The January 2012 edition of Intersections, our church newsletter, is now online! Apologies for the late timing and less-beautiful formatting - we hope to return to our usual, beginning of the month publication date and more appealing format in February. 

Check out this month's newsletter for all this and more:

• A New Year's Epistle from Pastor Matt
• Special offerings and outreach opportunities
• Worship themes and preachers
• Updates from our Computer Hardware Co-op
• Our January Calendar

(This letter also appears as "Matt's Musings" in the January edition of Intersections, our church newsletter)

To my dear friends and companions on the journey of faith, the Richmond Church of the Brethren, may God’s boundless love, Christ’s grace, and the Spirit’s peace bless each one of you. 

As much as I appreciate the important seasons of Advent and Christmas, awaiting and celebrating the in-breaking of God into our lives and our world in radical ways, I’m also a big fan of the less-liturgical holiday of the New Year. It provides me (and you) with an oft-needed vantage point to look back, to look within, and to look down the road ahead. 

This year is one of the infrequent occasions when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. Since we are a congregation that travels widely during holidays, we took an informal poll of those who will be in town and interested in gathering on Christmas morning. Based on these conversations we’ve made the following plans: Our Christmas Morning gathering will take place at the McKimmy’s house (850 Hidden Valley Lane.)

We will start with breakfast at 9:45. Worship will begin at 10:30, including carol-singing and story-sharing. We’re envisioning this as a cozy, informal, relational way to celebrate the coming of Christ into our lives and our world. Feel free to come as-is, whatever your Christmas morning attire may be! If you are interested in helping with breakfast or with worship, please let Pastor Matt know.

Read our December Newsletter to find out more about what's happing at Richmond Church of the Brethren this month:

• Matt's Musings on "Waiting for Light"
• Special worship and fellowship gatherings for Advent and Christmas
• A wrap-up from our fall congregational meeting
• And much more!

On November 20th our congregation held its fall congregational council meeting. We discussed and acted on several important matters in the life of our community, including the calling of new leadership, approving a budget and pastoral renewal agreement for 2012, adopting a statement of welcome and inclusion, and choosing to join the Supportive Communities Network. 

Part of our congregation's core identity is living into the teachings of Jesus as a community that welcomes all people. Throughout the Bible we see God favoring the poor, marginalized, and outcast, extending holy hospitality to the last and the least. We seek to do the same. 

Over the last few years, with help from the urging of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference to be in conversation regarding issues of sexuality and inclusion, we gathered for a process of listening and discernment. Together we considered how we might state our beliefs and understandings concerning welcoming all God's children to gather around the table of Christ, our Center.   

In November 2011, at our fall congregational meeting, those gathered unanimously adopted a commitment to welcome and inclusion, the centerpiece of which is this statement:

Following the example of Jesus, the Richmond Church of the Brethren welcomes and invites the full participation of every person. We embrace diversity in age, nationality, race and ethnicity, marital and family status, gender identity and sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, educational background, socioeconomic situation, and faith experience.

We also adopted a statement relating to the larger church on LGBTQ inclusion. Additionally we affirmed joining the Supportive Communities Network of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Interests.

You can read the full statements here:

Commitment to Welcome and Inclusion (PDF)

Relating to the Larger Church on LGBTQ Inclusion (PDF)