Covenanting Potluck

New Light Community Potluck
and Conversation about Covenanting

Sunday, January 24th at 5:00pm
at Hope.Gate.Way.

What is Covenanting, you ask? Well, it's something new that we're introducing this January as an opportunity to grow deeper -- sort of our New Light alternative approach to membership...

In most churches, once you've been attending for a while, the pastor will encourage you to become a member. Usually there is a membership class, or a series of classes, to learn about the history and beliefs of the church, as well as to explore what it means to make the commitment of membership. Usually membership is a once-and-for-all deal -- you become a member of the church and stay a member until you withdraw your membership or transfer it to a different church.

We'd like to rethink membership, and look at the commitments we make quite differently -- less like membership in a club and more like commitments to community and spiritual practices that help us grow in our faith. That's where Covenanting comes in. Covenanting is an invitation to make commitments to practices that deepen our relationship with God, the New Light community, each other, and the world. If you feel like you are ready to make some deeper commitments, we want to invite you to learn more about Covenanting, which will not be a once-and-for-all deal, but rather something we reconsider yearly. The commitments you make are your own -- commitments to areas in which you want to be growing as a disciple of Christ in community with others who are part of New Light. Then, over the next year, there will be opportunities for us, as a community, to check in with one another to discuss and support each other in our commitments.

Not sure if you are ready or interested in covenanting? Coming to the dinner does NOT mean that you have to covenant. You can come, enjoy food, listen to conversation, and decide covenanting is not for you at this time. You do not have to come to the dinner, or covenant in order to continue being a part of New Light. This is merely an opportunity for people who want to make a deeper commitment to do so.