We manifest God’s dream
as a community that makes space for people
--to recognize what God is doing to meet the deep needs of the world
and
--to discover and assume their unique roles in partnership with God.
This description of the identity and purpose of Trinity-Lynnwood and Pointe of Grace summarizes a pattern revealed at all levels of our community.
- People notice how God might desire to change the world.
- They begin to imagine a way to employ their gifts to cooperate with God and answer Christ's call to be the Gospel at work in the world.
- God's dream of increased love, compassion and justice in the world is made more visible.
Think about times when you have experienced or witnessed people taking advantage of the space allowed at Trinity-Lynnwood and Pointe of Grace to make the love and grace of God more visible in our world. Post a brief description of that experience. If your story includes others who should give permission before you share it, please check with them first.
To add your story, click on the (#) comments link below and the page will open where you can read stories and add your own.
It is so true that listening to God and letting him/her guide you produces amazing results. I know of nothing more heartfelt and personally rewarding than listening for and responding to God's call.
ReplyDeleteSue and I did just that and have been abundantly fed by God.
First God called us to find a new church home where we might find opportunities and action to use our talents. After a long search, God called us to Trinity where we were able to see what he/she is doing in the community and hear about the Trinity Big Tent vision.
Coming for the first time to Trinity last summer, we were amazingly given the opportunity to manage the cold weather shelter network of churches only months later. It was hard to believe that such trust could be placed in people so unknown but there it was.
This experience along with many others at Trinity have opened us up to living God's dream for us all in a way that we could have only imagined. We are blessed with the opportunity to work with a large network of caring people and many people who have gotten the short end of what society offers. Both of these groups have allowed us to share our faith, exhibit God's will, and consume God's love in a way that makes us fulfilled and hungry for more at the same time.
Thanks be to God.
Mark Waldin
TLCW a long time example of “Mustard Seed” Ministry
ReplyDeleteAs part of the Re-visioning Ministry process, I had the opportunity to talk with some representatives of TCLW recently. I learned that they have been practicing the Mustard Seed Ministry principle for many years, before we gave it a name.
In monthly circles and larger meetings women gather for Bible Study. Deep friendships are formed in a space where women share their hearts with one another, laugh together, and explore sometimes difficult questions.
Out of the relational experience of those circles TLCW has discovered many ways to share and support ministries in the church and around the world. Some expressions have provided short term assistance to ministries like Jeremiah Center or Neighbors in Need. Some have become part of our community’s ongoing life, like the Holly Berry Brunch, the Spring Luncheon , the Harborview Baby Shower, and annual donations to the Unabii Orphan Ministry in Mwanza, Tanzania. Some have spawned new groups with lives of their own, like the Quilters or Common Threads (prayer shawls). Recently, after hearing a presentation from the staff of our schools, they took on providing diapers for infants and some have become “Rockin’ Grandmas” to share a loving presence with children in the Child Development Center.
In the relationships they build, TLCW members not only have found space to discover and share their own gifts—they also create space for many others to enter into ministry activities as well.