No Sunday Forum November 19, 2023.

Topic postponed to fall of 2024.

Public Church Framework

In the biblical story of Ezekiel, fresh water flows out of a temple, flowing up hills and away, desalinating water so that fruit trees can grow and fish and animals can thrive. Ezekiel marvels at the possibilities of what happens when the water cannot be contained in the temple and instead goes out into the world. This story formed the basis of the work we spent two years doing in community with 15 other congregations as part of Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub’s Thriving Congregation’s Grant. Using the framework of the Public Church, we learned how to leave the spaces of our building, go out into our neighborhood, walk alongside our neighbors, find out their joys, sorrows, worries and wishes, and using this information, determining how to best work with the community to be the good news in the neighborhood. We would love to spend the morning sharing with you our experiences with the Riverside Innovation Hub, what we learned, what we feel called to do, and how you can be part of the experience!

Nina Johnson, Director of Children and Youth, along with members Jean Tracy and Theresa Voss report on their experience as a part of Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub’s Thriving Congregations grant. Fifteen congregations took part in the 2-year program exploring what happens when we leave the confines of our churches to become an integral part of our neighborhoods.