Invited to Mission at Edgewood Church September 28, 2021 By Collegeville Institute Leave a Comment Think of a significant calling in your life. Who invited you to explore that calling? And what role did church play (if any) in that invitation? As a community, Edgewood United Church has been collectively invited by God to serve their neighbors through a specific, shared mission. In this episode, Marcia Beer and Diana Farmer speak how their community collectively discerned a common purpose. They also discuss how the pandemic disrupted and refocused their ministry in surprising ways. Edgewood is one of thirteen congregations taking part in Collegeville Institute’s Communities of Calling Initiative. The Communities of Calling Initiative is a five-year program that grants congregations funds to design a new project or enhance existing ministries that help Christians discover and deepen their sense of God’s calling in their lives. Topics and resources discussed in this episode: Communities of Calling Initiative Edgewood United Church of Christ CCI Learnings & Activities A few examples of Edgewood lay preachers expressing the language of call in sermons (under “Resources developed by Edgewood”) The Stories We Live: Finding God’s Calling All around Us by Dr. Kathleen A. Cahalan Edgewood’s environmental justice task force “Called Together” stewardship series from First Congregational Church (under “Resources developed by First Congregational”) Bios Marcia Beer serves Edgewood United Church as the Youth Ministry Coordinator and the Children and Youth Choir Director. Her second calling is as Executive Director of the Southside Community Kitchen serving meals to everyone who comes to us in need. Diana Farmer is a long-time church volunteer at Edgewood. She recently retired as special education teacher and has mentored many teachers. At Edgewood Diana is currently serving on the Governance Board and lends her wisdom, inspirational spirit, and energy to Edgewood’s direction. Ellie Roscher is a writer, theology teacher, and host of the Unlikely Conversations podcast. She is a board member at the Collegeville Institute and the author of 12 Tiny Things, Play Like a Girl, and How Coffee Saved My Life. Ellie holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in Theology from Luther Seminary. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse and sons. Follow Ellie on social media at @ellieroscher [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook]. Matthew Ian Fleming edited the audio for this podcast. You can find Matthew on Instagram at @matthewianfleming and his other podcasts at www.alterguild.org. Discussion questions Think of a significant calling in your life. Who invited you to explore that calling? What role did their invitation play in your engagement with this calling? Diana describes the Edgewood community as “less person-dependent, more mission-driven.” Does that resonate with the way your congregation lives out its communal callings? The pandemic called the Edgewood community to rethink inclusion and accessibility. How has your community addressed inclusion and accessibility? Are there ways your community is being called to expand your inclusion and accessibility efforts at this time? The Edgewood community starts its meetings with time to check-in with all those around the table. What practices does your congregation use to keep current on its members and their callings? Next Steps Check out resources to explore calling in your congregation on the Communities of Calling Initiative website. Try out one of the practices from the green resources document developed by Edgewood’s environmental justice task force created to aid in discerning the call to be good stewards of the environment. Miss last week’s episode? Listen to Edgewood’s pastor, Liz Miller, discuss the role of community in understanding our individual vocations and more. Follow the work of the Collegeville Institute on social media at @collegevilleins [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook] and subscribe to our email newsletter Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
