If it feels like you don't know where you're going, that's okay. Here's something that can help you reflect on what God might have in store for you and your congregation.

View this email in a webpage Issue 11: November 2021

Longing for Belonging: How Will Our Congregations Be Re-membered?

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Smack dab in the middle of Abraham Maslow’s theoretical pyramid of basic human needs is the need to feel a sense of belonging. Before that need can be adequately met or pursued the two more basic needs – physiological (food, water, shelter, health, etc.) and safety (feeling secure in one’s environment) must be dealt with. The lingering effects of the COVID upheaval affecting health and safety – compounded by the social, cultural and political upheaval gripping our society – continue to plague our congregations as well. As we emerge tentatively from the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, congregations are faced with living into a new reality of what it means to be church in this new terrain. What was once a hallmark for most members – a deep sense of belonging to ______ congregation – has been eroded for many. The effects of social isolation and cultural and political alienation have turned what was once appreciated and taken for granted into a Longing for Belonging once again.   How will we speak to this Longing for Belonging that is re-emerging as we move into a different phase of COVID recovery? In a recent article in Vibrant Faith Catalyst, Dr. Nancy Going wrote of the need for and the “power of presence.”    “Our presence, or lack thereof, has profound impact on others,” Going said. “And the social isolation that has been necessary to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus has highlighted our fundamental need for in-person community.” Many writers are suggesting that it may be time to revisit lessons learned by the early Christian church born in the midst of an equally disruptive time for what has the power and potential to gather and create thriving communities. “Thriving in the early church was marked by relationality,” Going said. “That relationality showed itself first and foremost in the ways that Christians loved Jesus, told the stories of Jesus, and sought to live in and with the Spirit of Jesus. Thriving in the early church was all about people who were determined to maintain their presence before God, through the enabling power of the Spirit….Their focus on relational presence with God fueled a unique capacity to be more present to one another….Our path into thriving necessarily requires increasing our capacity to be present to God and to one another.”      How can we practice presence in these still uncertain and trying times? How can we create safe spaces (the second tier of Maslow’s hierarchy before we get to belonging) for people to feel welcome in one another’s presence?  How will our congregations be re-membered? Instead of remembering as the act of looking back and “remembering the good old days,” perhaps we can revisit a vision of hope that Isaiah offered to a band of returning exiles.

The first step on the path “home” is to remember the One to whom we all belong. In the words of the Spanish hymn:

Questions to stimulate conversation:   What do you think other people are longing for? What do you find yourself longing for? Why is belonging so important to us? If belonging is so important to us, what might be some good initiatives to try for re-membering our congregation and to practice “the power of presence” with one another?

Longing for Belonging: A Supportive Ministries Conversation

Join us on Zoom at noon on Dec. 1 for Longing for Belonging: A Supportive Ministries Conversation  . Click to register in advance for this meeting.   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For additional reading and conversation, see “Getting Ready” by John Wimberly of Congregational Consulting Group.     “There are lots of ways to look at the past two years of congregational life. Many of the narratives I hear are filled with words like ‘surviving,’ ‘adapting,’ ‘stressful,’ and ‘unrelenting change.’ Today I’d like to talk about another way to view what we are going through: getting ready.”

Book Review In the October Tending the SouI article, Lisa Hart wrote a moving essay about why congregations should consider becoming WISE. Here's a look at a book that provides a helpful guide for becoming Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged. Inclusion is More Than Being: a Practical Guide to Including People with Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions in Your Faith Community Everyone wants to belong — in their community at large and especially in their faith-based community. Nearly 20 percent of people live with a disability or mental health condition, which means so many families — maybe even yours — are dealing with these issues for their loved one. The one place everyone should feel they belong is their house of worship and other faith-based community organizations. From Longing to Belonging is a new approach to inclusion. Author Shelly Christensen, a leader in faith community disability inclusion, provides step-by-step guidance to any faith-based organization committed to welcoming, supporting, and including people with disabilities or mental health conditions and those who love them. From Longing to Belonging will help your faith community take a new look at inclusion and belonging and learn how to welcome and include everyone. From Longing to Belonging provides a comprehensive approach to inclusion of people with disabilities and mental health conditions written by one of the leading voices in the faith community disability inclusion movement. Based on Christensen's work with congregations and faith-based organizations, people with disabilities, mental health conditions and families, this book guides churches, synagogues and other houses of worship to take their good intentions and turn them into actions — so that each and every person can participate and contribute however they wish. Other faith-based organizations, including seminaries and university religious studies programs, social service agencies, community centers, youth groups, camps, arts venues and philanthropic organizations, can advance services, supports, and participation by people with disabilities and mental health conditions. As Christensen was researching and framing From Longing to Belonging, she recalled the iconic text from Isaiah 56:7: “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Faith communities often quoted this text to let seekers in on how inclusive they were. But the truth is, this phrase tells only part of the story. Christensen explored the whole text of Isaiah to 56:7. What she read astounded her. Here was the truest understanding of inclusion she’d ever seen — God’s definition of what it means to belong and be included. “I will bring them to My holy mount, and I will cause them to rejoice in My house of prayer, their burnt offerings, and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Based on this text, she developed a process that goes well beyond what faith communities are currently doing to build a true culture of belonging and inclusion. Christensen has developed and written about a new approach based on her experiences helping many different faith-based organizations. She gives us an understanding of what the terms “inclusion” and “belonging” mean through the stories she tells, including her own as the parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The book covers many aspects of inclusion in faith communities and religious organizations, including worship, social inclusion, religious education from preschool through adulthood, camping, youth groups, life cycle events, parenting, and grief and loss. This book is based on two concepts, both equally important in a faith community’s journey -- The Spirit of Belonging and The Structure of Inclusion.

Conference Supportive Ministries In addition to the direct support to pastors and congregations provided by Wisconsin Conference staff, here are some of the supportive ministries congregations can take advantage of. Follow the link below to learn more about this programs and how your church might benefit. Conflict Transformation Coaching Partners Grants and assistance programs Communities of Practice for Clergy or Faith Formation Appreciative Inquiry 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations Readiness 360 View a comprehensive list with more information about Supportive Ministries offerings.

Supportive Ministries Task Force Through this communication, the Wisconsin Conference Supportive Ministries Task Force provides articles, discussion guides and other resources for clergy and congregations on coping and thriving as we navigate the current turbulent waters. Supportive Ministries Task Force members from top left are Bob Ullman, Lisa Hart, Bonnie Andrews, Cathleen Wille and Tim Perkins.

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