“Where have you come from, and where are you going?” (Genesis 16:8)

Like Hagar, met by an angelic messenger in the wilderness, many of us have stories of Divine encounter in the midst of seeming exile. At Vessel, we long for everyone to have a safe space to process and discern how our stories of struggle and healing uniquely direct us to participate in the larger story of God’s renewal of all things. Your story belongs here.

“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. ” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

In the Japanese art of kintsugi, broken fragments of pottery are bonded back together with golden lacquer, resulting in a mended vessel of strength and stunning beauty. The healing found in relationship to Jesus perfectly evokes this image; his grace radiating from every fracture. In following Jesus to the cross, we lay down the myriad deaths of sin, shame, trauma, addiction, fear/anxiety, and move toward a new wholeness as people of resurrection.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

In a hectic world, we need regular rhythms of togetherness, which not only remind us to slow down, but also to actively choose connection over isolation. Sharing our lives (in all of their messiness) is not always easy, but is a challenge which we believe is vital in shaping who we are called to be as the body of Christ. As we gather in living rooms and break bread around dining tables with both friend and former stranger, we embrace all that binds us, and release that which seeks to divide.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12-13)

When we say that all are welcome, we mean it. You are seen, known, and loved by God; full stop. Both women and men are celebrated in their equal call to teach and lead. We honor the diversity of God’s creation as it is reflected in the spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. All people are made with inherent dignity and worth, and thereby invited to full participation in the collaborative life of the church.

Recipients of God’s radically inclusive love, our faithful response is to share that love both near (southwest Houston) and far (the neglected and marginalized of the city, the imprisoned, the unreached, and those in contexts of severe crisis around the globe) as we seek to be instruments of a grace and hope that changes everything.