From Faith to Action: Stories of Engaged Discipleship
ISBN: 978-1938090257
To order the paperback, click here
This book provides a portrait of a congregation. It includes stories of people who attend the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, which is part of the United Church of Christ. We affectionately call it “First Congo” or abbreviate the long name with the acronym FCCPA. We have close to 500 members, worship in an exquisitely beautiful building, have five choirs and a fabulous organist, get treated to inspiring sermons every Sunday, and share the pews with folks of extraordinary talent, commitment, and vision. We love our church.
We have members from various national, racial, and economic backgrounds, in proportions typical for the Bay Area. Residing in Silicon Valley means that most of us are affluent and white. However, we work diligently to be inclusive. The front page of our order of worship states that we are an open and affirming church, explaining that “no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” Members of the LGBTQ+ community are invited into the full life and ministry of the congregation. The “Welcome!” page of the worship bulletin also declares our support for individuals facing mental health challenges and our commitment to promoting understanding and well-being. Last but not least, the page has a Land Acknowledgement: “As a community dedicated in covenant to welcome and include all, we respectfully acknowledge the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula where we, in faith, now gratefully gather and worship. We seek a deeper understanding of our relationship to the land and with the Bay Area Native peoples, one that promotes healing and justice within our faith community and the world beyond.”
How this book came about
In the spring of 2025, I became intrigued with the question of how people seek to live out their faith, not just by being friendly but through a deeper response to what they felt called to do. I was looking not for statements of dogma, but for everyday decisions that reflect love of God and neighbor. In several previous books, I had interviewed people to learn from them and to preserve their stories. Each time I listened to them, I felt blessed and inspired by the depth of their commitment.
The more I thought about another book, the more I realized that the stories I was looking for had to be descriptions of how to translate faith and love of neighbor into concrete actions. The obvious candidates for interviews were the members of my faith community. I knew people I could ask, and I was aware that all those who attended regularly had a deep commitment to their faith and sought to live it out in a meaningful way. The congregation reminded me of the “Body of Christ” image described in the book of Romans. We are each blessed with different talents and possibilities, and all of them are needed and valued. We don’t all share the same faith in its nitty gritty detail, but all of us operate with a sense of purpose, out of a conviction that it is possible to engage with others positively, that we are called to contribute to the well-being of people in some way and leave the world a better place.
At the end of worship services, Pastor Dave often sends us out with the challenge to let our light shine. On Christmas Eve, we celebrate Christ’s birth with a candle lighting service. Someone starts to light a candle, then passes it on to the next person in the pew. Every participant borrows the light from someone else’s candle and then passes it on to others. Gradually, the room changes from utter darkness to light and warmth, each of us contributing and sharing, creating a sense of community and commitment. Jesus came into the world, and now it is up to us to continue his work.
We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the reality where we find ourselves today. That’s a great and sometimes difficult challenge. I decided that for the book, I would ask members how they respond to it. What had they tried? How did they fail or succeed? What did they learn? As they lived out their faith, was there a key quality they sought to embody as they interacted with others? Our stories could inspire each other to be actively engaged disciples.
I asked people whether they would spend thirty minutes to an hour on Zoom with me to talk about how they put their faith into action. Some were hesitant at first, thinking that one should not brag about one’s good deeds and that, when we are generous toward others, the left hand should not know what the right hand does. However, those who chose to contribute to this book recognized that the intention was not to broadcast how good we are as individuals. Their stories were meant to create a picture of a community that can accomplish much because we work together. We all aim at a common goal of bringing kindness and healing into a hurting world.
One of the first people I interviewed was a quiltmaker. As she spoke about her craft, it occurred to me that the stories compiled here are much like assembling the segments of a quilt: small contributions come together to create a beautiful whole. Each piece is unique, and put together with others, it provides cohesiveness, joy, and comfort.
The more people I spoke with, the more I realized that kindness is intertwined with seeking justice. To be morally right, fair, and honest in our dealings with others, we have to admit white privilege and speak up for those who have no voice. We must help and support those who are suffering or in need. At the same time, we recognize that we are limited, make mistakes, and need forgiveness for our failures. As I thought about what we are called to do while we walk on this Earth, a verse from the prophet of Micah came to mind: “This is what is required of us: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” Those three challenges resonated with the statements of faith that I received from the members of my community, and they became the titles of the first three chapters of the book. The last two, “Serving Others” and “Creating Beauty,” describe additional ways in which we interact in faith with the world around us.
Our opportunities, convictions, and responses will vary throughout a lifetime, although chances for faith-filled responses occur daily. The church community keeps us on track, helping us to reflect on our calling and assisting us as we seek to be faithful. I will always be grateful for the people in this book who shared their stories. Their dedication and insights will continue to inspire me.
