Membership Paper
Sandy Walter
I am thankful for Living Water church community. When I first attended a Sunday gathering in 2014, I remember feeling refreshed by what I experienced as a Spirit-centered worship service. There was a noticeable lack of ego-driven interactions and production, as well as a wide space of embrace for humanness and creativity of the Spirit. This was right around the time that Matthew and I were dating and getting engaged. Sally and Orwin facilitated our premarital counseling, and we continued to come to Sunday services as well as be peripherally involved with Reba Place Fellowship. After we got married that June, we moved to Denver to be present to Matthew’s family. Even as we were part of a church there, we found ourselves missing LWCC and feeling a pull back to Chicago. After 2 years in Denver, it was becoming clear that it was not a sustainable home for us, yet our desire for roots and thick community continued to deepen. As we held the question of "where?" before God, it was slowly and kindly revealed that we were to move to Rogers Park and let our roots grow here. After a summer abroad, we entered into a year of discerning with Reba Place Fellowship and moved into the 1545 W Pratt building. It has been wonderful to be back here and it feels like home on a level that I haven't felt before. Living Water has been a big part of that and I am seeking to continue to learn from and contribute to what makes this body what it is. As we've been around more, I've experienced more than refreshing Sunday services. I've witnessed a commitment to bearing each other's burdens, seeking justice, and living into the reality of who Jesus is together. I have experienced my own blind spots being transformed by this community and more of a healthy demand to offer myself as a human rather than just an attender. While I became captivated by who Jesus is when I was 13, and have been part of different small groups, I have never become a member of a church until now. Membership of a church community has always felt intimidating to me. It was not modeled for me as I grew up without any religious tradition, I have felt skeptical of my own ability to have much to offer, and fearful of associating myself with a group that could be deeply hurtful. Amidst all of that, I am excited about committing to LWCC as a member! I am trusting that even as disillusionment comes, I will continue to offer of myself, my time, and resources because I want to be part of how the Good News is revealed in this place.