A Parish Story from North Central San Antonio
Scattered across Central Texas, a group of families gather to remember as an online micro-church that focuses on contemplative spirituality, neighboring, and sharing life together, spearheaded by pastor Ray Altman.
The New Wineskins micro-church initially began meeting as a few neighbors in a pandemic "bubble" in North Austin, but they transitioned to meeting virtually with a couple of other families that didn't live as close by.
Ray and his family moved to North Central San Antonio, and despite the permanent move to an online community, the bond between the group members remains strong, as they continue to encourage each other to live with intentionality in their neighborhoods, discern God's movement, and gather with others to join in God’s dreams for their places.
“The church is more than the building on the corner that has a full time staff and massive programming. A faith gathering is any time 2 or more engage their faith with intentionality in a space, activity, or relationship.”
- Ray Altman
The virtual church gathers once a week on Sundays to encourage one another, worship God as they discover God in their neighborhood, and understand the gospel through the lens of place. They pray for one another, share stories from their places, and commission each other to their work in the neighborhood. Their gatherings include silence as a contemplative pathway, storytelling, song, sacrament, and sending.
When it became safe to meet in-person again, Ray and his family naturally began to interact with the neighbors in their new neighborhood. These informal neighborhood gatherings turned into a collaborative monthly dinner church, where neighbors join together to eat, pray, read the Bible together, and coordinate around the common good in their neighborhood. They've been doing this for the past 8 months.
Each of the members of the virtual micro-church are engaging their in-person communities in similar ways as well, as they work to discern how God is calling them to inhabit their own unique Parish to create a community centered around faith, justice, and shared life. Visit the New Wineskin Initiative website to get in touch with Ray and to learn more.
