Our Values
Written by Craig Broek, co-founding pastor
Bible as a Guide
We come from a diversity of religious and nonreligious backgrounds. Craig is an ordained pastor. All of you (and those who have participated in the past) have a wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and spiritual experience. And so while I am ordained and have an official title, our community value is not necessarily to promote one particular creed, confession, doctrine, or set of beliefs. However, we do commit to approaching the sacred text with curiosity and reverence, inviting God to have authority - and I recognize the loadedness of that term - and to speak and reveal truth and wisdom to us.
We Eat Together
The Feast was intentionally chosen as the name for this gathering because it signifies the abundance that is present when community comes together. We have always been a community that contributes. It is also an expression of celebration and identification that whenever we eat together, Christ is present among us. This ordinary act is also a sacred act of the community. And in my tradition, I was always disappointed by the small square of crustless bread and thimble full of grape juice. The Eucharist has not always been a part of the Feast, but it has become an essential part of our gathering, done in the context of a meal shared with friends just as Jesus did.
Intergenerational
We’ve had the fortunate circumstances of bridging generations in our gatherings. One of our first farm interns was a 60-something year old woman who has become a dear friend. And we have the fortunate circumstances of having kids - both middle aged like mine and newborns. We believe that there is wisdom and joy to be found whenever communities - especially this one - bring generations together.
Participatory
Everyone has something to contribute, whether it’s food for the meal, a perspective or question for the conversation, a talent or gift in support of the community. We value everyone’s ability to participate. At points in the past we have separated the kids from the conversation but have found that when invited to participate, the younger members have valuable input. It can be a bit noisy and chaotic from time to time, but liturgy is the work of the people and a reflection of life. Together, everyone gets to participate.
Welcoming
And that leads into our value of radical hospitality. We are an open community and welcome anyone who is led to participate. The rule of St. Benedict applies: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.”
Liturgy
Is a Greek word formed from two Greek words meaning “people” and “work." Liturgy literally means the work of the people. In my experience, the work of the people in worship includes both activity and conversation. Sometimes the activity is actively creative (to the chagrin of some); sometimes the activity is quiet and contemplative; sometimes it is spoken and sometimes it is sung. For us the liturgy also involves conversation, one in which God speaks to us, we speak with God, and we speak with one another. The story of God, the collective story of community, and the individual stories of our friends are of high value in this space and we will always create and protect space for story to be told and for story to be lived.
