Ok, so you already know that Caldwell is a special and amazing church. You can see God moving through us. But we’re also coming out of three years of a global pandemic that has frayed some of the personal connections that have been such a vital part of who we are as a church.
Well, your Thriving Congregations Team has spent the last 18 months learning how to deepen and strengthen the bonds between us to prepare to live out our cherished values and passions in Caldwell’s next seasons!
We have been exploring “organizing church” from a theological perspective – what we think of as a “Jesus perspective,” looking at how Jesus created beloved community and “did church” in a hurting world.
We have been building connections for Caldwell to work alongside other churches to deepen our roots in this city, to organize for the needs in our community, and to be a witness to the world.
We want and need you to be part of rebuilding and sustaining a relational culture of listening, learning together, and discerning our passions, talents, and visions as the foundational work to lead us into action for God’s church and our community.
We want you to walk with us, to lean in, to listen, to create space for every voice to be heard – because every voice matters. To practice really hearing each other – our stories and questions, our ideas and hopes, our gifts and dreams – so that each one of us can be a more integrated part of the body of Christ here at Caldwell and out in our community.
We want you to join us in learning skills and practices that we can pass down from generation to generation for organizing and reorganizing a thriving congregation here on Park and 5th – and beyond.
We want to bring what we’ve learned back to you, Caldwell. Please join us on Saturday, March 11th, in Hope Community Hall from 9:00-11:45 AM to learn more about “organizing church” with Tim Condor and Dan Rhodes, authors of “Organizing Church: Grassroots Practices for Embodying Change in Your Congregation, Your Community and Our World.”
Tim and Dan have been training your Thriving Congregations team (along with church teams from surrounding states) through The Black Mountain School of Theology. Our time with them and their colleagues has been so inspirational for us that we have invited them to come share with you. And they are coming to Charlotte and coming to Caldwell – just for you!
If you want to buy their book, you can order online. Or, better yet, buy it directly from Tim and Dan on the 11th.
We will have breakfast snacks and drinks and would love to know you are coming so we can adequately prepare. Please contact Merrilyn Gill at merrilynrgill@gmail.com or 704-408-6026 to RSVP or to get more information.
Peace and Blessings,
Merrilyn Gill
Jesca Yiskah-El
Felicia Pine
Rev. Dr. John Cleghorn
Rev. Gail Henderson-Belsito