“The church, then… must be above all a school of love. If it’s not that, it’s nothing. Its goal is not simply to pump knowledge into people, but to train them in the “way of love,” so they may do the “work of the Lord,” empowered by the Holy Spirit, as the embodiment of Christ.”
- Brian McLaren: A New Kind of Christianity
Companions on the Way began with a group of people who realized that, while we Christians regularly talk about loving like Jesus, we so rarely actually learn how. Inspired by the above quote by Brian McLaren, we developed a "School of Love" as our primary expression of worship.
We gather weekly to discuss a relational topic, guided by Jesus' teachings in Holy Scripture, and supported by the writings of Wisdom Teachers from various backgrounds. Such wisdom teachers include Martin Buber, Ivan Nagy, Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, teachers of the Enneagram, and many other mystics and contemplatives.
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Using such teachings, we learn how to grow in our own spirituality and relational practices and, therefore, our ability to love like Jesus. This, then, becomes the mission of our community. To have more loving encounters with each person and part of God's creation every day, thereby bring God's Realm of Heaven more fully into the world, one encounter at a time.