Emergent Brethren

So I was googling “Brethren Ordinances” recently and this popped up as choice #5. It’s a picture on Flickr of a horse and buggy underneath a Wells Fargo bank sign in Shipshewana, IN (a very Amish town). The guy captioned the picture by saying something about there being a lot of Church of the Brethren congregations around and so when he looked them up online he was really impressed with what it shared on wikipedia—he linked the whole article! =)

One of the comments to the picture said: “Ironic-I was just reading about the Church of the Brethren a few weeks ago. Considering how many times I have been to Shipsee I thought it was high time I learn a little about the people. It is all very interesting.”

See the image linked here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/p2wy/2373955480/

As our church youth group prepares to lead worship on Sunday with the theme of “By the manner of their living–” an Alexander Mack quote– I wonder just how the CoB is recognized in 2008. Is it our non-conformity, the manner of our living and loving, the building of authentic community, peacemaking? What niche are you finding in your various communities– not just for the sake of outreach and evangelism, but because of truly living God’s call to mission?

I read the “Getting to Know You” post. I thought that this tag was in reference to how we are getting to know one another in Christ. I was mistaken, but am still going to put my comments here. I just finished McLaren’s book “More Ready Than You Realize” and found it to be inspiring– forming spiritual friendships with the sole purpose of helping the other discover his/her own path. It details his emailing with April (aka Alice) and kind of the flow of that relationship.

One of the most poignant reminders was this on pg 94, “I think a lot of us would be better Christians if we spent less time at church.” That to meet spiritual friends will mean developing friendships outside of the church– attending sporting events, recitals, neighborhood gatherings– without the expectation of getting our spiritual friends _into_ church. Walk the walk _next_ to them.

I love that. Getting to know you is about really getting to know _you_ not about WIFM (what’s in it for me). Duh. =)

He closes that same chapter with this benediction and I leave it here now:
May the Spirit of Christ empower you to love and serve your neighbors, welcoming them into your lives and home and schedules and hearts, so that through belonging they may discover the joys of believing and becoming. You are more ready for this than you realize. Go in God’s grace and peace.

See you “out there”
Angie=), Peoria, AZ