Welcome to the Curiosity Project!
“We have been meticulously trained and rewarded to be helpful rather than curious, and this gets us in trouble…honest curiosity needs to precede the very good desire to help.”
-Tim Soerens, Everywhere You Look, p. 43-44
-Tim Soerens, Everywhere You Look, p. 43-44
What is the Curiosity Project all about?
There is a strong impulse and desire within Mennonite communities to go out into the world and serve others. Service is a pillar of our faith, but in a complex and constantly changing world, how do we know whom and where to serve? By the time we respond to the needs of others, new needs pop up and pull us in different directions. The result is that in our earnest desire to serve others, to use the gifts God has given us to live into the mission of the Church (1 Cor. 12:1-27, 1 Peter 4:7-11), our attention and impact are easily fractured and frustrated.
But what happens if we seek God's direction before we get to work? If we take time to first be curious about what God's dream is for our church's neighborhood and how we can be a part of that, how does that change things? Taking time to be curious invites us into God's work, makes more space for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and helps us be transformed by our neighbors and neighborhoods in ways that aren't possible when our service is directed by our individual drive and initiative.
This Curiosity Project is a year-long discernment process, sponsored by Salford's Justice and Peace Team, and they:
Discernment and mission are congregation-wide work, so please join us in this project!
There is a strong impulse and desire within Mennonite communities to go out into the world and serve others. Service is a pillar of our faith, but in a complex and constantly changing world, how do we know whom and where to serve? By the time we respond to the needs of others, new needs pop up and pull us in different directions. The result is that in our earnest desire to serve others, to use the gifts God has given us to live into the mission of the Church (1 Cor. 12:1-27, 1 Peter 4:7-11), our attention and impact are easily fractured and frustrated.
But what happens if we seek God's direction before we get to work? If we take time to first be curious about what God's dream is for our church's neighborhood and how we can be a part of that, how does that change things? Taking time to be curious invites us into God's work, makes more space for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and helps us be transformed by our neighbors and neighborhoods in ways that aren't possible when our service is directed by our individual drive and initiative.
This Curiosity Project is a year-long discernment process, sponsored by Salford's Justice and Peace Team, and they:
- Invite the congregation to go out into the community and be guests among strangers,
- So that we might encounter others in humility and curiosity,
- In order to discern God’s dream for our neighborhood.
Discernment and mission are congregation-wide work, so please join us in this project!
A Few Starting Points
A core value of this project is that the work of churches is local. We aren't just called to love our metaphorical neighbors, but the real ones right next door! For this project we are defining our neighborhood as Souderton Area School District. Given that the majority of our congregants live within these borders and there are many shared resources and community institutions, we feel like this context makes the most sense for Salford.
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Check out the sermon Tori and Andrew delivered to introduce the project. It provides an in-depth look at the purpose and spirit of the project.
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Monthly Spiritual Practices
Each month we invite the congregation to participate in a different spiritual practice. Our hope is that consistent engagement in these practices helps us sense where God is leading our congregation and be more present in the entirety of our neighborhood rather than gravitating towards the areas we're accustomed to engaging. Click on the button for each month to read the monthly practice. If you're new to the project, we invite you to go back to the previous months' practices so you get to experience the fullness of the project.