"Do you like Jesus...but not the church?"

Well, many of the people who are part of this new community being launched out of Arlington United Methodist Church would agree with the question that Pastor Dan Kimball poses.

About a year and a half ago, a small group of friends were inspired to begin a project called Faith Renaissance to help close the gap that is often present between Jesus and organized religion.  With a desire to pattern our lives after Jesus and a willingness to open up our imaginations to what might be -- we began having conversations with young adults and many others living in our community about what a new faith community might look like.

At the top of the list was a need among Christians and non-Christians living in an extremely diverse community to begin DEVELOPING AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS with one another. We also discovered, good coffee is a definite must that goes hand in hand with this first priority (preferably free-trade coffee, of course!).

We also learned that creatviity is a part of the very fabric of our community and this led us to create an Art Studio located on site at Arlington UMC specifically dedicated to EXPLORING THE ARTS AND SPIRITUALITY.  Marnie Montgomery joined the team as our Artist-in-Residence and is often now seen creating in the studio and hosting a variety of experiences for the community at large.  This also led us to re-purpose the back of the Sanctuary as a working Art Gallery, which exhibits the work of local artists on a rotating basis.

We also committed ourselves to LIVING MISSIONALLY in the world with a strong focus on serving others and sharing love in tangible ways.  Sean Drummond, our pastor of Congregational Care, seeks to build bridges across all generations. 

Most of all, we long for LAUGHTER TO ABOUND in all that we do and to not take ourselves too seriously!  We have come to believe that yes, it is possible to be Christian and to have fun!

If you're interested in becoming a part of this new faith community on the ground floor, we'd love to get to know you better -- 

Joy in the journey,
Pastor Abi

If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well: keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by actions, is dead.James 2:16-17