“If only more people like me knew there was a church like this, with these principles, with this kind of outreach and inclusivity — the church should be packed!”
– Adriana Vermaas, Fergus, Ontario
Hi, I am Adriana Vermaas and I am linked to the Community of Christ church by having attending four Connections Retreats. Just to be clear, I did not find the Community of Christ church — you found me. At a time when I was traveling through great loss in my life, I came across a Facebook post that was promoting a weekend retreat. Everything about the retreat was calling me to attend. Attending the retreat triggered a beautiful shift in my life. I am so grateful!
Having gown up in a very conservative Christian church I was introduced to a God I didn’t understand — it left me with soooo many unanswered questions and a longing for a deeper experience. My life has become that quest. Someone once said to me, “Preach the gospels as often as you can and use words only when absolutely necessary!” The first Connection Retreat embodied what that piece of advice means to me. Although never during our time together was there really any mention of “church” or “Christianity” — I could feel a loving energy. It felt like a safe space and place where God was pleased to dwell. (I did, however, take note of a poster outlining the Enduring Principles and there in small letters was “Community of Christ” and you can be sure that I googled it as soon as I arrived home.)
I am currently reading “The Universal Christ” by Richard Rohr. His teachings are confronting so many of my inner ardent questions. Here is a quote that I feel speaks directly to what Community of Christ and the Connections Retreats are living out: “The essential function of ‘religion’ is to radically connect us with everything. (‘Re-ligio’ means to ‘re-ligament’ or ‘re-connect’.) It is to help us see the world and ourselves in wholeness, and not just in parts.”
Being a part of this movement towards connection and wholeness as a community — a true community of Christ — this is where the electricity is coming from for me! In my life, the “God” experiences have always been deepest and most real when the Divine was reflected back to me by another person — most often they had no idea they were even doing this. (This is what happens at the retreats!)
Our culture is really, really good at helping us create a false sense of self: we are what we eat, we are what we wear, we are what we do, etc. We so badly need God/Divine/Source experiences! Daily! Because without them we won’t know who, or should I say, whose we are. That is what I would like to be a part of. That is what excites, energizes, and empowers me. I want to bring the God experience to those who need it most!
I have attended three Community of Christ church services: two in-person and one online. Although lightly attended, I thought of them as small, strong congregations. The experiences were beautiful. I have thought to myself in the past — if only more people like me, knew there was a church like this, with these principles, with this kind of outreach and inclusivity — the church should be packed!
I am delighted over and over again at the efforts and good works of this church team. You have not taken your foot off the gas pedal — always moving forward in creative ways and in love. Many thanks to you — so glad you found me!
Having gown up in a very conservative Christian church I was introduced to a God I didn’t understand — it left me with soooo many unanswered questions and a longing for a deeper experience. My life has become that quest. Someone once said to me, “Preach the gospels as often as you can and use words only when absolutely necessary!” The first Connection Retreat embodied what that piece of advice means to me. Although never during our time together was there really any mention of “church” or “Christianity” — I could feel a loving energy. It felt like a safe space and place where God was pleased to dwell. (I did, however, take note of a poster outlining the Enduring Principles and there in small letters was “Community of Christ” and you can be sure that I googled it as soon as I arrived home.)
I am currently reading “The Universal Christ” by Richard Rohr. His teachings are confronting so many of my inner ardent questions. Here is a quote that I feel speaks directly to what Community of Christ and the Connections Retreats are living out: “The essential function of ‘religion’ is to radically connect us with everything. (‘Re-ligio’ means to ‘re-ligament’ or ‘re-connect’.) It is to help us see the world and ourselves in wholeness, and not just in parts.”
Being a part of this movement towards connection and wholeness as a community — a true community of Christ — this is where the electricity is coming from for me! In my life, the “God” experiences have always been deepest and most real when the Divine was reflected back to me by another person — most often they had no idea they were even doing this. (This is what happens at the retreats!)
Our culture is really, really good at helping us create a false sense of self: we are what we eat, we are what we wear, we are what we do, etc. We so badly need God/Divine/Source experiences! Daily! Because without them we won’t know who, or should I say, whose we are. That is what I would like to be a part of. That is what excites, energizes, and empowers me. I want to bring the God experience to those who need it most!
I have attended three Community of Christ church services: two in-person and one online. Although lightly attended, I thought of them as small, strong congregations. The experiences were beautiful. I have thought to myself in the past — if only more people like me, knew there was a church like this, with these principles, with this kind of outreach and inclusivity — the church should be packed!
I am delighted over and over again at the efforts and good works of this church team. You have not taken your foot off the gas pedal — always moving forward in creative ways and in love. Many thanks to you — so glad you found me!
