A Peek Behind the Curtain (or Why We Do What We Do)

We believe that worship is liturgy. Liturgy is a word often used in fancy churches to describe the order of worship. It comes from an ancient Greek word that meant “public work.” We believe it accurately describes our worship time together because it acknowledges that our worship services have an intentional rhythm in their structure and because we believe that worship is not to be observed but is made for participation. 

Our service is led by volunteers from our community. Each week new people will use their God given gifts to lead us in acts of prayer, meditation, artistic expression, music, etc. We believe the promise of Scripture that all are called to be bearers of God’s Spirit. Our worship services are led by men and women, young and old, new to the faith and experienced followers, doubters and believers - there is no one in our community who is excluded from leading in worship - in fact, we expect all in our community to take some role in leadership when they are ready (you won’t be asked to lead in this way your first week, though!). You may be used to spaces and experiences where all aspects of a service are led by professionals. We let them lead here too, but they are not the only ones, because when it comes to seeking to be like Jesus, we are all amateurs wanting to grow and learn.

In addition to being community led and experiential, our worship service is also contemplative and mystical. We believe that learning to inhabit a contemplative space (learning to practice contemplation and thoughtfulness in our approach to our faith) is crucial to growing closer to God. Contemplative practices in the way we approach the reading of Scripture, the prayers we offer, and the litanies (responsive readings) we recite help us to still our minds and center our hearts as we experience worship together. The world we live in is noisy, full of distractions that call us away from the Voice of Love. When we come together we will not always be somber, but we will be learning together how to be quiet enough to hear the Still Small Voice that wants to speak to us.

We also believe in the mystery of God. We believe that God is revealed to us in some ways and remains a mystery in others. To embrace this mystery is to embrace mysticism. We approach our faith with an embrace of juxtapositions, paradoxes, and questions. We are certain that God is Love. We are certain that we (and you) are loved by God. There are other things we are comfortable allowing to remain mysteries. We want to be open to knew things that God wants to do in our midst, which means that we embrace the mystery of a Holy and Loving God at the center of our faith. All of which is to say that you’re questions are welcomed here. We want our hearts and minds to be fertile and well-tilled soil in which the seeds of God’s knowledge can grow. An over reliance on certainty creates hard hearts and minds that are less capable of receiving the restorative rain of God of grace. We work to help each other stay humble and curious here, and love the results that such a practice produces.