CONTACT: Rev. Chris Shorow cshorow@fccedmond.org
I spoke with a long time visitor the other day who said that they didn’t always feel welcome at our church. I was surprised because I have always felt that ours was a friendly and welcoming church. They said they had a spouse with some dementia and that they were worried when their spouse went into the bathroom alone. Why didn’t we have a family bathroom to help folks like us out, they asked me. The truth is, I had never thought of that before. It led me to think about others that I have unintentionally left out because I simply didn’t know their needs.
Exploring this question is the purpose of a new task force on welcoming, initiated by our long-range plan. Made up of a group of our elders, this task force is asking those sorts of questions to many in our church family and in our community. How can we make ourselves more aware of the needs of others and make many more in the city of Edmond feel welcome in our church family. Who would that include? Perhaps people with special needs, parents of children with autism, divorced or single persons, people who have suffered losses, those dealing with loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other debilitating illnesses, any of a range of those who feel left out or unwelcome in churches.
That is the topic for next Sunday’s Summer Sunday School session. This task force will present some of their findings and have a good dialogue about how we deal with these, and other controversial issues, in the future. Come with ideas and be ready for discussion.
Then on the following Sunday, our final session will feature Dr. Newell Williams, President of Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, who will be talking about our role as Disciples and who has the authority to make decisions—on a general level, a regional level and a local level. Who is in charge? Newell’s presentation was fascinating at our Regional Assembly and he’ll be sharing his insight on August 3. Fortunately for us, he will also be preaching at all three services that Sunday, so you will have a great opportunity to hear Newell on that day.
Come and join us for lively discussion the next two Sundays.
