Greetings from Greyson
Hello Pilgrims!
My first couple of weeks here at Pilgrim have been a wonderful whirlwind of information and meetings! It has been a joy to begin building on relationships here and begin getting a sense of who Pilgrim is today.
If you were able to attend or tune into last week’s service, I shared a bit of my own faith journey and how I envision this collective task of faith formation. The short version is this: Faith is an individual journey and a collective journey. Our individual faith is informed by our own experiences, perspectives, and languages, and it is when we are in deep conversation with one another about these experiences - knowing we do not have to all agree or believe the exact same things - that we have a fuller, richer image of the divine. We are a stronger community when we are able to speak honestly and live authentically into our questions, doubts, beliefs, disbelief, and so on.
Faith formation, then, is not an attempt to define or dictate. I understand my role as Associate Minister of Faith Formation to be about facilitating ongoing conversations that deepen our relationships to one another, Creation, and “that which is beyond us.” I passionately believe that Scripture and Jesus’ life, mission, and still-speaking voice offer beautiful perspectives on how to live into those relationships. As I think through faith formation at Pilgrim, there is a two-fold approach. The first is to dig into Christianity - Christian history, theologies, and spiritual practices. The other is to honor that the sources of wonder and expressions of spirituality that are not Christian-centric are also deeply fruitful for us to learn from and engage with. As the ministers of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles say each Sunday, “Whether you have a lot of faith, a little faith, no faith, or are of another faith, you are welcome here.”
It will take me some time to get fully settled and to get a chance to know each of you, but I am so excited. As we begin getting to know one another, I would love to hear what draws you to Pilgrim, what faith means to you, and what brings you a sense of wonder. I look forward to this journey together!
Peace be with you,