Friends,

I think and read a lot about mission and the church because church planting is a missionary activity – as Canon for Church Planting, I have to think about these things. But more importantly, it is the vocation Jesus invites all of us to as part of his Body in the world.  You are likely familiar with Archbishop William Temple’s famous words, “The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” We plastered that quote on our church website in Philadelphia. It inspires, it calls, and it convicts us to chew on what it means – practically. Honestly, 17 years later I wonder if we ever really plumbed the depths of that powerful assertion. It still feels far more aspirational than anything we ever realized.

What does it actually look like for our life together or personally as followers of Jesus to exist for the sake of others that aren’t following Jesus? The task of pastoring congregational life toward this vocation is complex, and it is one of the first things we lose sight of in the work of being the church.

Think with me about Eugene Peterson’s translation of John 1:14, “The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”  Jesus walked into the ordinary spaces of earthly life where people lived and there, he revealed the glory of the self-giving love that God is. And the missionary point, I think, is that the word still becomes flesh week after week as the church, fed and blessed empties out of its buildings back into the neighborhoods we live. It’s all there liturgically – We thank God for feeding us the body and the bread, and then, we ask that we might be “sent out to do the work” God has given us to do as loving and faithful witnesses of Jesus – and we go home. But sometimes it seems like the  “glory” might remain more bottled up inside our activity of church than dwelling among our neighbors!

 “What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors?” This is the question asked in the book, The Art of Neighboring. We know the answer is an obvious yes. But amidst work, family responsibilities and yes, church life – how do we actually make room and time for those that don’t belong to the church? We drive up to our homes – the neighborhood blurs into a grey field of houses, apartments, brick, mortar, maybe sidewalks, and people neetly tucked away in their homes or backyards and occasional front porch. How do you begin to love these real people in these ordinary places – they have busy lives too. Maybe there is an occasional block party where neighbors spill into the streets for the afternoon – but honestly, neighboring can feel daunting in our day. To help us wade into the practical question of what it means to exist for the good of the non-neighbors that live your neighborhood we have invited Dave Runyon, co-authro of the Art of Neighboring to lead us in the Pre-synod workshop. Would you consider coming out and joining us? Bring a team from your church. We will host the event in the Sanctuary at All Saints’ in order to make more room for any and all that want to come out.

Dave will not drop a new program on us. Neighboring is more art than method.  My prayer is that this will be a wonderful time to reconnect with God’s invitation to move into our neighborhood where we, alongside our neighbors might continue to behold his glory.

Space is limited so please register (required) today to reserve your space.

Tuck+