“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
— Jesus, in Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
We are followers of the way of Jesus Christ, and we welcome people of any or no faith to serve, pray, and build community with us.
At Kairos faith is about relationship and action. We help people build a faith that has three dimensions: a deepening relationship with God (as we understand God), serving our neighbors in need, and walking with each other in safe and authentic relationships.
We build relationships around faith, doubts, and honest conversation. We build community around our Faith Walks in nature, art, meditation, and our service with Welcome Church (a ministry with unhoused people in Philadelphia) and other groups. We also support each other in our individual serving in our neighborhoods.
With no building and a part-time pastor, we are a people-driven community and without significant overhead we encourage people to put their time, energy, and resources toward making a difference in the world.
We are a worshipping community of the Southeastern PA Synod of the ELCA.
Community
We are a welcoming community. Diversity is a divine gift and we celebrate it. No one is excluded (or barred from leadership) because of gender identity, orientation, ethnicity, economic situation, denomination, or politics.
Service
Kairos serves “coffee hour” several times a year at Welcome Church, a church without walls ministering with unhoused persons in Philadelphia. We share food with people in and around Aviator Park (where Welcome Church worship) and then join in worship.
We also regularly contribute Welcome Home kits, which are new items that a formerly unhoused person needs for a new apartment, from sheets and towels to pots, pans and utensils.
Each year we provide Christmas gifts for the residents of The Well, a shelter for women, that is run by Welcome Church.
We also respond to needs that emerge, such as collecting gift cards for Quakertown Community Outreach and contributing to support the E(mergency) Meals program at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Souderton.
Contact us if you know of local needs we can help with or if you would like to participate in an upcoming project.
Worship
Kairos is not traditional church. Our gatherings focus on sacred texts and contemporary spiritual writing. The community wrestles with the theme of the week together in facilitated conversation. We encourage everyone to bring questions, doubts, and concerns into the discussion, and leave having learned from and with each other. There is no sermon, and no “one right” interpretation of the faith.
Kairos worship includes time for silence and spiritual practices, such as guided meditation, centering prayer, lectio divina (contemplative reading of texts), and sometimes art and music. Our prayer time is not a recitation of pre-written prayers but people sharing joys and concerns from the heart.
Gatherings are currently Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at someone’s home and on Zoom.