Visioning and Remembering Luncheon

February 2 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

We are asking the congregation to come together for a series of luncheons, the first of which will be held on February 2, 2020. The purpose of these luncheons is to help us remember who we were in the past as we prepare for our preferred future as a congregation. As you know, we are experiencing a rich time in our church, including the beginnings of new ministries with children, an emerging generation of new leaders, and a diversifying congregation. We continue to enjoy city-wide recognition as being a sacred space for Baltimore, both through our music offerings and our social witness to God’s radical inclusivity and justice.

 

At the same time, we face significant challenges. Our building, while beautiful, is also costly — the restoration of the Spire is front and center at many of our Session meetings. But that’s not the whole of it. There are too many open spaces in church on Sunday. As one ruling elder said recently, “I can name twenty people who should have been here today.” We could feel guilty about poor church attendance and maybe if that gets us to church on Sunday, well and good. But even more important, we need to refresh and attune ourselves to the story and the stories in our church. Articulating our story anew won’t be possible without refreshing our narrative, which is in part the stories of why we call this place our church home, why we give of our life and labor to this house of worship, and the impact of this congregation for city and community. We want to better articulate our impact, historically and contemporaneously. Moreover, we need to claim what our preferred future looks like — and what it will take to get us there.

 

I hope you will join us for these important conversations about who we have been, who we are, and who, by God’s grace, we shall become. Our first luncheon will trace the history of the church, with special emphasis on our relationship with the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, the first African American Presbyterian Church in the State of Maryland. If our legacy shares some responsibility for segregation in this city, what is our preferred future? Who are our partners?

 

See you soon!