Embracing the Spirit: Staying curious, Community Finance Gathering and more ♥

Staying Curious in Houston   Rev. Dr. Amber Mattingly of Disciples in Christ says that being part of the most recent Curiosity Cohort helped her open up to possibilities and connect with her feelings and those of her community of faith as it prepares for its next steps. Not long after Rev. Dr. Mattingly started her ministry at Heights Christian Church a year ago, she learned from a Disciples in Christ training by a Christian lawyer that the arts community run on Heights property for 20 years had fewer than half the members they thought it did, and potentially faced legal issues in its setup. Her discussions with the Board produced the idea of merging with a sister church. The decision to go ahead wasn’t unanimous, but the two communities of faith started working out the details. Rev. Dr. Mattingly identified several ideas that she worked with in the Curiosity Cohort that are helping her to move through this transition time for the Heights community of faith, especially during times of challenge: Keeping open to possibility by asking, “What might it look like?” Asking, “Yes, and?” to discern her own feelings and those of the members of her community of faith (such as grief, or discomfort with the unknown) and to determine what questions need to be asked about the process. Tapping into hope expressed as curiosity and using that during challenges. Keeping the mind and heart open so that people can care for each other. Rev. Dr. Mattingly knows that the merge likely means a change in her role with her community of faith, but says she feels at peace with the idea of having a “foot stuck in two worlds” – one in how Heights operates now, and one in what it will become. The two churches start joint worship on May 22. You can learn more about the Curiosity Cohort here. The next five-week session starts on March 22. Watch Pastor Mattingly’s conversation with Zoë Chaytors here. [Image credit: Mark Konig on Unsplash.com] Catalyst Community Finance Gathering     Catalyst: Community Finance Initiative invites you to an online Community Finance Gathering on March 24 from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT. This Community Finance Gathering is an open and inclusive convening of community finance stakeholders in Ontario, from place-based funds and financial institutions to community organizations and policy leaders. For more information, and to register please visit Eventbrite. [Image credit: Catalyst: Community Finance Initiative] An UnConference to Remember   Thank you to all who came out and made it a time of listening, learning, connecting, and planning for a world where we can better meet everyone’s needs. An Unconference is unique because the participants choose the topics. We provided fishbowl discussions over Zoom by thought leaders in how faith, community, and profit interact with social innovation. The people watching identified issues that the discussions brought up for them, and then went into breakout rooms to discuss them. Consider watching these fishbowl discussions and doing the reflection questions as a team: Community & Social Innovation, with Gurbeen Bhasin (Aangen), Elizabeth Chick (Buy Social Canada), Sandhya Jha (Without Fear Consulting) and Renita White (Of Colour, Inc.) Faith & Social Innovation, with Melina D. Higbee (United Church of Christ), Maryam Mohiuddin Ahmed (Serial social entrepreneur and social innovation evangelist), and Rebecca Sherbino (The Raw Carrot Enterprises.) For-Profit & Social Innovation, with Tom Coldwell (Chantos Construction), Susan Henry (Alterna Savings & Credit Union), Shaun Loney (Encompass Co-op), and Wayne Miranda (Just Economy Institute) Reflection Questions: What issues do they bring up for you that you want to talk about with others? What insights do they contain that could potentially help us create a world where more people get more of their needs met? How do you define “hopeful economics” and what can you do to make it a reality? What are your thoughts on making hopeful economics a reality? Let us know at edge@united-church.ca!   [Image credit: Hopeful Economics] Embracing the Spirit is a learning network and innovation fund. It offers funding and support for innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter. If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! Proposal deadlines are quarterly, and due on the 15th of the month: January, April, July and October. Find out more.  Share Tweet Forward to a friend Sign up for the Embracing the Spirit newsletter! Facebook Twitter Website Email Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Donate to The United Church of Canada and help fund life changing work around the world!

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