When Christmas isn’t Joyful
That Advent wasn't joyful. There would be no new ornament for the Christmas Tree --- until we saw THE BIRD.
A Sending, Not an Ending: Pentecost and Church Closure
Church closure is not the end of the Spirit’s work in a community. Good Friday Collaboration co-Founder Chelsey Hillyer remembers Pentecost as a sending, not an ending.
Resurrection in Closing Congregations
Good Friday Collaborative was born out of a desire to offer support and insight to clergy and congregations in the process of closure. Our name points to the reminder that all resurrection requires death, and that death is not to be avoided at all costs.
And at the same time, we are people of the resurrection! Two of our collaborators led their congregations’ final services on Easter Sunday, and offer reflections on what that was like for them.
Lent, Lasts, & Other Holy Things
Can last things be holy? What can we learn as we navigate last things and encounter scripture anew?
Becoming Dust: Ash Wednesday in Dying (and Thriving) Congregations
In a culture consumed with prolonging youth and liveliness, even the word “death” is taboo, as we have been taught to defer to euphemisms that might avoid the discomfort of that reality. Yet no matter how much we cling to signs of life, death is just around the corner., which is why it is so incredibly vital to name:
I will die. You will die. We will die.
Celebrating Advent as a Closing Congregation
When a congregation is about to close, here are some DOs and DON’Ts for your last Advent.
A Prayer for Remembering Saint Congregations
This All Saints Day prayer from the Good Friday Collaborative recognizes "saint congregations," legacy churches that have closed, merged, or concluded visible ministry.
Remembering Saint Congregations on All Saints Day
As you remember individual saints on All Saints Day, we invite you to join us in remembering saint congregations: Those communities that have made room for you to experience love, to find formation, and to build relationships with those who taught you what it meant to be a person of faith. Even if the church no longer worships together. Perhaps especially, then. Every good work accomplished through those congregations continues to live in you.
A Blessing for Good Friday
When congregations close, it can feel like a perpetual Good Friday.
This blessing is for you.
You are not alone.