed the homeless for a few hours once a month, you might want to give Matthew 25 a try for September or October.
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to play handbells, go to a Ring for Joy! rehearsal. The same for singing … show up at Sing for Joy! No prior experience is needed for either one of those!
The Food Cupboard is always looking for new people, and now that we have been resettled on another part of the Congregation Beth Sholom campus, our client numbers are up.
Want to bake bread? Get in touch with the Living Bread leaders.
There’s something for everyone.
And if you don’t see what you’re looking for — find one other person who also wants to have the same thing and start it yourself. It’s easy to start an Act of Faith — two people committed for the three-month trial period. The Session will support you. We have a checklist that will walk you through the process. It’s simple. And it can be anywhere that you are — Starbucks, Panera, your neighborhood, in a community room, a diner, a library. Where do you hang out?
Participating in the Acts of Faith at the start of a new program year is like buying Back-to-School supplies: getting excited over the possibilities of the next few months. Only this time — it’s FREE! 🙂
Happy Fall!!! When it comes to the Acts of Faith, maybe we should think about the summer a little longer — jump in, the water’s fine!