Some 90 people had a dry and beautiful week at Inspiration Hills Camp and Retreat Center in northern Ohio, July 8-14 this summer. We gathered in this “swing state” to consider how God is calling the church and our country to become a Beloved Community, rather than a divided camp of political and theological combatants.  Each day we focused one of the key attributes of a beloved community, namely: a community that is Grounded in God, who loves all people, all creation; is Insistently Inclusive, Courageously Christian, follows Jesus’ way of being Consistently Compassionate, Prophetically Progressive, Oddly Organized, and Clearly Committed.  Through stories and music and community interaction, we opened ourselves to the holy so that our life and work and struggles could move in time with the Spirit of Life to help us become God’s Beloved Community.

Photo Credit: Arnold Platou