For this last post on our Clergy Conference, we look at some of the spiritual underpinnings of cota's community.
Like many other Emerging Churches and Fresh Expressions, cota has developed its own unique Rule of Life. (Moot also uses the term Rhythm of Life, and you can read about it here.)
COTA Rule of Life:
1.Love God and love neighbors
2. Give invitations and provide welcome
"Invitations" being the euphemism for evangelism!
3. Engage comunity and practice faith
4. Share stories and throw parties
Karen's favorite stories are the Gospel's Wedding Banquet and Prodigal Child parables)
5. Create art and exchange gifts
"Everyone's an artist" and "Creation is the greatest art project."
6. Renew culture and steward creation
Be a Green community
The Rule of Life also includes Weekly Eucharist, Daily Prayer, Scripture Reflection; and
Hospitality
Discernment
Tithing
Confession
Forgiveness
Fasting
Feasting
Annual Retreat
Pilgrimage: going to other parishes or places
Karen then showed slide of COTA's Virtues (which used to be called their Values) and definitions:
Generosity: Living abundantly
Graciousness: Living with grace
Thankfulness: Being a priest, living Eucharist
Humility: Ability to be honest and learn
Accountability: Ability to be responsible for what you do before God and others
Compassion. Ability to walk beside
Transformation: Capacity to change and grow
Obedience: Ability to follow and listen
Courage: Capacity to move through fear
Faith: Capacity to trust
Hope: Capacity to move forward
Love: Capacity to give yourself away
{cota's website has another statement of values which is also worth checking out, and you can do that here.}
Karen left us with this challenge:
Ask your parishioners: "Is anyone interested in starting a new kind of church and exploring what it might mean to be an emerging church?"
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