As you know, University Friends Meeting is in a time of transition. As part of that effort we seek to answer these questions: Who are we? Who are our neighbors? To what is God calling us?
As a first stage of discovering God’s call for University Friends Meeting, Ministry and Counsel and the Transition Team are putting into action a series of Listening Group conversations. Six groups with Catherine and another leader or two per group will meet for three sessions each over the next months, in person with safe distancing, via Zoom, or some combination of those. After all the groups have met for each conversation, we will write up a summary to help keep everyone informed about what’s happening.
To kick off this process, group leaders met on August 30 to pray and to talk about what we envision for those sessions As a first step, the group leaders will contact the people in their group to check in about how things are going and to find out whether the people (that’s you) want to participate in their Listening Group. Then, we are hoping that each group will have its first meeting by the end of September.
That first Listening Group meeting will focus on the results of our survey. (Haven’t taken the survey yet? Here’s the link: http://wichitaquakers.org/?s=survey.) People will also have an opportunity to locate themselves on a pin map, as well as learn about and reflect on what the survey showed about our congregation.
The second meeting will concentrate on a set of queries around the question, who are we called to be?
- What is our mission (unique purpose or reason for existing) as a faith community?
- What values (common commitments by which we will live, work, play tougher) shape and direct our life together?
- What is God’s vision (artist’s rendition of us faithfully living out our mission) for us as a community discerned in light of our understanding of Scripture, the leading of the Spirit, and historic faith commitments?
- How are we communicating/teaching/reinforcing these among our members and with newcomers?
The third meeting of the Listening Groups will take up queries related to the question, what has God called us to do in our culture context today in our community?
- What is the specific geographic, social, cultural context in which we are located? What are the needs of the people around us? What issues are unique to our community?
- What is going on during this season of our history? What changes/issues/opportunities can we see appearing on the horizon?
- With our mission and vision in mind, to what ministry is God calling us in this time and place?
- How do our unique gifts, strengths, call and God-given concerns intersect with the needs around us?
Folks at University Friends Meeting have been willing to engage the idea of transition because, as some have said, “We don’t want to die.” Now we’re beginning to talk about what it would look like for this church to live. These Listening Group conversations are crucial as we consider questions related to the future of University Friends Meeting.
What would it mean for us to join God’s work in our community, in our time?
How can we be better stewards of our assets, in terms of people, facilities, and money?
What is God calling us to be and do?
I invite to join in the process of discerning the answers to these questions. And, please, pray, pray, pray.
Grace and joy,
Catherine Griffith
