This evening we had a church leadership get-together and watched Kathy Escobar's session from TransFORM together - if you're interested you can see it too here. Kathy's bit is from 30 minutes in. She talks for about 40 mins and then there is a bit of group discussion followed by her closing thoughts and some questions. She talked about the reality of living in community - how it is great, but hard, how we can't expect 'success' as it has traditionally been measured, but we can hope to see lives changed for the better.
Pretty much everyone who commented afterwards said "I agree with everything she said...but it's hard!" Yep - she calls the process 'downward mobility' and contrasts it with her ambitions for a well-paying job and nice middle-class friends etc. but, as she reflects, "It's so freakin' pretty down there!"
I think what she means - her 'vision' for her community, as in what they have in common (indeed as she puts it all they have in common) - is the desire for it to be a place to practise:
Loving God, loving other people, and loving ourselves.I think it will serve pretty well as a statement of what we are trying to do too.
And being loved by God, being loved by others, and learning to love ourselves.
Looks like one to watch for us - I'll pass it on too! N
ReplyDeletei'll second what kathy said. it is sooooo pretty down there, but it the hardest thing i've ever done in my 60 years of doing church. honestly. though, i'd never want to do it any differently. i feel so blessed for the chance to be part of real redemptive community.
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