Greetings from Greyson

Hello Pilgrims! Book Group Planning!

It has been a joy to spend the first month of my entrance into Pilgrim getting the lay of the land with the children’s ministries here. I now excitedly begin to expand my attention to what faith formation can mean for our adults. 

One of my favorite experiences of my previous church of membership, First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, was the book group. FCCLA’s book group was held throughout the year with an ongoing list of books on the topics of faith formation, social justice, wonder, and belonging. You could pop in and out depending on what books interested you. It was held weekly, but you were not required to have completed the readings to attend and share your voice. I found this to be a generative space of deep conversation where the community continued to learn, grow, and expand in light of the authors’ thoughts and the thoughts of others in the group.

I would love to offer something similar here at Pilgrim, but in order to do so, I invite your feedback! What model of gathering would work here? Do you have ideas for our group? I hear July is an open time for our church, so I imagine starting then to offer a reflective experience during our period of rest.

Bishop Mariann Budde’s How We Learn to Be Brave may be a good starting point for us. Bishop Budde is most notably remembered for her sermon urging mercy for immigrants and other vulnerable communities at a service attended by the President shortly after inauguration. As we approach the midterm elections in the fall, Bishop Budde’s voice may help us to prepare ourselves for the work ahead. 

If you are interested in joining this book group, please use this link to note your interest and what model/days may interest you. Feel free to email me with any ideas on readings or more thoughts on the book group.

Greyson