During our “Speaking the Truth in Love” series, we talked about the importance of sharing our feelings rather than our thoughts (or judgments) when speaking our truth. It is sometimes difficult to figure out the two, however! This Feelings List from the Bay Area Nonviolent Communication chapter can be very helpful with that. You can find out more about their work at www.baynvc.org. The List is used with permission.
By Outreach Committee FMCSF CORE VALUES and PRACTICES in italics. Can be found on our website here. 2017 OUTREACH COMMITTEE STRATEGIES & TACTICS found below each of the core values and practices. First Mennonite Church of San Francisco strongly identifies with its rich Anabaptist heritage, believing that we are here to help bring about the realm…
Our “Back to the Basics” series this year is “Speaking the Truth in Love.” During our Education Hours, we are focussing on building skill and capacity for having difficult conversations. This first Education Hour delves into the skill of “Leading with Presence.” I heard of some difficulties people were having with the content of this…
By D. Byram This story is called, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Get Arrested … but Nebuchadnezzar gets BURNED! Before I start, let me just say that any city named Babylon is bound to be number ten on the top ten most touristy places to visit in central-wherever we are. Anyways, the King of Babylon, this…
During our Lenten series on Christian mysticism called “A Voice to Call Us Home,” people at First Mennonite shared a story or a reflection related to the theme. This reflection is by Karin Holsinger, who gave it on the first Sunday of Lent, March 6. This is the story of how I became a mystic……
By Outreach Committee Background: Over the last couple years the Outreach Committee has begun the practice of drafting a vision document to highlight the work of our congregation in the world. Part of our role as a committee is to take a step back and notice all of these efforts and hold them up for…
Greetings, community. Almost two years ago, our congregation adopted a scent policy and we have been living into it since then. The policy states: “First Mennonite Church of San Francisco would like all services to be accessible to those with chemical sensitivities. Please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, and scented products. This is also the…