Weekly Updates November 17, 2023

Last Tuesday, I sat next to a Palestinian-American older woman who had lost 100 family members in the Gaza strip. I didn’t know what to say so I extended my hand to her in hopes that it would be okay for her to hold it. We both gripped our hands...

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New spiritual practice: monthly financial updates

We are starting a new spiritual practice of providing you with a monthly financial update. With immense gratitude and joy, I’m here to report that The Church We Hope For, by God’s grace, is financially healthy. For nearly four years, we’ve witnessed His faithfulness through the generosity of this congregation...

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Weekly Updates November 11, 2023

These past few weeks in our new sanctuary have finally felt like “home”. After months of uncertainty, we have arrived in a space we can make our own. And more than the form or function of this building, what I’ve felt most profoundly here is a communal exhale from our...

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Weekly Updates November 4, 2023

Today while at the dentist I heard a faint but familiar sound. Yet it felt out of place. This couldn’t possibly be what I thought it was. Only, yep. It was as clear as day: Christmas music was playing on the radio. With it being 85 degrees and sunny outside,...

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Weekly Updates October 26, 2023

Film Screening Friday We’re turning the corner toward Halloween Weekend. And we can’t think of a better way to share in the scare together than a special screening of a short horror film, REFUSE, produced by our friends over at Uncommon Voices. The film’s director notes: “Although REFUSE leans towards...

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Weekly Updates October 13, 2023

We pause here at the onset of this newsletter. Wherever we are. Whatever else we’re holding. We lay it down. And we quiet ourselves. And we exhale. And we welcome the gravity of grief in Palestine and Israel to touch us. In whatever capacity we have to hold it here...

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Weekly Updates October 6, 2023

It was so sweet to see so many of your faces this past Sunday. And so many newer ones as well! It feels like God is doing a new thing among us as we venture into this new space together. And I’m keeping my eyes open to see it. To...

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Weekly Updates September 29, 2023

My goodness, church! We just celebrated three years together (and what. a. special. service. it was!)! When this church first started, “Tiger King” was dominating Netflix, a different president was in office, and the Dodgers hadn’t won the World Series since 1988 (cue Kirk Gibson’s famous fist pump!). What a...

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Weekly Updates September 22, 2023

Sunday was one of those special days. The kind I’ll hold near and dear for as long as I can remember. A Mary kind of moment: “She treasured up all these kinds and pondered them in her heart.” It was such a gift to gather together in the Missiongathering courtyard...

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