For Real financial commitments to Gilead for 2022
Here at Gilead, we like to joke around.
And we’ve been cute about the "pledge campaign" in the past. Maybe too cute. So cute, in fact, that sometimes people didn't know what was going on.
But this is serious:
We’re asking you to give for real. For real stories, real community, real parties, real fun, real butter, real life. It’s a place to bring your real.
We’ve asked Gileadites to tell in worship about “a real Gilead moment.” On Nov 21st, Lily Stark shared this:
The prompt of finding a “real Gilead moment” is tricky for me partly because I feel like I have those every week. So, in an attempt to stay on-trend (#hipwiththekids), I have compiled a list of Gilead Green Flags that I have experienced over the past year or so of attending:
Green Flag #1: It was my non-Christian girlfriend’s idea to start attending together and she routinely feels accepted and like no one is trying to convert her.
Green Flag #2: My habit of openly weeping during every church service I attend is never judged or misunderstood and I believe shared by some of you #safespace
Green Flag #3: The beer advent calendar from last year!
Green Flag #4: The reactions I get from non-church-going Christians in my life when I describe Gilead to them has been consistently positive and hopeful.
Green Flag #5: The fact that I’ve never seen a child be reprimanded or restricted from acting like a child during the service.
Green Flag #6: There is no such thing as “proper church attire” here and I never have to feel worry or shame over my appearance while I’m here.
Green Flag #7: The time I asked in the Zoom chat how many f-words we were allowed to use per week and Vince replied that “four is what feels most worshipful.”
Green Flag #8: The literal Pride flags that hang over our communion table every week.
Green Flag #9: How many times I’ve come home from church smelling like a campfire.
Green Flag #10: The bravery you all show every time you tell a story. There is so much trust in the vulnerabilities you share with us as a community and I couldn’t feel more honored to be a part of that.