Why are you launching in October?“I thought you were a church right now?” Believe it or not, we hear these questions a lot. What exactly do we mean when we say that we’re launching Soma in October? Simply put, from now until Sunday, October 5, 2008 we are developing everything we need to in order to start Soma’s weekly worship gatherings and ministry systems. We think a community of Christ-Followers is healthier when it begins with certain things in place (worship, service, a safe place for kids) then if we just begin right now. In other words, we want to be intentional about making Soma outward focused and in rhythm with our mission to be Jesus to the people around us.
So…what do I do now?
Right now, we are organizing everything on our launch team around 5 basic LiFE group areas (groups of people doing life together):
Worship & Creative Arts: everything from worship teams to implementing art to sound and multimedia, these teams have a lot of the “right brained” people of Soma on them. For more information or to get involved, contact Matt McClain (matt@somasalem.org).
Service: faith in action, these teams are always looking for new ways to serve people in our local community, no strings attached. For more information or to get involved, contact Julie Hilty (julie@somasalem.org).
Soma Kidz: crucial to providing a safe and fun atmosphere for kids to experience Jesus and spiritual formation in our faith community. For more information or to get involved, contact Jacque Elliott (jacque@somasalem.org).
Pathways: at Soma, we are all about helping people to take the next faith step in their lives (no matter what the starting point). Pathways people tend to be our more “left brained” people and may involve everything from providing food and coffee after worship to helping new people integrate into the Soma community. For more information or to get involved contact Dwayne Hilty (dwayne@somasalem.org).
Spiritual Seeker Groups: doing life together, these are typically groups of 6-12 people who explore faith and experience community together. These include anything from our Ladies LiFE group to our Men’s LiFE Group (still forming) to H20 groups. For more information or to get involved, contact Dwayne Hilty (dwayne@somasalem.org).
These groups typically meet on their own during the week (times and locations vary), making room once a month for us to worship together as Soma community. Honestly, the best way for you to connect with what Soma is doing is to plug into one of these areas.
We need you!
So here’s the deal... we need you. We believe that the healthiest way to start a new community of Christ-Followers in West Salem is to gather as many different people as we possibly can. So, whether you’re a long-time Christ-Follower, someone who’s been burned by church, or mildly interested in spirituality, you absolutely have a place within the Soma community. Soma is not the kind of place where we pretend to have all of life figured out. That is to say, questions are ok. Being honest about your doubts is ok. Using your unique abilities and passions to explore faith is ok.
We are passionate about Jesus and want to take the journey of faith with you.