Faith Issues
Updated: 05/18/06
This section provides access to articles written by our members and others about faith issues and provides links to UCC sites of interest.
God Is Still Speaking
"Never place a period where God has placed a comma." - Gracie Allen
Imagine
The newsletter of the Justice and Witness Ministries of the UCC deals with "Faith Reflections on the President's Proposed Federal Budget" [You must have the Adobe reader to view this file.]
Resource Center for Churches
A lending library that can be used for all kinds of educational resources. We are members (through the MN Conference UCC) and have access to curriculum, videos, & DVDs for children, youth and adults, as well as choral anthems on file there. www.resourcesforthejourney.org
Grassroots.org
Mission statement: Grassroots.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to spread valuable social information throughout the world, and to provide free services to other nonprofit organizations to help them save money and further their own missions. We believe that our grassroots strategy ultimately helps relieve some of the world's most egregious problems. See www.takeaction.org
Added 12/18/04
- A list of books that have proved spiritually meaningful to some congregation members in ways that are not obvious from their titles. Enjoy!
- Excerpt:
"Holy One, as close as our own breath and as distant as the farthest star,
as real as the words we speak and more mysterious than our imaginations
will allow:
- From members of our - Memories that symbolize
congregation our common attachment
to home. And help us
- Issues Gary and Chris faced Hammers (Habitat for Humanity).
dealing with the death of their
- Survey about our spiritual
preferences
Information about the initiative to become an "Anti-Racism" congregation
Youth Ideas About God
Updated 0811/02
The United Church of Christ in New Brighton has a two year confirmation program for 9th and 10th graders. At the end of the program each class member writes a statement of faith, expressing what they believe at that particular stage in their journey of faith. Read below a sample of some of the interesting, honest, provocative, insightful, traditional, and far-out non-tradition views in class members' statements about God over the last three years. These excerpts from the statements were compiled by John Buttrey, a former pastor.
"When I was a child I thought God was a black man who wore a white robe. He sat in a big throne in the clouds, and spoke with a deep, booming, but gentle voice. My beliefs have changed since then, but whenever I think of God, I still picture him as a black man with a long white robe."
"I think it is important to think of God as neither male nor female."
"God is love and is not restricted to just humans but is all the things in the universe."
"I hesitantly believe in a higher power of some sort. I can't say for sure if there really is a God or a heaven anymore, like I used to. Although I wish I could be as youthfully optimistic as I used to be, I am glad to have a questioning mind. I am glad that I don't follow blindly and believe everything just because it sounds nice."
"In my mind God represents the all-encompassing aspects of life, but Jesus represents God's people and the power they hold."
"One night as I was looking at the stars, I came to a realization. I realized I had only been on this planet, in this solar system, and in this universe for a mere 14 years, but those stars I was staring at had been burning brightly for thousands upon thousands of years preceding my birth. Though I had a lot of faith in the ways I could control my life, I began to develop a faith in the ways I couldn't. In those stars, I not only saw light, but I saw God staring back at me. It wasn't only the stars - I started seeing God in everything. I admired the flowers in my garden that, without any prompting (besides water and sun), knew just how to come up every year. I became aware of the fact that the sun rises every day and sets every night without my control; and when it's down the moon comes up and lights the earth of its own accord. After all the advice I had gotten from my friends, from Bible verses to long conversations, I had found God, on my own, lying under the stars."
"God has taught us how to help feed people in need: feed those who are hungry, cheer up and make company for those who are lonely and in grief. God has given us resources to extend and hand and reach out."
"I believe in God, not because of proofs that show God is real or because people have told me God exists. That was how it started. My parents brought me to church; I would participate in activities. I am glad they did. That is no longer my reason for believing in God. I believe because it now feels right to me."
"I love believing in God. I love the feeling that no matter what, something great loves me, and put me here on earth for a reason. I love feeling like I belong to something, and feeling that I always have Someone watching over me. I know God's love for me will always be constant and unconditional. That is something I can depend upon."
"I believe God created the world. I always imagined that he took out a can of play-dough and molded the earth into a ball. And he had so much fun doing that, he molded people and animals and trees to be a part of this great place. But of course God couldn't stop there. He had to make the moon, and the sun, and all the other things in the sky."
"Sometimes in my life my faith in God will wane, because of some problem. As I grow older I am sure many of my beliefs will change and become outdated as I learn even more about God."
"I've always pictured God to be a man, at least as far as physical characteristics go. But I do not believe that a divine spirit has a gender. To me, God isn't a man or a woman. God is a savior."
"I ask God to help me when God allows something negative to happen to me. At times I feel mad at God and ask why. But then I realize maybe He is pushing or telling me to deal with the problem. God is telling me to make my own responsible decisions for a life learning experience."
"I probably receive God's forgiveness at least once a day for all the stupid things I do. I swear occasionally. I joke around with friends, sometimes at the expense of others. But I do believe God forgives me."
