- been asked to leave a church or told you’re not a “good fit”?
- felt forced to conform or remain consistently overlooked?
- been told that you are loved but not your sin?
- questioned leadership or theology and found yourself on the outside?
- felt sad, angry, afraid, lost, or disoriented after painful church experiences?
i’m guessing some of you might have answered yes to one (or all!) of these questions! if you haven’t, you probably know someone who has. unfortunately, there’s a lot of church carnage out there. dear people who with good hearts who somehow ended up in the ranks of what we call “the walking wounded.” for all kinds of reasons, many have found themselves on the outs of the church and are wandering, disillusioned, disoriented, wondering “how in the $*!&$^!& did i end up here?”. i know the feeling. and how important it is to have other people to be able to share with so we feel less alone, less crazy, and can find some hope.
one thing that feels clear to me is that there aren’t very many great places for these kinds of conversations. the churches or systems that hurt us usually hum right along and keep on moving while people are laying on the side of the road. there’s no question that covert conversations at coffee shops, late night crying sessions with faithful safe friends, and online dialogue definitely help. but what seems to be missing, we think, is a really safe, intentional container for healing, hope, laughter & community.
on friday evening, october 21st & all day saturday october 22nd, we are hosting a space for this conversation called walking wounded: hope for those hurt by church. it’s a weekend gathering of fellow wanderers, sinners, rebels, and church refugees who are trying to find their way in the wilderness and long for a safe space for conversation, laughter, hope, and sanity.
you can check out all of the details on the site, but if you have any specific questions, etc. feel free to email me. because of limited space, we do need everyone to register online & the registration deadline is october 1st. if you need help with accommodations in denver, there’s a place on the registration form to let us know & we can work on some possibilities for you.
please consider coming (if you are in this spot in your life right now) or pass it on to others who might need some hope. there’s a small team of us pulling together all of the details & i do feel confident about this–it will be safe, it will be fun, it will be healing.
read the FAQ’s. there’s no catch. no big agenda. no money being made. our only hope is that the people who need to be there come & leave feeling less alone, less crazy, and more hopeful that the wild and scary path they are on can lead to freedom.
i’m really looking forward to it (and of course a little sad that there’s a need for such a thing!)
www.walkingwoundeddenver.com