With the beautiful yellow, orange, and red colors bursting all around us it was abundantly clear we were transitioning to the long season of dormancy. And yet, on this day, we were all about new life…about resurrection!
It began with a very imaginative conversation. Others were then invited to share their visions. This can often be the most challenging part of the process. Once there was clarity from this imaginative phase, the next step was engaged: implementation. And now that ‘it’ has come to fruition, any and all are being asked to reimagine all the possibilities.
Two weeks ago we held our first gathering at the new ECMN Retreat Center, located on the beautiful campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault. It was a historical moment for countless reasons as we once again occupied the space that was the birthplace of Seabury Seminary. It was, at its core, a time for truly reclaiming our deep, missional roots.
It was also incredibly iconic of a Missional Innovative Partnership between ECMN and Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Missional, as in engaging and sending; Innovative, as in imagining – implementing – re-imagining; and Partnership, as in building capacity.
What I now invite all of us in ECMN to do is to begin to imagine all the possibilities of how you could utilize your new retreat center…especially as you and your faith community explore possible Missional Innovative Partnerships.