Members seek a 'third place'
KENSINGTON - The Justice & Compassion team of St. Paul?s UMC brought members together to talk about how their church can be a 'third place,' a safe place for members to engage in dialogue about critical issues affecting the community and country.
Mike McCurry a Democrat, and David Stegmaier, a Republican, led the discussion April 15. They used as a framework, Ray Oldenburg?s book, 'The Great Good Place,' in which the author states that most Americans divide their time between home and work, and suggests a third place is needed, a place where individuals can build and sustain long-term relationships, mutual trust and respect, and feel a sense of community.
For St. Paul?s to be such a place, 'it needs to provide spiritual grounding and nourishment so that members can express care and concern outside of themselves and be inspired to serve and connect with other people,' said Jon Melegrito.
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