You’ve probably noticed our congregation has made some changes. Unless you’re gathering with us you’ll most likely think the major change is our departure from our building. And, of course, that’s a big one. But the longer we work on figuring out our new identity, the more things we notice that are pretty much NOT about a building at all.
One such transformation began with the pandemic. (We share that with lots of people, for sure.) When we returned after many weeks of being locked out of our space we found our numbers had declined, but we were so happy to be back together that we re-arranged our chairs into a semi circle. Rows with front and back just felt wrong. It wasn’t long before that semi circle evolved into a full circle. We wanted to see those beloved faces, masks and all.
Our sharing time got longer and longer as we talked about ways we were noticing the Holy Spirit in our lives, in our community. We talked about joys and concerns. There were always plenty of both.
As new folks joined us we’d scooch our chairs out and expand the circle. We got to be excellent scoochers. Nobody was left out of our circle.
Our first visit to the Arbor Trails chapel was lovely. We were welcomed into a beautiful comfortable space. Except one thing felt odd: the chairs were arranged in rows with a podium and microphone at one end of the room. We carried on – for that one day. Next time we got there early and arranged the chairs into a circle.
It seems we’ve transformed into a “round church.” We shouldn’t have been surprised. The Temple and the Auditorium are round. As campers we’ve been gathering round the campfire for generations. Our practice of shared leadership works best in a circle, not in a hierarchy. Our demographic of mostly older folks feels normal as the grandparent reading a story to a collection of little ones gathered round.
When we gather in a home the circle fits best. Even in the park or at the Arboretum those chairs shape up in the round. It’s the shape of a community, a community of joy, hope, love and peace.
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