At the start of each new year, Pastor Carrie takes a silent retreat to pray about and develop the year's particular focus for our mission and vision. Here are the highlights for our 2026 focus!
Did you know that each year TCL also creates an image to focus on? This year's image is of a campfire beneath a dark night sky, with one especially bright star in the distance. The flames in the fire represent Hope, and the absolutely crucial role of all of us nurturing the spark of Hope, keeping the flame alive in troubling times of great uncertainty for the world and for ourselves.
This was partially inspired by the story of the 3 wise men from the Christian Bible, and their journey to see the newborn baby Jesus. What stood out this year was the wisdom of their journey. Guided only by a star and their faith, the wise men did not know what they would find, yet they faithfully followed. Their willingness to embark on an inconvenient and uncertain journey allowed God’s story for humanity to unfold in its fullest purpose. (Our Advisory Council member Rev. Matt Gaventa's early 2026 sermon jumpstarted this reflection.)
Friends, we are entering a year that feels more uncertain and unstable than past years, both for us as a ministry and for many of us as individuals and households. Yet the growing need for our mission, combined with over 13 years of gained wisdom, has us gathered around these flames of Hope, and eagerly ready to stoke them, with trust in God's guidance as our North Star. This journey has always required faithful risk, and we trust that every step forward will advance God’s vision for humanity: Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love through a curious, considered and grounded Faith or belief system.
Our vision remains to explore innovative paths of spiritual growth and hope, building community for all, and discovering the Church’s future and the future of faith practice.
TCL innovates in order to nurture Hope, Joy, Faith, and Peace through Love of neighbor, and we accomplish this in 3 ways:
As a spiritual home—offering a center to deepen faith-like practice and spiritual growth for all.
As a bridgebuilding lab—practicing peacebuilding through dialogue and equipping community members to bring it into daily life.
As a hub for innovative ministry and community building—a place for curiosity, creativity, and resilience, allowing participants to return to their communities with greater impact.
In short, TCL is an innovation hub for Hope!
At the heart of each of these 3 modes is dialogue. Dialogue fosters spiritual growth, builds peace amid division, and is itself an expression of innovative ministry.
For this reason, we will continue to focus primarily on dialogue as our vehicle for hope and transformation. Just some of the ways dialogue serves our mission include being a:
Spiritual Q&A forum
Peacebuilding lab
Friendship-building space
Tool sharpener for navigating daily division
Hub for hope and joy
Exercise in character building
For some, a spiritual home to evolve and mature one's faith practice
For all, a community to connect, learn, and dig deeper
As tensions rise, we are aware that peacebuilding through dialogue is sometimes mistaken for weakness or neutrality. Yet it proves ever more courageous. As our efforts grow more vital to community reconciliation and the flourishing of our world, dialogue—and the hope it nurtures—remains at the center of all we do.
This year, our commitment is to remain faithful to dialogue as both practice and vision. We will continue to meet uncertainty with trust, to meet division with connection, and to meet resistance with courage. Just as the wise men followed the star without knowing the outcome, we move forward with hope, guided by the spark of possibility that each dialogue can ignite in our communities. In doing so, we carry forward a vision of the Church and of the world that is alive with faith, hope, joy, peace and love for every neighbor, and for every stranger.