A World Cafe Winner, by Ken Baierl

The congregation at Sunnyside Church rose to the occasion once again on Sunday. Most of you had never participated in a World Café discussion. The Stepping Stones team had never organized one. No one knew what to expect at the Conference on the Present. But at the end of a two-hour, robust discussion of our culture and our church, we knew each other better, we were a little smarter, and we had taken another step in our journey to discern God’s call for Sunnyside Church.

The Fellowship Hall was buzzing with conversation, as we reflected in small groups and then all-together about the challenges facing Sunnyside in today’s culture and the strengths at Sunnyside that help us deal with the issues of an exhausting, self-centered, instant gratification, 24/7 society. There were nearly 100 people around 24 tables that changed five different times in a World Café conversation. The Stepping Stones team collected nearly 50 table-top sheets with notes, drawings and doodles that captured the individual discussions. We have a treasure-trove of information from the youngest participant to the oldest. When combined with the notes from the Conference on the Past and the knowledge gained from two recent sermon series/Bible studies, the Stepping Stones team and the congregation are walking the path to discernment together. We have not arrived at our destination but I believe we are on the right track. Thank you for your participation, ideas, energy and support. More to come.