Cottage Party Notes 9
Worship, what we yearn for...
full meeting house, more diverse
better singing--"vigorous"
variety, participation
religious pluralism--not just Christianity
meeting house as meditative space
unsure about clapping for choir
no food/drink in meeting house
unsure about organ
more "umph" in music
services led by groups, guests
more challenging spiritually 'where can I go from here?', not too complacent
focus on ourselves not just the world

Life at FP, what we yearn for...
bigger space for coffee hour
intergenerational interaction
sense of the whole church
goals, intentionality
need to include those not in affinity groups
bring marginal people to center
more options that allow people to find a place, for being known and
feeling known
diversity, belonging

Congregational Diversity, what we yearn for...
more BGLT visibility, affirmation
more men in leadership (less female burnout)
needs to be something offered by FP to diverse groups
black bglt's and deaf bglts
affinity groups on national/ethnic racial lines?
discussions with other communities about what church seekers want
outreach to the unchurched
but also, yearning for people to accept the kind of church that we
are, we may not want to be the church that meets everyone's needs, we
need to identify instead our "highest principle of being" as the point
of unity

Spiritual Development and RE, what we yearn for...
in Children's RE...
regular attendance from children
continuity of teachers
more accountability, but also flexibilty is good
clarity about what parents want
more than babysitting, arts and crafts
congregational awareness of what happens in RE
help kids be known in congregation
in Adult RE....
adult classes not cancelled
less sit/read, more doing
attention to Christianity
transparency about diveristy of religious identity
more art offerings
smaller group size--teachers setting limits

FP's Community Presence, what we yearn for...
public about being bglt-welcoming
activists in church talking more about their work
unsure if we should be a voice for liberal Christianity
social justice is about more than just good ideas
social justice planning so that we can make largest impact possible,
priority setting
be the opposite of the religious right
work with other anti-right-wing churches
more PR, esp. in Cambridge
process for taking a stand on political issues
social justice sunday for adults
social justice as beyond service (esp. for kids)--this may exclude
some people, but we need to decide our identity
- posted by Bruce Hoppe @ 2:58 PM