Ingathering Sunday

Here at FRS, we've developed a practice of sending out a congregation-wide mailing at the beginning of September, welcoming people back to church. The mailing includes a letter from the Parish Committee describing the program priorities for the coming year (which individual parish committee members divide among themselves in order to include a handwritten postscript) and a more "inspirational" letter from the minister (me). Here's the text of my letter for 2006-07, which I've made generic so that anyone who would like to can feel free to "borrow" my words (with appropriate attribution, of course).

***

What is Church, anyway?

Some folks think of a church as a building: a physical structure of bricks and mortar, wood and glass, standing tall as a visible landmark in the landscape of a larger community.

Others think of church principally as a religious institution: an organization with principles and purposes, policies and by-laws, and charged with the mission of doing God’s work in the world.

Theologians sometimes speak of “the Church” as a mystical body of believers: a spiritual community of faith, memory and hope which transcends the boundaries and limitations of time and space.

But when I think of church, I think of the people. Real people, like you and me, who inhabit the building, who embody the spirit, who do God’s good works with their own two hands.

This congregation is a spiritual community of real people devoted to values and principles larger than ourselves. And it takes the combined efforts of each and every one of us to make our faith community everything it should be.

If your experience of organized religion hasn't quite lived up to what you’d hoped for, the answer may be simpler than you think. It may well be that the only thing missing from this CH_RCH is U.

Welcome back from what I hope has been a refreshing and relaxing summer. I look forward to seeing you Sunday!