Pastor Brian's Blog

During the May meeting, members of the Trinity Church Council participated in an exercise to identify some of the core values of Trinity Church.   I asked people to reflect on what first attracted them to Trinity and what made them want to be involved with Trinity Church as leaders.    Based on these responses, people listed values which correspond to their stories and experiences.   The word cloud shows the list of values from that discussion.  Which core values in the list resonate with you?   What is missing?  Send a note to pastorbrian@trinitywilmette.org .  Core values are guiding principles of the church.  They describe who we are as a church.  They convey positive elements of our personality and identify what is unique about Trinity Church.  Naming core values helps us to clarify what is important to us.

Dear Friends in Christ, What is the church?  The church may be considered in terms of its location (the people gathered in Jesus’ name in a particular place, as well as every time and place); its nature (sinner and saint); and its redemption (liberation).  According to Everist and Nessan in Transforming Leadership , the church may also be described in terms of its shape. Feminist theologian Letty Russell has described the church “in the round” as a community that seeks to include people on the margins of the church and society in a partnership.  She uses the image of a round table where everyone is seated face-to-face as equals.  A church “in the round” is a household of freedom, a community that embraces God’s welcome for all and works for justice with the oppressed.   In order to do this, the church must make transformative connections.  At the Lord’s Table, we pray: “Make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to a...