The ABCs of Faith

“The best thing for being sad is to learn something.  That is the only thing that never fails.  You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world around you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled by baser minds.  There is only one thing for it then - to learn.  Learning is the thing for you.”
- T. H. White, The Once and Future King
 

Beginning Saturday, May 8th – a new class begins to help us learn and grow in our faith.  It’s called the ABC’s of Faithand will cover many words and concepts which are central to the Christian faith.  The group will be informal and conversational in style providing for a great deal of participant participation.  Each week will offer a deep dive into a different word and it’s meaning.  One of my favorite seminary professors had served as the Senior Minister of our UCC church up in Berkeley and knew well the experience of people in local churches writing in his book, The Well Church Book, 
 

“Speech is a rare and precious gift, much underestimated by many specialists  in communication who view it primarily as an instrument to convey ideas or  information.  Faith knows that it is much more.  Language is a great and holy mystery and words are symbols and symbols participate in the realty they symbolize.  Or why the sacraments?  Or the shock of profanity?”

 
Here’s a sampling of some of the words we’ll be looking at and discussing: Angels, Atheist, Aging, Animals, Awe, Baptism, Bible, Blessing, Bread, Beauty, Believing, Charity, Christ, Christian, Church, Compassion, Covenant, Creation, Cross, Christmas, and Communion (and so on...)  You get the idea of why the group will be called the ABC’s of Faith – however, we won’t go alphabetically and participants will pick the weekly words. 
 
Each week we will begin with community building, catching up and an opening prayer.  Then the word of the day will be presented along with why that word is special, a scripture passage that addresses it, and an additional piece of literature, quote or poem that further elucidates the meaning.  Additional background will be given and a few prompting questions - all leading to generative group discussion.  
 
Words are how we build our worlds and find bridges and connections to each other.  We cannot see each other’s thoughts and feelings directly – words are so important – especially when it comes to matters of faith and our understandings of God.  As Sidney Jourard  observed, “Learning is not a task or a problem.  It is a way of being in the world.”  I hope one of the ways you will “be” in the Neighborhood Church is by joining the ABC’s of Faith.  

Zoom links will be included in the Wave and Sunday emails. Additionally, I will send out a reminder email each weekend, either Friday evening or Saturday morning. To be added to this email list, simply contact me. If you were previously on the 5x5x5 email list, you do not need to re-register.
 
Growing Together…

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on April 28, 2021