I sat at the table in Starbucks across from Tara. From the start, I knew I was not in a welcoming conversation when she refused to order anything though she had chosen the venue. So I dutifully got myself a coffee to legitimize our occupation of a space in this citadel of transient community. Drifting as a Disastrous Pattern Tara had come to our church from another about two years or so ago, seeking what she called "meaningful connections" among believers her age. She was i

Are pews and steeples necessary for God’s people? In 2014, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Greenbelt festival in Cheltenham England as part of a delegation of people under thirty five from the United Church of Canada. While I’ve since passed that young-ish threshold as established by my denomination, I will never forget the experience of faith I encountered there. While Greenbelt is an annual gathering of thousands of people from around the world and has frequently

Some years ago a friend told me that he had asked his 16 year old daughter what she considered to be the safest place in the world. She pondered this question for a few moments, and then replied, “it would have to be last month at our annual congregational retreat, when we ended by forming a large circle, holding hands, and singing “Bind us Together” acapella. I had been part of that same circle, so I spent quite a bit of time pondering her response. What was it about our co