A little less disappointing

written by Kiah Gaskin

“One of the reasons people avoid community is because other people are disappointing.”

So much of my heart is in Kate Bowler’s interview with Nadia Bolz-Weber. She's a straight shooter who names the things everyone else is afraid to say.

I’m going to be honest. My excitement around coming up with a name for our church was met with much anxiety. If we called the church “Storied Church”, I was probably going to have to at some point share my story.

I’d rather small talk the logistics of the name: the UMC said we needed one and we liked “story” but went with “Storied” because there was already a “Story Church” in Rancho Cucamonga California (of course).

I’d rather theologize the meaning of the name: God entering into our human story, we the Church bringing our burdened selves to each-other, and Christ making unbroken our places of suffering and pain.

But if I’m honest with myself, I’m just hiding behind all that small talk and theology.

It’s a really hard thing to tell the truth about ourselves. It’s awkward, it takes practice, and it’s likely at some point to be- my biggest fear- disappointing.

But I’m learning that my need for community is often times confrontational- it provides for me what I can’t provide for myself. I’m holding on to the hope that there is light underneath the stigma, shame, and disappointment.

Nadia goes on to say, “by being in community, we take turns being the ones who are disappointing. And then, forgive each other and move on. Maybe it’s that guy’s turn to be disappointing, but next week it’ll be me. It’s that culture of turn-taking when it comes to being the ones who need grace, or who are giving grace, or who remind each other that grace is a thing.”

So if you’re like me and would rather run from this story telling experiment- it’s OK.

If you’re like me and have been hurt by church- church people, the institutional Church, or just the every-day indignities of our dishonoring “Christian” culture- it’s OK.

If I have any prayer for Storied Church it is that we would have gentleness, patience, and openness toward one another. I pray that by walking in new friendship, God would grow us in wisdom to love ourselves and each other in ways that are ultimately, a little less disappointing.

W.W.J.D. – a forgotten fashion statement (and mindset?)

writer: Sarah Williams

Last year I started hosting a supper club and we often have a theme, both for the food and the attire. Our next one is the 1990s themed which has had me thinking back on all my favorites from growing up. For food, our main dish will be bagel bites with goldfish as an appetizer and teddy grahams for dessert. (We usually have more legitimate, homemade dishes but are trying to keep on theme here with some of our childhood favorites.) Some friends are bringing a crockpot of Chef Boyardee ravioli while others are bringing gushers, bugles, and dunkaroos. Because it seems the 90s only consisted of horribly processed food, I put out a call for something remotely healthy and one creative friend committed to bring “ants on a log” which took me right back to kindergarten snack time. I’ll be curious to see what people come up with for their attire but I’m hoping to track down some old concert t-shirts from something like N-Sync or the Spice Girls and maybe even crimp my hair and add in some butterfly clips.

I say all this to point out the W.W.J.D. bracelet and how this supper club theme got me thinking about it lately. Do y’all remember those? For any of you who may have forgotten or missed that fashion trend, they were neon fabric bracelets with W.W.J.D. sewn in standing for “What would Jesus do?”. I feel like everyone and their mother wore them in the 1990s. I used to wear mine every day. It got me thinking: what if I wore one daily again as a visible reminder to stop and think how Jesus would act, especially as we head into this tense election season?

What if all of us brought back the W.W.J.D bracelet, as a fashion statement and a mindset?

What if we were reminded throughout our days, our social media posting, our conversations, etc. to stop and think “what would Jesus do?”? I’m not even talking about which candidate to vote for or which way to take a stance on social issues.

I’m talking about being people who, regardless of their candidate or stance, “encourage each other and build each other up” (1 Thes. 5:11), are “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19), and “do not judge others” (Matt. 7:1) – just to name a few things scripture calls us to do.

I know I definitely didn’t live that out in the last election and have a lot of room to grow toward living out W.W.J.D. with my actions as the impeachment, election, international politics, etc. polarize so much of our society. Do your words and actions set you apart as someone who tries to live like Jesus? I think it would be incredibly powerful if we, as a body of believers, could be in the world but not of it as these tensions in our society build. What an example we could set.

Regardless of your party or your candidate, I invite you to join me in bringing back W.W.J.D., if not as a fashion statement, at least as a mindset.

Returning to Church

writer: Shelley Willis Queen (wife, mother, foster mother, friend, employee – in other words, a human being, just like everyone else.)

Many years ago I was an involved, happy member of an independent, fundamental Baptist church. My family and I were there every Sunday morning and night. We went out on visitation, served in Sunday school,  and the choir. We ran a bus route to bring children to church in hopes of demonstrating the love of Christ to them and bring them to the knowledge of salvation through Christ. We even went out Soul winning and assisted in the Reformers Unanimous program where we helped the homeless and addicts. We loved our church, our pastor, and our church friends. 

Then a change came. 

As happy as I seemed, I was putting on a false face. I was sincere in my service to Christ, but I was in an abusive marriage. I talked to my pastor seeking guidance and was told that biblically I had to follow my husband and submit to him. 

Wrong answer!

When I told the pastor that I had asked for a divorce, I was told that I needed to step down from all of the areas I served in. I was shocked and heart broken. Needless to say, I left that church. 

Years went by before I attempted entering the doors of another church building. I finally found one that I could serve in - infant childcare, the prayer team - and worship with people I thought loved me for me. When I was “outed,” that all came to an end too. Once again, the church family I had come to trust betrayed me. Knowing that Christ still loved me regardless of who I am, my sexual orientation, my family dynamics, or anything else, separation from that church was a little easier but still painful. 

The Bible says that Christ came to save ALL. It doesn’t say only the straight, Anglo Saxon, Hebrew, Roman, Israelite, etc. It says ALL. 

Looking forward to the promises of Storied Church, I find comfort in knowing there is a group of individuals who have already welcomed me into their arms and hearts. I am so looking forward to having a place of worship (a building with people - my actual place of workshop is within myself and my heart) where my family and I can begin our service again. I hope and pray that it will be a place of warmth, caring, loving people; a place for ALL to worship and serve together; a place of solace; a place peace.

This is my story.

With love and admiration,