Emerging Spirit News - Oct. 16, 2006
October 16, 2006WELCOME"We need to remember it is God's house that people are being welcomed to. The people who are coming in are already a part of us and we are a part of them; all are a part of God's family." —Emerging Spirit Impact Team member EMERGING...How do Lives and Churches Change?During my youth I spent some time among churches where it was preached and expected that lives could change in an instant. Sometimes the phrase used to ignite the transformation was "accepting Jesus into your heart;" at other times the emphasis was upon forgiveness and a complete turnaround and departure from past friends, practices, and even family. I have no doubt that God can act in these dramatic ways and that lives can be transformed in an instant. MAKING IMPACTLaunching Living the Welcome: Training Events for CongregationsAs was mentioned in the last issue of Emerging Spirit News, we are working hard to prepare the launch of Living the Welcome, a congregational training program for welcoming ministries which will be held around the country. Up to 24 of these events will be held each year for the next three years of Emerging Spirit. Slots have filled up quickly for Spring 2007. Together with the national media campaign and the WonderCafe website which will launch in November, the Living the Welcome congregational training program is a major component of the Emerging Spirit initiative. THE BUZZMaking the Connections to WonderCafeEmerging Spirit's research over the past year has made it clear that nurturing a relationship between the United Church of Canada and 30-45-year-old Canadians who don't have a faith community would not be easy. The findings show that while many of those in this demographic have a deep interest in spiritual issues, they perceive of "organized religion" as judgmental, arrogant, and boring. To help bridge the gap between non-churchgoers and The United Church of Canada, Emerging Spirit is launching WonderCafe, a new, highly interactive website. WonderCafe will offer users who might not yet be comfortable to step into a church the opportunity to freely discuss faith and spirituality on their own terms, along with others who are interested in similar issues. ON THE LINESites of Interest along the Information Highway
Where Will You Find Him? |
Sign up to receive Emerging Spirit News. It's free! SEND THIS NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND...[forward-Click here to forward this newsletter to a friend] WHAT IS EMERGING SPIRIT?Emerging Spirit is working to build connections, nurture relationships, and welcome people to The United Church of Canada. To learn more about Emerging Spirit, see our website. SCHEDULE
Oct. 27-28
Early November
Nov. 3-4
Nov. 7
Nov. 10-11 For more information see our website. YOUR WONDERCAFE KITBy early November each United Church pastoral charge will receive a kit to help them connect with WonderCafe. It will provide:
MAKING CONTACTWho are we? Emerging Spirit is an initiative of the General Council of The United Church of Canada. The staff team for Emerging Spirit is based in several different locations around the country. See our short biographical statements to find out who we are and what we do. We want to hear from you. Please send us your suggestions of best practices, ideas for welcoming ministries, and lists of helpful resources. |
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