Dear Friends,
         As I shared with Council this month, one of the things I've been musing about lately is the future of Novato. Over the coming years, our community is expected to see the development of approximately 5,400 new household units through new housing.

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The former Fireman Fund property alone is planned to include approximately 1,300 units. That means thousands of people will be moving into our community, bringing with them hopes, questions, needs, gifts, and stories that we cannot yet know.

 

So, I find myself wondering: What does this mean for All Saints?

 

We know that many people today approach congregations differently than previous generations did. Whether we like the phrase or not, "church shopping" is a reality.  People visit churches, explore websites, ponder posts on social media and try to discern whether a particular congregation might be a place where they and their family can belong.

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It is tempting, when we hear about thousands of new residents, to think immediately about numbers. How many of them might come to church?  How many might have children who need preschool or after-school care?  How many might become members?  How might we grow?  Those are reasonable questions!  But I don't think our response should be to figure out how to make All Saints more attractive so that, suddenly, thousands of people start showing up at our doors. (Although that would be a pretty fun problem to have!)  Instead, I think we have an opportunity to ask a more fundamental question:  What would it mean for All Saints to be so deeply connected to our community, and so responsive to its changing needs, that when people begin asking, "Where do I belong?"  All Saints is already one of the answers?

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 That question invites us to think beyond Sunday morning.  It invites us to think about our property and how we use this wonderful resource God has entrusted to us.  It invites us to think about our Children's Center, and the ways that ministry might support families who are new to Novato.  It invites us to consider how visible and present All Saints is in the wider community, as a neighbor helping other neighbors.  It invites us to think carefully about what happens when someone first encounters us, whether that encounter is through our website, a community event, a childcare program, or a Sunday morning worship service.  And, of course, it invites us to think about ourlong-term congregational missional and ministry strategy:  Who is God calling All Saints to be in the years ahead?

 

These are not separate questions. They are connected. Our property is connected to our ministry. Our ministry is connected to our presence in the community. Our presence in the community is connected to the people who may eventually walk through our doors. And what happens when they walk through those doors is connected to whether they experience not simply a friendly congregation, but a community where they can encounter Christ, grow in faith, and discover that they have a place among us ... they belong.  Full stop.

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I don't know exactly what All Saints will look like five or ten years from now.  None of us does. But I do know that the community around us is changing, and that change presents us with an extraordinary opportunity.  Friends, we don't need to become something we are not. We don't need to study the latest trends in church growth. We don't need to compete with other congregations for members. But, we do need to pay attention. We need to listen to our neighbors. We need to notice the needs of families moving into our community. We need to ask what gifts and resources God has blessed us with, and how those gifts might be shared. We need to be willing to imagine new possibilities while remaining rooted in the Gospel and in the identity that has shaped All Saints for over six decades. Most of all, we need to remember that our mission is not ultimately about getting more people into the church building, it is about being the church. It is about being the body of Christ: his hands, his feet, his ears, his eyes, his heart, his mouth. And as the body of Christ, we are sent into the world. Sometimes that means welcoming someone through our doors. Sometimes it means caring for a child or supporting a parent. Sometimes it means offering a place for people to gather, learn, grieve, celebrate, or simply be known. Sometimes it means speaking up for our neighbors. And sometimes it means simply being present and available when someone is wondering where they might belong. There are thousands of new stories coming to Novato.  We don't know yet who those people will be. We don't know what they will need. We don't know which of them will eventually find their way to All Saints.  But perhaps our task right now is not to know the answers.  Perhaps our task is to get ready to listen. I think this is an exciting time for All Saints.  Not because growth is guaranteed, and not because we have a clever plan for attracting new members. It is exciting because God is already at work in the community around us. We have the opportunity to pay attention and participate as we discern together: "How is God calling All Saints to be a community where people can discover that they belong?"  I believe that is the question worth asking... and I believe the years ahead may give us some extraordinary answers!

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