Dare to Dance!

This week in worship we will dare you to dance. Now, I know there might be some of you who will choose to stay home rather than submit yourselves to the possibility of being asked to dance in church. To those who might be so inclined (and I am definitely one), please don't worry. Other than the people who have already volunteered to dance, none of you will be expected to--well, none of you will be expected to literally. All of you will be invited to let your spirits dance, your faith dance, and your imagination dance. And you're welcome to do that in the privacy of your own home or discreetly in your extra-ecclesial life. If, however, the Spirit says move and you gotta move, you will find yourself much supported and encouraged.

That leads me--albeit a little awkwardly--to other opportunities we have to dance, to move in and with the Spirit. The music of change has been our theme song for over two years now. We've quick-stepped through times, moving so fast that everything became a kind of blur. We've waltzed through the beauty and tradition of different liturgical seasons; and we've slow danced a time or two, holding on to each other rather than really moving anywhere. But now, we're ready to dance with the stars-or at least reach for them.

We're creating a challenging, exciting program for our next steps. This new program will include strategic moves in the areas of radical inclusivity and Christian hospitality; connecting people to God and each other throughout the MCC Austin community of faith; and providing for sustainable and meaningful growth not just in numbers, but in discipleship and spiritual maturity.

I encourage each one of you to take an active role in choreographing our next 1-10 years. Help us to know who you are, what your passions are, what you desire from your church home, and what you discern God is calling MCC Austin to be and do. The first and easiest way to do that is by participating in a survey that our Mission Possible Team (formerly Focus 8 Team) is launching today. The survey has many purposes, among which are the following:

--To provide MCC Austin members with an opportunity to reflect on the current state of the church and assist church leaders in planning for the future
--To help direct strategic planning efforts (radical inclusivity, connecting new and current members to congregational life, and meaningful growth (including plans for building a permanent sanctuary)
--To help evaluate members' level of church involvement, church attendance, perceptions of congregational identity, demographics, and hopes for the future of MCCA

The survey is targeted toward new members and long-term members and can be accessed via Survey Monkey beginning today, April 22, and ending on May 3, 2009. The survey is completely confidential, and the data collected will be collated and analyzed by members of the Mission Possible Team. Results will be available to the congregation at the end of May 2009 and will be used to make recommendations and to assess how well we are addressing our priorities.

I know answering surveys is probably not at the top of your priority lists and probably not anywhere at all on your "bucket lists," but please do take the time to fill this one out. You heard Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson assure us last Sunday that God is using MCC Churches to bring hope and healing and the Gospel of God's love to all the world. Such an ambitious agenda must be owned not just by a few MCC leaders or churches, but by all of us--especially by those of us, as Rev. Bill Young reminded us, to whom much has been given.

The music is playing; shall we dance?

Blessings and Love...