Dear saints,

This past Sunday, I preached about the retirement of Christendom. If Christendom was people choosing church on a Sunday morning, or for their child's baptism, or for their wedding day, Christendom's retirement is people choosing sports leagues and golf courses and sleep on a Sunday morning instead. That’s a rather crude way to put it, but the essence is there. You and I are living at the turning of a page.

It is easy to see such change as a threat to what we have known. Believe me, I feel that too from time to time. Not only have I chosen the church as the vessel for my working life, it is also an integral part of my personal story. Take the church as I have known it out of my life's journey and honestly, I am not sure where my path would have taken me. 

Yet, I don't see the future as a threat. Instead, I see an opening to an incredible opportunity to meet a changing world where it is at, especially as much of that world seems set on moving in here in Midtown! 

What can you imagine that we might be and do on this block that rises to meet this opportunity? I believe that we will always have at the heart of our life a vibrant worshiping community in our beautiful church on a Sunday morning. In addition to that ongoing tradition, what more might we become and do in this place that will speak to the people around us in new ways?

I am so enjoying hearing your answers to that question and I encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey below if you have not already done so. Every voice expands the frame of our imagination. Thank you for helping us see the whole picture.