THIS WEEK ECHOES HAD ITS FIRST-EVER ANNUAL MEETING. (One down, more to go...)

Not wanting to be predictable we called this the "Vowel Meeting," in honor of the acronym EAEOI, which stands for "Exploring And Expanding Our Identity." As was pointed out on Facebook, however, in the future we will be sure to incorporate the letter Y, lest any vowels feel left out!

The four-hour meeting felt more like two, and the gathering served to help us all understand who we are and what we're doing in this rag-tag experimental church. The eighteen of us who gathered at the RE Store found ourselves enjoying the community, even if some of the dialogue was new or slightly uncomfortable.

These are some of the values of Echoes that we came up with (as experienced by Echoites, rather than determined values that are in theory only):

Radical authenticity and belonging
exploring mystery
blessing
learning
rooted in faith
inclusive
caring for all creation
experencing God everywhere

In our conversation about why Echoes exists, the first and foremost comment was, "because Jesus existed." This sums it up well. This little Jesus-following church is stridently trying be a presence of Jesus here in Bellingham. We're made up of people who are on very different points in their spiritual path, yet who choose to press into God within the context of the community of this funky church.

If you're a praying type, please keep Echoes in your prayers. Even though we have made significant gains toward becoming a church that has a positive impact in Bellingham, we are still very much in process.