You are invited to a CHURCH IDENTITY CHALLENGE! It’s Saturday, August 22, 9 a.m. to noon, at Project Harmony, 11949 Q St. (120th & Q).
The purposes are
- to grow Second Unitarian
- to find a great minister
- to partner with others, and
- to be energized and inspired!
We would appreciate your RSVP to RSVP@2uomaha.org or 402-334-0537, ext. 114.
The Transition Team and Rev. Frieda will be leading the Church Identity Workshop using processes which could be called, “Not your usual flip charts.” We’d like to engage your right brain as well as your left in looking at what “IDENTITY” might mean relative to the church.
We all have multiple identities in our lives: mother/father, wife/husband, daughter/son, scuba diver, doctor, lawyer, farmer, dreamer, caregiver, artist, activist, Unitarian Universalist, cancer survivor/patient, etc., etc. Some are more important to us than others and some are more relevant to our lives at any point in time than others. All of them are useful and important.
The same is true of the church’s identity. There is no one thing that makes Second Unitarian, Second Unitarian. No one quality, activity, historical event, person (living or dead). The church is made up of its members at any given time and their interests, AND it is imbued with the history of our faith and the church itself. It is also influenced and somewhat directed by the culture we live in, the city it is located in, and the ways we understand our role in the various communities we are part of. And so it can be quite daunting to describe the church’s identity in any succinct sort of way.
So why try? Why should you come up with a clear, concise description of Second Unitarian? There are several reasons:
- You want to reach people who may be seeking what you are offering.
- You want prospective ministers to really ‘get’ who you are and thereby get the minister you want and need.
- You want to invite potential partners in the Omaha community to engage with you.
- You want to express your aspirations and inspire yourself and others to reach for more.
Three hours may not seem like enough time, but if you put your minds to it, you can create a clear, concise, real, and meaningful description of the church’s identity — one that is your own, that you can be proud of. The Transition Team and Rev. Frieda will lead you through some exercises to help in this effort.
What you do in the Church Identity Workshop will greatly enhance your experience. In order for this to be effective, we need you to come and participate. Bring your creativity, your perceptions, your experiences, and most of all your aspirations.
Please let us know you are coming to the August 22 Church Identity Workshop by sending your RSVP to RSVP@2uomaha.org or by leaving a message on the church office phone at 402-334-0537, ext. 114.