The theme for our program year is “The Welcome of a Steadfast God: Inviting All the Questions.” With that great theme in mind, we have begun collecting faith statements from congregation members of all walks of life. The pastors have identified specific individuals who have been invited to share. We expect that this project will illustrate the diversity of experience of this church community, reconnect our faith to our shared church life, and tell Central’s story in a new way. From September 2026 to August 2027, you can expect to learn the faith stories of your fellow church community members in the Faith Statements Project.
The foundation of my faith is Christian. The words and hymns that I grew up with in the Episcopal church are sources of comfort to me. What I’ll write about here is my understanding of a three-part God, my connection to faith through prayer, and my practice of faith at Central.
I believe in a mysterious and loving Creator God who, despite not being fully knowable to me, is always with me. Alpha and Omega, beginning and end.
It is important to learn from Christ’s example. It seems like this should be easier than I find it to be. After all, the Bible gives us the stories, and generations of interpretation are available. Somehow, however, God in human form is a challenging notion for me.
In my mind, Holy Spirit is what connects us to one another. Spirit moves between and among us and guides us to compassion. I do not know why this is easier for me to relate to than an embodied God.
Maybe one of the things I love most about my faith is that it contains unknowns. I can’t explain the idea of a three-part God or what happens in the practice of communion. Maybe the not knowing is what keeps me grounded.
Prayer is my communication with God. It gives me the conviction that God exists. I’m not saying that I’m good at praying—I don’t have a regular prayer practice, and I’m not comfortable praying aloud in free form. Nevertheless, my conversation with Creator is always there, even when I don’t perceive it. When I remember to be in conversation with God, I recall that I’m not alone, that I don’t live for myself, and that God goes before me and surrounds me in ways that are unknowable.
Church is one of the settings for the practice of my faith. The ministries of Central offer opportunities to use my hands and listening in cooperation with others to do the things that I think a loving God wants the people to do. Life is happening in the learning, in the repetition until we can improve, and in the striving for better.
You can watch the video interview with Abigail below!