ABOUT BLUE OCEAN FAITH

We believe we need connection more than we need answers. The universe is richly relational and it points us toward a God who wants to communicate with, guide, encourage, and motivate us. 

The quest for certainty in matters of faith has proved inadequate for so many people. We’ve found that looking for connection—with ourselves, with others, with nature, and with our Creator—is what people find to be most helpful on their spiritual paths. When those connections exist they help us thrive and cope. When they don’t, no amount of answers or insights seems to soothe us in times of suffering or hardship. 

This doesn’t diminish the pursuit of knowledge; we should never have to check our brains at the door of any faith community. It’s just that we find the search itself (in the company of God and others) to be more fruitful than the illusion of having figured everything out. 

It’s tempting for people to divide the world into people like us and people not like us. But what if, in the end, there is only us—fellow human beings? 

The late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu wove the Zulu philosophy of ubuntu into his understanding of how humans are connected. Ubuntu boils down to the idea that, “I am because you are.” It recognizes a universal bond between all people—good done to you is good done to me; harm done to you is harm done to me. Jesus said something similar in Matthew 25 when he said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” 

When we see others’ humanity and connect it to our own, it helps us find empathy and compassion. We think that take on the world opens up powerful opportunities for the kind of potent connection and growth about which we’re so excited.

The Apostle Paul wrote that we’ll know whether our spirituality is healthy by what it produces in people. The “fruit of the Spirit,” as he called it, is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

We seek to promote emotional health in our community. We don’t feel like we need to “fix” or paper over uncomfortable feelings. We’re at ease with sadness and grief as much as we are with joy and contentment—and we make space for the anger produced by systems of injustice.

We seek wisdom for our lives—not proficiency in rules-based behavior—knowing life is complicated and nuanced and that none of us is equipped to judge people adequately. (Both Jesus and Paul are particularly hard on judging others and appeal for us to leave the judging to God.) 

We also seek to relieve people of shame. The work of Brené Brown has been particularly helpful for us as we articulate what it means to develop resiliency and cast off messages that diminish who God created us to be. We seek to respect boundaries and won’t pressure you to do anything you’re not comfortable doing—whether that’s taking communion, praying communal prayers, and so on. 

We understand trauma and want to create a safe community. Our preaching staff is trauma-informed and sensitive to ways Christianity has harmed so many. We readily admit we are not perfect, but we’re committed to continual growth and our posture is one of humility.

We believe liberation is a collective undertaking. Minority groups can be allies in helping liberate privileged people just as much as privileged allies can help liberate minority communities—it’s a relationship of reciprocity.  We all manage various aspects of our identities (often a mix of privileged and non-privileged layers), and together we can expand our empathy and understanding for the collective benefit of all.

We are an LGBTQ+ affirming congregation that is queer-led, but about 75% of our congregants are not queer. I [Emily] have always said I don’t want to be known as the “gay pastor.” I’m a pastor and being gay happens to be one aspect of who I am and one of the many lenses I bring to imagining and interpreting our faith tradition. Part of the healing for many queer people who attend Blue Ocean Church is being able to participate fully in a diverse faith community without feeling scrutinized.

We recognize the interlocking nature of systemic injustice and are compelled to stand with all who are marginalized, oppressed, and/or scapegoated. (Interlocking justice is a term coined by AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez.) 

If there is a Creator whose very essence is Love (as the Apostle John asserts), then there should be no downside to connecting with Them. As James Baldwin wrote, ““If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of [Them].” 

Our hope is that growing in faith is helpful and practical. We seek to develop empathy, inclusion, and wonder. We endeavor to help people connect with the Creator for comfort, guidance, and wisdom. We gather each Sunday for worship because we believe inclusive community built around shared stories and rituals inspires us to pursue justice and live out our values.