"When I talk to God, it is through prayer. My grandma is a strong believer in the power of prayer. When I have doubts, my grandmother's faith in God comes back to me to help me reassure myself that I do believe in God."
"Even though I believe in God, it is really hard for me to picture him in my mind because no one knows what He looks like. (I say "he" because of the lack of a better word. I do not believe God to be male or female.)"
"We need God in our lives to keep sanity and hope in this world full of hate, death, violence, homelessness, racism, criticism, and so much more."
"When I was little, I thought God looked something like the sun, big and bright. Since then I have gone through stages in what I thought God looked like. I thought He was invisible, not meant to be seen. I still think that not being able to see God has something to do with your faith and trust in him. Then after the invisible stage, I thought God was very small, kind of like an atom. Everything is made up of atoms like everything is made by God. And when an atom splits a lot of energy is given off. God has a lot of energy and power too."
"I experience God's creation every time I go camping in the summer. I listen to the quiet hum of the crickets, and the sound of the rushing water. I smell the fire and watch the light of the twinkling stars, wishing I never had to go home. But God creates home too. You can still hear the chirp of the crickets, if they are trapped in you basement; and the sound of the rushing water, even though it's because you left the water running. You can still see the fire, when you burn the cake in the oven; and watch the stars through the glare of the city lights."
"The mere idea that one can know everything about God is really sacrilege. For anyone to purport that how they see God is the way to see God is absurd. No one knows exactly, and that's the beauty of it."
DISCOVER YOUR SPIRITUAL TYPE
Added 01/30/03
By Sheryl Lyndes Stowman
Our congregation completed a survey about our spiritual preferences. The short inventory was designed to help individuals and congregations learn more about how they experience and conceptualize the Divine. Some of the dimensions the questionnaire and our adult education time explored were: Is God more revealed or mysterious to you? Do you relate primarily out of a thinking or a feeling approach in your spiritual life?
Four basic spiritual types were offered as a summary of these preferences. They are based on a history of spiritual movements throughout Christian history. The following is a short summary of each type. The results are from the 92 persons who completed the survey and how they marked their preferences.
Head Spirituality: This type is most comfortable with an intellectual, thinking spirituality. They favor what they can see, touch, and vividly imagine. There is a love of order and a desire for things to be logical and consistent. Learning through the word is very important, hence scripture, study groups, sermons, and reading are essential components. Content is primary with this group, as is systematic congruence of thought and belief.
24 persons identified this as their first choice, and 27 persons made this their second choice.
Total = 51.
Heart Spirituality: The strength of this type is in the richness of feeling. Their great gift is in their ability to experience God in the moment, to revel in what is happening around them in the present tense. Concrete representations of God and the centrality of scripture are important, but with more of an affective and charismatic emphasis. Their aim is to achieve holiness of life and personal renewal. Prayer is less formal and more extemporaneous. There is an emphasis on the nearness of God, evangelism, witness, and proclamation.
21 persons identified this as their first choice, and 24 persons made this their second choice.
Total = 45
Mystic Spirituality: These people are called "questers" because they seem to be perpetually on a journey. The great gift of this type is their ability to penetrate past what is physically seen and heard and to engage in a deeper sort of knowing. For this type, being is more important than doing, because doing will pass away. Hearing from God rather than speaking to God is prominent. The aim of this spirituality is union with the Holy and movement along the journey. There is a yearning for the inner life, and this person needs inner silence in which to make a closer connection with God. They are drawn to meditation and contemplation and are comfortable with the mysterious dimensions of God.
26 persons identified this as their first choice, and 21 persons made this their second choice.
Total = 47
Kingdom Spirituality: Traditionally, this is the smallest group. These are active visionaries who are single-minded with a deeply focused, almost crusading type of spirituality. This group cares less about affiliation with organized religion than do many others. Their aim is to obey God and to witness to God's coming reign. Theirs is a courageous and sturdy idealism that takes responsibility for transforming society. They equate prayer and theology with action.
21 persons identified this as their first choice, and 20 persons made this their second choice.
Total = 41
As you can see from the results, we have strong representation in each type. Corinne Ware (Discover Your Spiritual Type, Alban Institute, 1995), who developed this inventory, has found that in most Protestant churches either head or heart spirituality will dominate. Typically a church may identify one or two types as dominant in their members and will assess their worship and congregational life accordingly. They may attend to the needs of their minority type(s) as part of that assessment. In our case we do not seem to have such a dominance. This leads to some of the following questions:
* How does our congregation attend to the needs of each type and what activities or worship practices do you see meeting each of the types?
* Are there ways we could strengthen our church life to nourish your spiritual type?
* Do you interpret the results as indicative of a very balanced congregation or of a congregation trying to be too many things to too many people at the same time?
* What does this mix of spiritual types signal about the qualities and skills required in our next called pastor?
* Are you surprised by these results? Do they reflect our congregation as you know it?
In the weeks ahead we hope to identify appropriate forums for further discussion of these findings. Meanwhile the authorized ministers, Deacons Board, and Church Council are reflecting on and responding to what we have learned.
