Davison's Doodle

“Our congregation at Church of the Advocate declares, “We welcome people of every kind of household, at every stage of life and faith and doubt.” We are proud of that welcome and of the diversity it brings.

At one point we embraced “radical welcome,” defining it as “a welcome that doesn’t come easily, that makes us un­comfortable, that changes the community as we are.”

At times we’ve wrestled with our lines of tolerance and the limits of our flexibility.

One member of the congregation perceived in herself a gift for healing and wanted us to put a massage table in front of the altar so that she could lay hands on people there.
Is this part of a radical welcome? Where do we draw the line? How do we say, “That isn’t the way we do things,” while also proclaiming, “All are welcome”?

Lines of intolerance often lead to miscommunications or sudden departures, with no opportunity for further teaching or explanation or understanding. At best, lines of intolerance lead to conversations about norms, expectations, appropriate behaviors, and faithfulness. These days, being less certain in our venture, we say, “We strive to practice radical welcome, though we know it is hard to do.”
Lisa G Fischbeck, “Limits of Welcome: The Sunday I Told Someone to Leave,” The Christian Century, Aug 13, 2015
http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-07/limits-welcome

May God make you impatient to get going,
eager to share the love you have found in the house of prayer,
and keen to exhibit mercy and peace in all your activities.

May God make you patient with those who seem tardy,
understanding with those who are hesitant, anxious or afraid,
and gracious towards any who appear (in your eyes) to be failing in their responsibility.

May the mind that was in Christ possess you,
the love that is always at the heart of God enlarge you,
and the joy of the Spirit give you kindly eyes and thankful soul.   Amen!
Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia
http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocB/BSUNDAY21.htm