Years ago, we chose the name Liminal because we believed it was a fitting description of what we hoped to be. A place where we could explore faith together, celebrating all the diverse facets of the diamond. A place where we could bring our questions and doubts, clasp hands, and embrace the mystery.
As you hopefully know, we now find ourselves in a true liminal space. A huge rent increase means we need to leave our current space when our lease ends in mid-June. We have been exploring options for next steps. Affordable commercial spaces have not been found. Most of the churches we approached about sharing space have not panned out, though we just heard back from one that might be a possibility. Another option is to rent a weekly event space at the Poinsettia Pavilion, which, along with lovely views and permanent office space, would bring other challenges, including a new service time and a nomadic lifestyle with weekly setup and teardown of our main service and the Liminal Kids classroom. There are also more outside-the-box options we could consider, such as meeting online with once a month in-person gatherings, or meeting in homes. No matter what our next steps are, this is a time of reimagining what Liminal Church could be.
So, like we said – liminal space. In this transitional place as we ponder next steps we need your input. We need to know what each of you thinks about these potential changes, what things are non-negotiables, what things excite you about reimagining Liminal Church, what things scare you, what time and energy you are willing to invest to step into something new.
In order to gather your input we have two things on the horizon. First, please mark your calendars for Sunday, March 29th for our “What’s Next” meeting.Instead of our usual service we are opening up the conversation so that we can hear what folks are thinking about this transition and how they want to be involved. If you consider Liminal your community we urge you to attend so your voice is heard. The youth are invited to join in the discussion. Childcare will be provided for ages 2 through 5th grade.
Secondly, we will be putting out a survey in mid-March. The questions will help us think through our different options and consider what those changes might mean for us individually and as a body. This survey will help us gather information and also provide you some time and space to think through this change. If everyone can complete the survey prior to the March 29th meeting we will have a better understanding of what things to discuss. We will ask for your name in the survey but any answers or information we might share during the meeting will be kept anonymous.
Here we are again, exploring faith and embracing the mystery, on the cusp of a new season. May we join hands, looking toward the new horizon with love and hope. May we hold each other’s excitement, fears and opinions with kindness and care. May we hear the echoes of the divine in our discussions and may we each feel the freedom to embark on the next steps of our own unique journeys.