Quest exists to connect people. More accurately, we exist to help each other awaken to the reality of our already interconnectedness. We life and move in an ecosystem of relations. Each relationship invites our faithful presence. You might say that we are on a quest to discover a way of love reflective of a Triune vision of God. So as a community seek to help each other connect with ourselves, each other, our neighbors, the earth, systems, and the Divine. We have a variety of relatively unimpressive opportunities for people to meet, gather, and interact… they are listed below.
One of the challenges in having a “web-presence” is that it can make us look or sound far more organized than we are. Quest – a Christ Commons is an intentionally small group of people seeking to discover a way of love and connection in the Way of Christ.
Overtime we’ve developed a monthly rhythm for how and when we gather as a faith community. It is not our goal to fill people’s calendars with church activities, instead we choose – as best as we are able – to do life together. And we understand our faith community to exist to help remember (and discover) who we are, to collectively discern how to follow the Jesus Way into faithful presence within our particular contexts, and to rehearse practices and postures so that as we live our lives we are more likely to move toward God’s Shalomic imagination for creation.
While it may sound odd and a little bit clunky to some – at least for now – this rhythm is working for us. It is important to note this rhythm evolved over time. We certainly didn’t set out with this structure in mind. We just keep trying to listen and respond to that which is moving us toward life. That said, we have no expectation that this rhythm will always work for us. But, at least for now this is our pattern:
 | 1st Sunday of Each Month – THE MEAL On the first Sunday of each month we gather in a home to share a meal, conversation, and communion. |
 | 2nd Sunday of Each Month – EXPRESSION GATHERING On the second Sunday of each month we gather for the closest thing we do to a “regular worship service.” Our time is highly relational and conversational… some have even suggested it feels a bit like a family gathering. |
 | 3rd Sunday of Each Month – OPEN MIC On the third Sunday of each month we gather to share the work of our hearts, hands, minds, and voices. Everyone is invited to share something with our community: cookies, a story, a poem, a prayer, a reading, song, art, short video, etc. Its kinda like “stone soup worship.” |
 | Last Sunday – CONNECTING WEEKEND On the last Sunday of each month we rest from our gatherings. This is an intentional discipline to honor the particular relational needs we each have while trying to ensure our gatherings serve us rather than the other way around. |
 | Occasional 5th Sunday – NEIGHBORS COLLABORATING Those months with five Sundays we arrange to join another organization, nonprofit, school, church or sometimes we just find a person to serve in some practical way, this is less about starting something and more about joining, discovering, and blessing. |
 | Schedule is Set by You – GATHER WITH A FRIEND OR TWO As a collective we encourage each other to foster intentional friendships, what the Celts called, Anam Cara or “soul friend.” The person or people don’t need to be part of our collective. Its just really important to foster as least a few intentional and deep friendships. |
We call our faith community “Quest – A Christ Commons.” Like most aspects of our group’s existence, even our name has evolved and changed. We understand ourselves to be a local church. We gather in the name of Jesus the Christ from various traditions (mostly Christian traditions). We have found ourselves using the term “Commons” to express the idea that we collective steward an environment in which people are more likely than not to make the life giving connections they most need in their lives.
BTW – some people ask if we are connected to Quest Church in Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood pioneered by Eugene Cho. There is no formal connection between our communities, though Eugene and I are friends. While Interbay Quest is many times larger than our little community we were already gathering under this name for a number of years before they got started.
If you are looking for a church expression to “attend,” don’t bother with Quest… we don’t have have much to attend. We have no programs, no preaching, and no worship teams. However, if you are compelled to discover an even more full and meaningful life – or even just curious about what that might mean – then we might be your people, cause many of us are on such a quest. We don’t claim to have to have it figured out, rather we dare each other to practice faith, hope, and love.
Peace, dwight
