From the Rector: Dreaming Our Future | Church of the Incarnation

Unless the Lord builds the house, their labor is in vain who build it. (Psalm 127:1)

In the last days, God declares, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your children shall prophesy, and your young shall see visions, and your old shall dream dreams. (Acts 2:17)

Dear friends,

This past Sunday we gathered for the first big workshop of this year's new phase of Imagine Incarnation. Together, over 60 of our members and friends imagined the future of our buildings and grounds over the next several decades.

We looked at a gallery of images of all kinds to get our imaginations flowing: gardens, labyrinths, multipurpose buildings, classrooms, offices, apartments, cloisters, and more. We reflected individually and by table groups on what appealed to us, and didn't, about each image. We pored over maps of our campus to see what areas are most and least used, and what buildings are in good, fair, or poor condition. We moved dots representing various activities around on the maps: worship, offices, children's activities, outdoor gathering, parking, indoor gathering, and so on. Each table group came up with a different imagined future campus plan, and our architect team is studying what we came up with to begin to synthesize some commonly recurring ideas and themes.

It was a great day. For me the best part was walking around from table to table, seeing the faces of Incarnationians engaged deeply in conversation and being creative together. We are a group with many different life experiences and a wealth of ideas. The more we can bring ourselves and our dreams to the table together in all our diversity, the more God's Spirit has to work with in bringing forth a vision for our campus that will support our mission in this place for many years to come.

This was just the first in a series of workshops and conversations that will help us create a generational campus plan by the end of the spring. Please plan to be part of our next workshop on Saturday, November 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to carry this good work forward. To learn more, you can visit our Imagine Incarnation page online or send an email to [email protected].

In Christ's peace,

Stephen

Tags: News & Notes

People decide to visit a church for lots of different reasons, often because they're at some sort of transition point in their lives. Maybe you're a longtime Episcopalian; maybe you have experience in another faith tradition; or maybe you've never been to a faith community at all.

Whoever you are, and wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you enrich us with your presence, and there's a place for you here.

Learn more about visiting Incarnation.

Incarnation is located at 550 Mendocino Avenue in downtown Santa Rosa, just south of the corner with Cherry Street.

Our church parking lot is located around the corner at 636 Cherry Street. The lot often fills up for our Sunday morning services. Additional free church parking is available in the small gravel lot at the corner of Mendocino and Cherry, or in the city garage at 521 7th Street (free on Sundays), which is a two-minute walk from the church. Finally, street parking is also free on Sundays.

We're also located close to several bus lines, and we have a bike rack in the central courtyard.

Children aren't just the church's future—they're an essential part of our faith community right now. At Incarnation we strive to serve our kids' growing faith, and we know they have much to teach adults, too. Children are always welcome in worship: any age, any time.

Learn more about our children's ministries.

Episcopal worship follows an ancient pattern that dates to the earliest days of the Christian church. The first half of the Eucharist is the Liturgy of the Word the second half is the Liturgy of the Table, also called Holy Communion. If you've spent time in Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Eastern Orthodox churches, much of our liturgy will seem familiar. If you're unfamiliar with liturgical Christian worship, don't worry. You're welcome to participate as fully as is right for you, or to just relax into the liturgy and let the rest of the congregation carry you in worship.

Click here for online worship, or to learn more about Episcopal worship.

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Often someone who's been visiting for a while will ask us how to become a member of Incarnation. Learn more about becoming a member.

To support our work sharing God's love here in Sonoma County, you can make a donation online.

Giving is one of the most powerful spiritual practices in existence. It's a statement of gratitude and trust in God.

At Incarnation we encourage all our members and friends to prayerfully choose a percentage of their income to give toward causes that serve God's mission. We ask that part of that intentional giving be a pledge of financial support to the parish, both so our leadership can plan ahead in making a budget, and as a tangible commitment to what God is doing here at Incarnation. For more on the practice of proportional giving, see this FAQ.

You can make a donation to Incarnation online, toward your pledge or as a special offering, by clicking below.