Welcome to the circle

HI BELOVED,

Let me tell you about The Circle. The idea of “God’s circle” was presented to me in one of my undergraduate classes in Religious Education. Dr. Leslie Long reminded us often that no one exists outside of God’s circle, no matter how many circles humankind draws within God’s circle to only include those whom we like and who think like us; she reminded us that our job as people claiming to follow Jesus is to love and be in ministry with everyone in God’s circle. Dr. Long’s message has increased in significance for me over the years as things have grown more polarized. I started dreaming of a ministry where all people could gather together to learn about and discuss topics that the church has sometimes shied away from for fear of not saying the “right” thing or for fear of being accused of being “too political.” I started dreaming about what it would look like for the church to become a place where its people could wrestle with topics together so that they could figure out how their faith informs the way they think about things and act on things. In many ways, The Circle would encourage people to discern how to still be in relationship with others who believe very differently on any given topic, for all are in God’s circle. 

In 2024, we will have the opportunity to discuss racial justice, sexual assault awareness, climate justice, and reproductive health together. Each of these topics is heavy in its own way, and they are too important to turn away from because at the root of each topic are people who are hurting deeply. We worship a God who was (and is) physically present with people in their pain, a God who didn’t just walk by and do nothing, and it’s the same God who chose the most painful death possible all so that we could experience eternal life. If Jesus is the one we claim to follow, then it is right and good for us to hear about, converse about, think theologically about, and do something about each of these topics. The point of The Circle is not for everyone to leave the events believing the same thing about any of the given topics. The point is to discern: 1) How does my faith inform the way I think about this? 2) How do the people around me inform what I believe? And 3) What am I called to do about it? I hope you will join me in this sacred work.

Grace & Peace,