Hello friends,
There are several different conversations we are having right now that are shaping the future of Sanctuary. The council (the elders and pastor) intends to communicate where those conversations are at on a regular basis – thus the creation of this page on our website.
“Toward the future” (what we’re calling this page) is a hopeful way of saying that even though there are a few things up in the air at the moment, we trust that it is God who is leading us into a good future that God alone knows. Our work is to listen to God in prayer, through conversations with each other, and through conversations with others wiser than us. And in all of it to be attentive to the Spirit’s leading.
There are two primary relationships where Sanctuary is discerning the Spirit’s leading at the moment. The first is our relationship with United EFC, the church with whom we worship every Sunday, whose members are becoming our friends, and whose facility we rent for worship, office and meeting space, and for PATH preschool. The fundamental question both churches are asking is: “Are we better together?” And the curiosity we have is around whether merging into one church is the wise/good/beautiful future for us. The second is our relationship with our denomination, the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA or CRC). While our fundamental posture towards the CRC is one of gratitude (we would not exist without the denomination’s support, encouragement, and resources that led to Sanctuary’s launch twenty years ago), we are curious whether the CRC is our long-term home.
These are separate, but obviously connected conversations. Both are significant, and yet neither is central to who we God is making us to be. Christ will always be at the center of our worship, our common-life together, and our love of neighbor. The Scriptures will always be our guide and food that orients us towards God. And the Spirit will always be the voice we listen to, and the strength to follow our Lord into the unknown.
Sorry/not sorry for the Frozen 2 reference. It’s a good song.
In hope,
Mark
