..
..
..
..
..
who
Is welcome here?
Just as a healthy personality
embraces all of his or her parts, a real community includes everyone
who desires to be part of it. Everyone is valuable in the sight
of Heaven, and every soul has a part to play. Just as Jesus welcomed
everyone to his table during his earthly ministry, so we carry
on this tradition of spiritual generosity in our own parish. Everyone
is welcome to attend, receive communion, and participate in all
levels of membership, service, and leadership, regardless of one's
faith tradition (or lack of same), racial or ethnic origin, sexual
orientation, legal status, criminal record, or even species (animal companions
attend our services regularly). Many of us in the Grace Community
have known how painful it can be to be rejected by our faith communities.
We strive to be a true community of grace, where anyone can find
forgiveness, friendship, or a second chance.
what
we teach
We teach that all religious traditions are valuable and instructive
to our souls, and we seek to learn all we can from the traditions,
scriptures, and practices of all the great world traditions, and
some lesser-known ones as well. Our pastor has a Ph.D. in
world religions, and sermons and teaching in our parish are frequently
informed by various and diverse sources. Educational seminars
and classes have included: philosophy, process theology, solitude,
spiritual mathematics and meditation. Adult Sunday School classes have covered the Book
of Revelation, the Gospels of Thomas and Mary, salvation theory,
the History of Satan, the Books Left Out of the Bible, and Dante's Divine Comedy. We
also host the Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministry,
which trains interfaith ministers, chaplains, and spiritual directors,
preparing them for ministry in interfaith contexts. Although each
member is free to believe however seems right to him or her, as
a parish we subscribe to our parish covenant (formulated in 1892 and expanded in 1995), and the statement
of faith put forth by the Center for Progressive Christianity.
about
our worship
Although our teaching is interfaith, our worship is firmly grounded
in the Christian tradition. Our liturgy is adapted from the 1662
Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Our Sunday service includes the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, and will feel familiar to those raised in Anglican or catholic traditions, however the language is inclusive and we welcome feedback.
Our music regularly includes interfaith chants, guitar, piano, and organ with surprises frequently. Everyone is welcome to take communion, regardless of one's religion.
We also support experimental liturgies and collaborate with other
faith communities. Most Sundays one reading during liturgy is from a non-Christian source.
how
is leadership understood?
The Grace Community governs its affairs in a consensus manner,
bringing all major decisions to regular parish meetings. Any member
of the parish over 13 years old may vote in congregational
matters. Members of our presbytery, however, have a voice but no vote (we call
this political celibacy of the clergy). In fact, due to our emphasis on lay leadership, our pastor is free
to preach, teach, and visit the sick--to do the work of the ministry to which they have been called.
Our elected Board of Trustees meets the second Sunday of most months after liturgy, and anyone may attend the meetings.
denominational
relationships
We are formally affiliated with the National
Association of Congregational Christian Churches. This association
of autonomous parishes formed in the late 1950s, largely made
up of those Congregational churches which did not choose to enter
the then-forming United Church of Christ. Our parish is also affiliated
with the Center for Progressive
Christianity. Our pastor,
how
to become a member
Just show up! If you wanted to be listed on our roster, simply
fill out the form found in the back of each pew stating your desire
to join, or alert our clergy and supply them with current contact
information. Our membership roster is updated and distributed
(more or less) annually, and will be given out only to other members. Members have full voting rights in all aspects of our community. Though
no financial commitment is required, each member will be offered a chance
annually to estimate their donations for the coming year.
how
to serve the community
Our ministers handle our liturgical life, but the real ministers
are each and every member as he or she strives to be the face
of God to everyone they meet. We encourage all members to pursue
whatever ministry they feel called to, and support them with our
own time and building usage. Members of our community minister
to Alzheimer's patients, those in convalescent hospitals, to the
deaf, through seminars, educational programs, through art, spiritual
tools such as the labyrinth, as psychologists and spiritual directors,
in religious and secular contexts. Those who do not have a ministry
of their own are invited to get to know other members, many of
whom would be glad to have some help! In addition, more mundane
aspects of parish life also need members' attention: we need people
to volunteer to help out with coffee hour, to get their hands
dirty on workdays, and to act in our famous music hall performances!
our parish covenant
We are united in striving to know the will of God, and our purpose
is to walk in the ways of the Lord, laboring for the progress
of knowledge and justice, the reign of peace and universal friendship;
depending as did our ancestors upon the continued guidance of
the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
faith statement of the center for progressive
christianity
By calling ourselves Progressive, we mean that we are Christians
who: 1) Proclaim Jesus Christ as our Gate to the Community of
God; 2) recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other
names for the gateway to God's realm; 3) understand our sharing
of bread and wine in Jesus' name to be a representation of God's
feast for all peoples; 4) invite all sorts and conditions of people
to join in our worship and common life as full partners, including
(but not limited to) believers and agnostics, conventional Christians
and questioning skeptics, homosexuals and heterosexuals, females
and males, the despairing and the hopeful, those of all races
and cultures, and those of all classes and abilities, without
imposing on them the necessity of becoming like us; 5) think that
the way we treat one another and other people is more important
than the way we express our beliefs; 6) find more grace in the
search for meaning than in absolute certainty, in the questions
than in the answers; 7) see ourselves as a spiritual community
in which we discover the resources required for our work in the
world: striving for justice and peace among all people, bringing
home to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers;
8) recognize that our faith entails constant discipleship, renunciation
of privilege, and conscientious resistance to evil-as has always
been the tradition of the church.
would
you like to know more?
Feel free to contact our pastor if you have more questions about
our community. He is eager to speak with you and help in any
way he can (we also have women ministers and clergy associated with the parish, and we can refer you to them). You can leave a message for Fr. John
at 510-548-2153, or email him. In case of emergency, call him at:
510-290-4349. Click on the "clergy" link below for more information about Fr. John.