Well, it’s just about that time—I’m down to my last days at Hillel.  Hillel has been an integral part of my life for almost four years.  When we first started, we were a mish-mash group of young adults meeting behind the headquarters of our yearly meeting, in a rented space that we shared with countless others.  We had a little place in that room that was ours—it had a corkboard full of events, brochures, and pronouncements of our beliefs.  It had a calendar that featured a different beagle each month—a gift from me, of course. We sang, I preached, we worshipped.  We ate and talked, and made plans for the upcoming week.

That seems like a lifetime ago.  In October of 2005, we decided (with much pain and deliberation) to leave the rented space and begin house church.  I wrote about in an article for ESR magazine: 

After a time it became apparent that we still had not found ourselves.  This led to a painful journey that challenged us a community and as individuals.  In the end, we realized that if we were to have the intimate, authentic community we were seeking, we must abandon our building and go into our homes.  Thus began the “three week Hillel cycle”.  For three weeks at a time, we meet in one of our member’s homes for snacks, “catching up”, and silent worship.  We don’t focus on learning through a traditional sermon—I am among the few pastors who can say that’s not a part of my job.  Instead, we seek to learn through messages brought in Meeting, and through small groups that we call “shepherding groups”. The term “small groups” is misleading—Hillel only has 7 to 9 attendees, but we get together on a smaller scale in order to read, talk, and learn together about a subject of our choosing.  We also get together frequently for dinner, volunteering, movies, and other things that friends do.  Community and a relationship that’s interdependent upon God and each other is the very crux of Hillel’s existence; we don’t have any particular goals for the future—no big budget plans, no plan to move back into a building, no committees that may weigh us down. 

This is what makes Hillel unique.  This meeting literally flies by the seat of its ‘plain’ pants…  It is a Meeting with tremendous potential—but it will take work.  Hillel’s future depends on commitment in a variety of ways—attendance at worship and other Hillel functions, financial responsibility, making relationships with Hillel members a priority in one’s social life, and of course, committing to individual growth through the willingness to be tested, challenged, and changed.   

As I turn the ‘corner’ on my spiritual journey, and head elsewhere in Quakerdom, I encourage Hillel to jog along the path as well.  Don’t get too comfortable—God may throw a wrench in things (like asking the pastor to step down, and when she refused, pushing her off the invisible pulpit).  Let him challenge your beliefs and notions about the world, and let him guide you into the next phase of Hillel life.  Don’t get discouraged about numbers—believe me, quality within the meeting is always better than quantity.  Don’t let people make you feel inferior because you don’t have a building—remember, the early church never had buildings either, and they did just fine.  Don’t forget that while you’re Christians, you are also Quakers.  Never forget that.  If you  compromise Quakerism, then you threaten what is special about yourselves.  Remember, Quakers value peace, equality, simplicity, integrity, and community (among so many other things) because Christ first said we should.   

Don’t stop being a light in our community.  Stand up for what is fair, and what is from love.  Don’t let fear inhibit you—but when you speak up or stand up, do it gently, and always listen with an open mind to what your opponent says.  Remember, you have no enemies—that’s just not possible when you love Jesus.  You may have idiots in your life that make you so mad you see ‘red’, but always go back to that place of love, understanding, and forgiveness.  Remember what Jesus said to the people as he was traveling through their town:

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed.  Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light…” (Luke 8:16)

Remember that I love you, and will always be grateful for the opportunity you gave me.  I have enjoyed serving you, and will surely miss the banter, community, and even the aggravation that has become my life at Hillel.  We may not see each other as much as we used to, but take comfort in the knowledge that we are still members of the same community in Christ, and that I will be attempting to shine my light along with yours. 

In love & light,April

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