4. "maintaining 'one foot in, one foot out" of Union Church"

We trounced into worship at Union Church a little over three years ago just for the sake of supporting a friend who was having a first day at the microphone. We came back because (unlike every other church we knew about) they let children be around. Then we met people. And overlap between what we did during the week and who we saw at those Sunday worship gatherings started happening. And particular parts of what Union is all about resonated with us and intermingled with other things we were interested in and learning about. And Josh's job sort of moved to South Lake Union. So now there is a neighborhood where we can be rooted geographically--live/work/worship/etc.

It seems that whatever we do, if it has a foot in Union, it just feels so much more right. As if doing so helps us stay rooted. Union's vision is compatible with ours. So, having other people from Union alongside us is like having a backbone. It's as if people from all over the region are there to support who we really are and what South Lake Union can really be like. Union, as part of University Presbyterian, and the whole denomination, represents the tradition that the people of God have worked through over the years. We need to be part of this larger Christian community focused on South Lake Union, and we need to work alongside people who are also a part of it.

What does it look like, you might ask, to maintain one foot in and one foot out of Union Church? For me, it simply means that some people are part of Union and some people aren't. So, if this group that we're describing on this blog ever forms, we hope that at least half of the people will be a part of Union's core practices in some way, and that some people won't. We love overlap.

(We are heading up a South Lake Union based group seeking to be intentional about: 1. moving into close geographical proximity to one another 2. supporting one another through daily community practices that help us follow Jesus 3. connecting ourselves and our resources to the people of South Lake Union 4. maintaining "one foot in, one foot out" of Union Church)