Community Of Saint Francis now is a non-profit foundation approved by the government. It took sometime for us to decide if this is the route we wanted to take.
In July we will reach our one year anniversary. We have grown into 10 committed members and we have another 10 or more are on their way in the next few months. That is exciting and it is also very encouraging. It is a time of discernment for us. We heard the call and we said yes. Now it is time to listen for more from the Lord and I am glad we are united in that process.
I want to congratulate each of you for taking this important step in becoming an intentional community. While official entanglements with the government is not the best thing to do, for the sake of order, and clarity, it is important for us to take this step. I want to encourage each of you to invite potential members to the community. There are lots of individuals out there who are yearning to find an intentional spiritual community like us and not a church. We all have church communities and we should encourage each other to continue in our practices of being part of a local church community.
Franciscan life is a life of simplicity and prayer. It is a call to be uncomplicated in a complicated world. It is a call to become open to all of God’s people and creation in a way that gives life. While we all need boundaries and disciplines of a church, we also need the freedom from constraints that keep us from being true to ourselves and our potential. So, being part of an intentional community is a great idea and a positive step. There is room for lot more people to come and be part of a movement that can change the world.