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Fall 2020 |
News from Flourish Mid-Columbia! |
Dear Friends, We pray that this email finds you well and flourishing, even in the midst of the struggles and uncertainties of our world today. The last time you heard from us (way back in March), it was to notify you that we were having to cancel all in-person gatherings due to the growing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time we expected to re-establish in-person gatherings as early as the summer. As you no doubt realize by now, this did not turn out to be the case...for anyone! But if you thought that the work of Flourish Mid-Columbia ceased with the pandemic, you would be, happily, mistaken. True, many of our plans were "thwarted" (or at least delayed) including an event with astrophysicist and faith-science apologist Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, which had been scheduled for May. But recognizing that nothing ever takes the Lord by surprise, we trusted that His plans would not only prevail, but would be better than ours. So we thought it was time to give you a few highlights from this latest unusual and unconventional "season" in the ministry of Flourish. Flourish had been involved with a long-standing weekly "Faith and Science" discussion and action group of career scientists and people interested in science, which met at a local restaurant on Tuesdays. (It was from this gathering that the original plan to host Hugh Ross had emerged, as well as several lecture series and presentations previously.) Obviously, this weekly gathering had to be "re-tooled" as meeting in person, much less at a restaurant, was no longer possible. Enter Zoom™ online meetings. While none of us would ever say we preferred the online meetings over face-to-face meetings, the Zoom meetings did allow some things that our original gatherings did not--for one, our virtual "table" grew considerably in size and scope, and was able to include people who were not physically located in the Tri-Cities. It has enabled us to continue in genuine fellowship, and meaningful discussion and reflection. We look forward to the time when we can return to fellowship around a solid wood table with food in front of us. We are also anxious to plan more in-person gatherings, presentations, classes and workshops, and are praying that the Lord speed the recovery of our world, nation, and community to enable this to happen! Likewise, another "Faith And..." group--the Faith, Culture and Worldview discussion group (which includes a number of people with cross-cultural life experience) was close to wrapping up a teaching series at West Side Church when the quarantine went into effect (the last class of the series turned out to be our first Zoom class experiment.) This group, as well, has turned to online meetings for its weekly gathering for study, discussion and enrichment. In the Spring, a generous grant from the Richland Lutheran Foundation enabled and initiated the creation of a part-time position within Flourish, that of a Director of Young Adult Ministry. Flourish's tagline, "integrating faith, work, and everyday living" is especially relevant for young adults--post high-school, college, and young career-aged people--who are embarking on their formative years where they determine how--or even if--their faith is integral to the world they inhabit. So in May, Flourish hired Mark Taylor (who also serves as a part-time youth director at Central Church in Richland and as an instructor at Gather 4 Him Christian College) as part-time Director of the Flourish Young Adult Ministry. This outreach is tasked with facilitating fellowship, engagement, and encouragement of young adults in the way of Jesus Christ. The obvious challenge this season has been...how do we do this in the midst of pandemic restrictions? As with just about everything else, online meetings have become the standard currency for the time being. Mark, along with several volunteers, are now hosting weekly Zoom meetings of what's being called The Well. Wells are rich with biblical metaphor. In the same way that water wells are sources of life-giving water and are gathering places for community, Flourish's "Well" seeks to serve this purpose for young adults in their faith-walk with Jesus. Flourish has always had the goal of creating multiple "Faith And..." vocational groups to engage followers of Christ who share common careers and callings. A new one has recently emerged--Faith and Education--also an online group that meets bi-monthly. This has provided encouragement to teachers as they face entirely new challenges of how to "do school" in a new virtual reality. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated quarantines, lockdowns, and other restrictions have not been the only trials that our society has faced in recent months. There has been social upheaval and cries for justice in a broken world. We are a nation sharply divided politically and ideologically, and the division--along with the bitterness that often accompanies it--has, regrettably, seeped in among us as brothers and sisters in Christ. Which is why several of us at Flourish attended an online webinar entitled "The Politics of Neighborly Love: Christian Citizenship in a Divided Age," organized by the Denver Institute for Faith and Work, an organization with a similar mission and vision to Flourish's. The two-hour presentation was a thought-provoking breath of fresh air amid the heaviness of our current popular culture. We are grateful that they have made the entire presentation available to the public, and so we enthusiastically share it with you (click on the image below to go to the video). We believe it is well worth two hours of your time, and that you will not regret it!
We don't know how much longer we will be faced with the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to the days when we can wisely and safely gather together in person. Many of you probably understand the new meaning "Zoomed-out" has acquired. We are simultaneously grateful for the technology that allows us to connect, but also weary of only seeing people on flat screens. But we will continue to do what the Lord places before us to further encourage one another to integrate faith, work, and everyday living. To that end, if you are interested in joining any of our regular online gatherings (and eventually, in-person gatherings)--the Faith and Science group; the Faith, Culture, and Worldview group; The Well; or the Faith and Education group, you are warmly invited. Please contact us for information on times and dates and how to connect, or visit flourishmidcolumbia.org/faithand.html for more information. Until next time, may the Lord guard and guide you, in both the rough waters and calm, throughout the days ahead.
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Flourish Mid-Columbia |