ISBN: 978-1938090257
To order the paperback, click here
This book provides a portrait of a congregation. It includes stories of people who attend the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, which is part of the United Church of Christ. We affectionately call it “First Congo” or abbreviate the long name with the acronym FCCPA. We have close to 500 members, worship in an exquisitely beautiful building, have five choirs and a fabulous organist, get treated to inspiring sermons every Sunday, and share the pews with folks of extraordinary talent, commitment, and vision. We love our church.
We have members from various national, racial, and economic backgrounds, in proportions typical for the Bay Area. Residing in Silicon Valley means that most of us are affluent and white. However, we work diligently to be inclusive. The front page of our order of worship states that we are an open and affirming church, explaining that “no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” Members of the LGBTQ+ community are invited into the full life and ministry of the congregation. The “Welcome!” page of the worship bulletin also declares our support for individuals facing mental health challenges and our commitment to promoting understanding and well-being. Last but not least, the page has a Land Acknowledgement: “As a community dedicated in covenant to welcome and include all, we respectfully acknowledge the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula where we, in faith, now gratefully gather and worship. We seek a deeper understanding of our relationship to the land and with the Bay Area Native peoples, one that promotes healing and justice within our faith community and the world beyond.”
How this book came about
In the spring of 2025, I became intrigued with the question of how people seek to live out their faith, not just by being friendly but through a deeper response to what they felt called to do. I was looking not for statements of dogma, but for everyday decisions that reflect love of God and neighbor. In several previous books, I had interviewed people to learn from them and to preserve their stories. Each time I listened to them, I felt blessed and inspired by the depth of their commitment.
The more I thought about another book, the more I realized that the stories I was looking for had to be descriptions of how to translate faith and love of neighbor into concrete actions. The obvious candidates for interviews were the members of my faith community. I knew people I could ask, and I was aware that all those who attended regularly had a deep commitment to their faith and sought to live it out in a meaningful way. The congregation reminded me of the “Body of Christ” image described in the book of Romans. We are each blessed with different talents and possibilities, and all of them are needed and valued. We don’t all share the same faith in its nitty gritty detail, but all of us operate with a sense of purpose, out of a conviction that it is possible to engage with others positively, that we are called to contribute to the well-being of people in some way and leave the world a better place.
At the end of worship services, Pastor Dave often sends us out with the challenge to let our light shine. On Christmas Eve, we celebrate Christ’s birth with a candle lighting service. Someone starts to light a candle, then passes it on to the next person in the pew. Every participant borrows the light from someone else’s candle and then passes it on to others. Gradually, the room changes from utter darkness to light and warmth, each of us contributing and sharing, creating a sense of community and commitment. Jesus came into the world, and now it is up to us to continue his work.
We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the reality where we find ourselves today. That’s a great and sometimes difficult challenge. I decided that for the book, I would ask members how they respond to it. What had they tried? How did they fail or succeed? What did they learn? As they lived out their faith, was there a key quality they sought to embody as they interacted with others? Our stories could inspire each other to be actively engaged disciples.
I asked people whether they would spend thirty minutes to an hour on Zoom with me to talk about how they put their faith into action. Some were hesitant at first, thinking that one should not brag about one’s good deeds and that, when we are generous toward others, the left hand should not know what the right hand does. However, those who chose to contribute to this book recognized that the intention was not to broadcast how good we are as individuals. Their stories were meant to create a picture of a community that can accomplish much because we work together. We all aim at a common goal of bringing kindness and healing into a hurting world.
One of the first people I interviewed was a quiltmaker. As she spoke about her craft, it occurred to me that the stories compiled here are much like assembling the segments of a quilt: small contributions come together to create a beautiful whole. Each piece is unique, and put together with others, it provides cohesiveness, joy, and comfort.
The more people I spoke with, the more I realized that kindness is intertwined with seeking justice. To be morally right, fair, and honest in our dealings with others, we have to admit white privilege and speak up for those who have no voice. We must help and support those who are suffering or in need. At the same time, we recognize that we are limited, make mistakes, and need forgiveness for our failures. As I thought about what we are called to do while we walk on this Earth, a verse from the prophet of Micah came to mind: “This is what is required of us: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” Those three challenges resonated with the statements of faith that I received from the members of my community, and they became the titles of the first three chapters of the book. The last two, “Serving Others” and “Creating Beauty,” describe additional ways in which we interact in faith with the world around us.
Our opportunities, convictions, and responses will vary throughout a lifetime, although chances for faith-filled responses occur daily. The church community keeps us on track, helping us to reflect on our calling and assisting us as we seek to be faithful. I will always be grateful for the people in this book who shared their stories. Their dedication and insights will continue to inspire me.
