Church Reimagined

“This is so much of what I've been craving since becoming a Christian: a stripping away of all inessentials and a focus on interactive learning, collaboration, and action.

I joined a couple services I've wanted to support for a long time, like WestGate Church Saratoga Campus. I also felt drawn to Echo.Church North San Jose again. Both so nourishing and enlightening.

And THEN I got to experience Zoom Church for the first time! Wow. My friends Clint Adams and Jennifer Adams invited me to their church, Revive San Francisco, where I felt instantly welcome with lovely chat messages. About 40 people were there - a diverse mix of ages and ethnicities.

Worship was led by a woman named Amy in her living room with a simple guitar. I immediately decided to close all other tabs and just soak in this beautiful gathering. We all sang, and then Clint shared an enlightening, relevant, accessible message about sickness, along with a handout we could follow along with.

THEN the best part: The host seamlessly divvied us up into breakout rooms where we DISCUSSED the sermon with ~5 others. Praise God! How I have missed this. We shared our own stories, talked about how to apply the sermon, and then prayed for each other.

At long last, I had interaction today! The whole way through. It was intimate, anointed, and motivating. I came away with tips on new ways of showing love for my neighbors and colleagues. And I have clarity on the purpose and structure of a blog post I am writing later today for Salesforce (which my breakout room prayed about). I also have new empathy for what others are going through and feel connected with my brothers and sisters all up and down the peninsula.

Grateful for this opportunity to experience "church reimagined". Amen!”

-Sue Warnke