Answers to prayer questions from January 24, 2016
*What do you love about Peace Mennonite? (blue)
*What are your hopes for Peace Mennonite? (green)

–People were asked to answer these questions on blue/green sticky notes and put them up on the large paper with the most relevant part of our mission statement.

Nurturing Thoughtful Faith

Love:

  • the church is like a family
  • my love about PMC: I love I can share what’s meaningful in my life and feel community support; it’s safe to be me and I really love the guidance I experience and feel with Joanna
  • I love the sense I have of the congregation as a loving enduring family of believers and seekers
  • thanksgiving for the freedom to express oneself without feeling too constrained by tradition
  • place where children can grow with members in love
  • our community, our support for each other, our empathy and love, our passion for justice
  • the people, the singing, the community, the potlucks, the openness
  • I love the people and how willing they are to share their gifts; the sense of humor, genuine care, and service orientation
  • the people!
  • The words and music of our songs that connect us to God and to each other to nature and to a sense of transcendence
  • small and informal, everyone can give their point of view, you do have a chance to argue if necessary but do not get mad and leave
  • the freedom to speak whatever is on your heart and not feel “condemned”–it’s a safe place
  • all the topics that are brought about and insight, shared respectfully

Hopes:

  • hope: growth
  • that as the larger church forgets how to sing we will always remember that singing is a spiritual exercise
  • 1. space for our kids; 2. more office space; 3. more new families; 4. remain loving toward each other through this process
  • more young families
  • irreverence—too political
  • that we can continue to live out our faith together and with others by doing justice, creating peace, loving one another
  • growth can be united, not divided
  • Hope for adult fellowship opportunities during sunday school times and more space for group discussions/conversations
  • bigger community support, new and old

Serving Others

Loves:

  • loving people—ministry support prayer
  • PMC is very inviting and caring for new people
  • very inviting community
  • worship time/sermons/music each Sunday
  • people
  • a caring community of people who recognize the love and authority of God and Jesus

Hopes:

  • to continue working through the space issue with clarity and losing no participants in the process
  • that we shine our light outward as well as inward so that the world sees “in our fellowship the promise of a new humanity”
  • more people
  • being more mindful in starting conversations and being social with our neighbors surrounding us
  • create more unity
  • to be more welcoming, example: greeters at the doors; growth in numbers; to be committed to a goal by majority; increase faith
  • ability to welcome more people
  • that we focus on outward missions and not just our own problems

Caring for Creation

Loves:

  • you are my family
  • our people; our pastor; trees view out our windows
  • I love the fact that I know the names and faces that I meet here
  • we fill our space (comfortably)

Hopes:

  • trust that certainty is not required; working and praying together will suffice
  • choices are based on responsible use of earth’s resources
  • that we can nurture connection with all God’s people; creating peace and caring for each other and creation
  • our space is a demonstration of our value [of] creation care
  • Hope that our spirituality can connect people’s needs with the needs of the earth and that our physical space can be a place of respite and reflection in nature

Working for Justice:

Love:

  • that we do focus on and work for justice
  • we are committed to justice
  • that our sermons, conversations, actions, recognize the deep inequalities that exist in our world—this is an important part of our faith
  • inviting/open to all; welcoming to GLBT; connected to broader faith community (e.g. Islamic Center)

Hopes:

  • that more people who want to work for justice join in
  • will accept everyone no matter their color, race, sexuality, disability, creed
  • we can bring more people into the circle of those working to bring justice to the world
  • that it can play a larger role in the community

Creating Peace:

Loves:

  • I love how welcoming and inviting the community is
  • open spirit
  • sense of community
  • common belief of peace, simplicity

Hopes:

  • I hope we can remain a loving congregation despite differences on the space issue
  • that we avoid insisting in “my way or the highway”