As I said in an email that went out a few days ago, I have loved hearing the stories coming in from the Connections Project. But I know there are many more of you who have yet to share. Can I tell you why it’s important?
First of all, let me tell you about the project itself. As you might know, I am taking classes with Dakota Wesleyan University for a Church Leadership Program. One of the classes is not really a class at all. It is a project that I implement in my congregational setting. Which brings us to this
Connections Project.
When I think about the past two years, I know that they have been a struggle for everyone, myself included! I know that our normal ways of meeting together and being connected to one another were interrupted if not entirely broken. In fact, we are not and may never get entirely back to what we used to do. Things have changed and continue to change. And, I know that we as human beings need to be connected — both to God and to one another especially during changing and challenging times. So I gathered a few people to guide the Project and we together thought that if we could tell our stories, it might help.
Sometimes reflection is hard to do. It can bring up painful times and memories. It can remind us that we’re not exactly where we might want to be in our relationships with God or the church or one another. But reflection is also important! We can learn and grow and change and do things differently.
One of the Saints of the church, St. Ignatias said “all the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely and serve him more faithfully.” As we think about our stories of connection, or perhaps disconnection, my hope is that the reflection can lead each of us to understand better how to connect and grow in the future.
The four questions we’re asking are:
1) In what ways did you connect with the
Asbury community and God in the past and how did that connection change due to COVID?
2) How are you currently connecting with God and the Asbury community?
3) How can your connection be strengthened going forward?
4) Why Asbury?
In thinking about these questions, you might start with the fourth one of why you connect with Asbury first, and then in remembering those times and events, perhaps the other stories will flow.
No matter what, I do hope you will consider your relationships so that they may be strengthened and grown for God’s glory and abundance in your life. Your stories matter to us at Asbury and I look forward to hearing more of them!
Blessings and Peace,
Katherine