Help Me Get the Word Out

There is a saved draft of a new post as part of my series about Doing a New Thing in this military ministry that I’m imagining. There are lots of things that I’m eager to share and new things that I’m eager to try — but I’m not yet ready to hit publish that particular post.

Instead, in this post, I’d like to invite you to be conspirators and collaborators in this possibility.

On Sunday, at the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ, I heard Cameron Trimble of the Center of Progressive Renewal preach an inspiring word where she asked the gathered body:When was the last time you were as passionate about your faith as you were about your donuts? She had shared a testimony to the abiding power of donuts especially after being with another conference that celebrated their local donuts over another competing baker. It was hysterical and ridiculous. You had to wonder where she was going with this — until Cameron asked this question. When was the last time you were as passionate about your faith as you were about your donuts?

Just the evening before I had dinner with a bunch of colleagues in the UCC 2030 Clergy Network who were excited and curious about what I was doing — but I wasn’t ready to make a pitch. I wasn’t ready for their enthusiasm and curiosity. I was just too darn tired after a long day of meetings.

I missed my chance.

I could have had this amazing opportunity to share this possibility with a group of people who were eager and excited but I didn’t. I missed my chance.

I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t want that to happen to me or to anyone else so I want to invite you to become part of this possibility. Because none of us can do this alone. We need each other to realize the crazy things we hope to do for God’s people. So, help me get the word out. Share this video with everyone you know. Share it on Twitter and Facebook. Share it on your blog. Post it anywhere you can think to add it.

Share this video because this is my hope:

There are amazing chaplains in the military right now — but so few of them are progressive. So few of them are able to provide a sacred space for tough questions that doesn’t insist on a narrowly Christian perspective. There are rules against it but there are too many stories like this one. We need a progressive voice for the military community. As churches sell their buildings and religious structures of every shape and kind adapt to meet the needs of a changing world, why shouldn’t that innovation come within the military community as well? Why shouldn’t there be an open table for our service members of every faith and no faith to do the holy work of building progressive community? I admit that I get stuck in my Christian language as much as the military community stumbles over acronyms — but this is my hope. It’s a community Beyond Acronyms. It’s a community that hopes together, prays together and gathers together. It’s beyond any one military branch and even beyond the internet — though that’s where it’s starting. I believe we need this. I believe this kind of progressive ministry is necessary for the kind of people we hope to be.

I get excited just writing these words. I’m much more excited about this than I am about donuts — and I hope you are too. Help me get the word out and share this video.