Feb 20 2017 26 mins
Katie Hays and I had church. Church happened. And it's happening now, as you read these words. And it will happen again when you hit 'play.' Katie told us about church moments beyond the church hour and walls. She told us about the random moment when a cell phone interruption identified church happening in her living room. Katie didn't recognize church happening then but she recognized it in our podcast. We recognized our church journey as threaded from a moment when she had church in the 'gayborhood.' And that thread goes back and back and back. Join us today as we pick up the thread and participate in church, in whatever form it is present to you, and move onward with courage.
After many years in ministry, I don't think Katie Hays wants anyone rattling off her titles, schools and degrees. (Katie, just avert your eyes and ears for a moment. I'm sorry.) The Rev. Dr. Katie Hays has been to MIT, Princeton, Yale, has a lifetime in the Church, about 20 years in traditional ministry, lives in Texas and jumped ship from traditional ministry about 3 years ago. Now she's planted a church in Mansfield, TX ... where there are plenty of churches.
I'm really guessing about how she feels about being in the spotlight. If she wanted to elevate herself I'm guessing she would have remembered to tell me she's got a doctoral degree! I barely discovered it on my own before publishing the episode, thanks to someone's 5-star review on iTunes and an interview with the Pension Fund of the Christian Church.
I'm just going to share some of the items published by Galileo Church and let you marry those with what she says in the interview to create your experience of Katie. I believe Katie is truly being a conduit of both her community and God. All her personal God-given gifts are being applied, her math/science/engineering, her artistic creativity, her courage, her writing and her interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. But while all that is happening her ego and self are laid low in service and kindness to a much greater happening. That's just me. Feel free to tell me what you see under this episode's posting on The Coffeepot Fellowship Facebook Page.
On Twitter (@Galileo_Church), Galileo Church describes itself like this:
A quirky, LGBTQ+friendly church seeking spiritual refugees in Mansfield, Texas. Who would Jesus love?
On Facebook they write:
Galileo Church has four missional priorities. (In other words, what do believe God is calling us to DO?)
1. We do JUSTICE for LGBTQ people.
2. We do KINDNESS for people with mental illness or in emotional distress, and we welcome the non-neurotypical.
3. We do BEAUTY for our God-Who-Is-Beautiful.
4. We do RELATIONSHIP, for real, no bullshit, ever.
Posts on our page almost always reflect our commitment to these priorities. If they don't, please call us on it.
Mission Statement on Facebook:
Galileo Church exists to shelter spiritual refugees, rally spiritual health for all who come, and fortify every tender soul with strength to follow Jesus into a life of world-changing service.
“Spiritual refugees” are any for whom “church” has become painful, exclusive, boring, or irrelevant. If you're queer, doubtful, blue, science-y, skeptical, bruised... we are searching for you.
Millenials (born 1980-2000) are Galileo’s particular focus, but all are welcome, including our LGBTQ neighbors.
“A bruised reed [we] will not break, and a dimly burning wick [we] will not quench; [we] will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:3, modified)
In the end Katie and I agreed to share the good we're doing to keep the good going on. And so we coined the pay-it-forward notion "the good goes on." Feel free to greet the souls you meet with this greeting, "the good goes on." :) What are you doing to improve the world? You are keeping the good going.
Links:
That's What She Said (Podcast on iTunes)
Broken Stalks: Galileo Church Intro Video
Indigo Girls: Galileo Video