An Invitation to Talk Faith

Welcome to the Practicing Our Faith Blog for BUMC! Each month throughout the year we have been exploring this theme (based on the book Practicing Our Faith, Dorothy Bass, ed.) in worship, study, and mission by highlighting a different Christian practice. The practice of the month for March is Testimony and we've expanded our focus by a week on either side to make it the focus for all of Lent. In the spirit of the NPR series, This I Believe (check out their website, www.ThisIBelieve.org for more info), we are encouraging members and friends to post their own testimonies on this blog, on our TWB Grafeeti Board in the church Narthex, or to send them to us in written or audio form via our website (www.bumcmd.org). What we are really after is a dialog about our core beliefs and values, some honest testimony about how we live our lives in the light of God's grace, a collage of expressions that we are calling This We Believe. I invite you to be part of the conversation.

Here's a sample of some of our first contributions:

"I believe in the strength of the people within these walls and beyond and the strength I have received from them. I believe in God"
(from the Grafeeti Board)

"I believe in approaching faith as a seeker. As far back as I can remember, I’ve had questions about faith. Sometimes in Christian circles the term "seeker" can have negative connotations – some synonyms I’ve heard include "unchurched," "unsaved," or "immature Christian." For some time I feared these labels, and worse, feared that they might be accurate...

I believe in the power of study, church communities, and relationships with other people of faith. I have found that none of these, alone, provides all the answers, but together they help reveal and display God’s character, and I am grateful for the ways they have deeply shaped my beliefs. I believe in both the personal (prayer, relationship, obedience) and communal (service, justice) aspects of faith, and that one without the other is incomplete. I believe in the richness found in other faith traditions, though they are not home to me. I believe that, for me, matters of faith most often involve deciphering shades of gray, rather than reading plain black-and-white, and involve listening for God’s whisper, rather than loud trumpets and cymbals.

I see now that my searching has not been a straying from, but a running toward. I believe in this journey, and I believe it is worth everything to keep running."
(Laura Derr, BUMC Member)

"I believe that God is at work everywhere"
(Guest appearance by Rev. Rachel on the Grafeeti Board).

So what is it you believe?