About 20 minutes into a recent webinar on prophetic preaching, the Rev. Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert paused to answer questions. After one about preaching in “purple” churches (a mix of political conservatives and progressives in the pews), Gilbert got this question from one of the 30 participants, a pastor also serving a purple congregation: Have I spent enough time understanding the complexity of the lamentation of these people?
When he first saw the “Everyday God-Dance” video, the Rev. Dr. Barry Ensign-George, the coordinator of the Office of Theology & Worship, said he loved it.
“It reminded me in this difficult time that there’s such a thing as joy,” he said. “It was so hopeful.”
After the first day of the Vital Congregations virtual facilitator training, the Rev. Neil Ricketts spoke with elders at the church he serves.
“I told them that we — our church — and denomination are in good hands,” he said. “How we had heard from God and were implementing a plan for a healthy vital church.”
