The most astonishing things that I have ever seen are hands down watching my daughters being born. Rarely am I speechless, and both times I had a system-overload of joy. I had the privilege of being beside Martha for her labor, and was so proud of her that my face was about to shatter because I was smiling so hard. Just the other day I was talking to Helena (who is now 7) about what it felt like to hold her for the first time (and that I was the first person to ever tell her “I love you”, etc). A lot of friends are experiencing childbirth this season-just a couple weeks ago Nakai Rivera was born to Julius & Melissa, and a couple are on the way at any moment (Jon & Holly-in labor right now, Adam & Tara, Aubrey & Jacob, Kate & Adam, Katy & Zach). What a wonderful season of birth!
When a cell multiplies I’m have a similar sense of those feelings-the gratitude, the joy. God works similarly, and I try to drink it in. This week our network is experiencing something a bit larger than one cell multiplying-a new congregation is being born. The “soft launch” of a new Public Meeting at Tuckahoe & Yorkship in Camden is this Sunday at 6pm. I am grateful today for Nate & Jen Hulfish and the rest of the formation team as well as the dozens of people who are coming along side our wonderful Birthing God to help this new congregation into the world! The grand opening will be on November 2nd, and it calls for a celebration.
Here’s a South American alpaca dam giving birth to her new cria!
Next weekend (Oct 10-12), we’ll be celebrating that birth at the Discerning Retreat as well as other major happenings (or births) this year. We finally unleashed the Director of Operations (hooray Liz!), our first fulltime Circle Venture (hooray Jeremiah!), Rod’s 4mo sabbatical 12yrs in the making, the purchase and 5week long rehab of 2233 Frankford Ave for Circle Thrift (hooray volunteers!), and we’re in the midst of renovating 2007-09 to expand the home of the Frankford & Norris congregation.
We’ll also have time to take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime grant from the Lilly Endowment to subsidize part of the cost. We’ll take what the cells have been inputting-answers to those basic questions we do every year “where is God calling us to go, who is God calling us to be?”-and discerning further refinement. We’ll experience in a special way how God is taking little bits from many places and turning them into something that can be known. We’ll be away together to listen, to worship, to discern, to share, and to be one. There are just a few spots left-you don’t want to miss!
Sometimes I’m not sure if we come alongside God or God comes alongside us when this new life arrives. I am grateful that so many of us are in that mix!
