You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with fatness. Psalm 65:11

Our shared life is rich with time spent together, from worship and study to retreats in the redwoods to birthday parties and backyard barbecues to that staple of community life: meetings. The days, weeks and seasons take on the rhythm of our gatherings and celebrations, and we try to remember that the spirit of gratitude for our life together is what greases the wheels.

“Nothing taken for granted; everything received with gratitude; everything passed on with grace.” G. K. Chesterton

Weekly Gatherings

Our weekly schedule of gatherings consists of worship, Bible teaching, and a members meeting, which we have termed our “Discernment Meeting.” Our worship service on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. and our study time on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. are open to visitors. Both of these gatherings are held at 1129 Florida St. Occasionally there are exceptions, as noted below, so it would be wise to talk to us before you come.

Regular time & break time

We live by a schedule that consists of “regular time” interspersed with “break times.” During regular time we all try and be here. That is, we try and defer travel and non-emergency absences until break times. During regular time we follow our weekly schedule of activities. During break we are free to leave and all regular meetings are canceled. Those not traveling are encouraged to attend worship services elsewhere.

Special celebrations

After years of experimenting with inventing our own schedule, we are now learning the value of following the church calendar of seasons, beginning each year with Advent, followed by the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas.

We begin Lent with an Ash Wednesday service to remind us of why we need a savior, proceed through the forty days of Lent meditating with daily scripture readings on the necessity of the cross and on our need for forgiveness, and end with an observance of Good Friday and Holy Saturday when we prepare for Easter by reflecting on Jesus’ death in our own approach to the Stations of the Cross. Easter has been a central celebration of the year for Christians since the earliest days of church history. We set Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday through Easter, at the heart of our church life and worship.

While not a part of the traditional church calendar, we celebrate Thanksgiving as an important expression of gratitude for God’s goodness to us and a time to feast together family style.

In addition to these and a few other standard church celebrations, we have invented one of our own, the Celebration of Yahweh’s Kingship, which we celebrate on the Fourth of July as a reminder of whom we ultimately swear allegiance to. It’s also the day which all Sojourners anticipate with equal parts of fear and joy as the time we celebrate our annual Lack Of Talent Show. For more thorough explaination of this celebration, read Debbie Gish’s sermon The Celebration of Yahweh’s Kingship.