Hope Midtown/Chelsea

Communal Rule of Life

(Sign Pledge Below)

PRAY

1. Pray

We will be a praying people. We’ll begin and/or end our days in contemplation and intercession. We’ll pray out loud or quietly, for our loved ones and for our city, alone and together.  

2. Worship

We know that our best weapon is worship. We’ll fight on the “spiritual frontlines” by praising God for who He is and thanking Him for what He is doing. We will gather at our Sunday “Live” Service as a time to worship with others, and we will make it a priority to join our Monthly All-Church Worship + Prayer Night.

3. Read

We’ll see this season as an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word. We will choose a personal Bible reading plan that works for us and stick with it. Every Sunday we’ll join our Hope community to study the Word together. Every Friday morning we will join the “Communal Reading of Scripture” to read the Word as a community. 

REST

4. Sabbath

We will honor the Sabbath and still keep it holy and set apart (even when our days all blend together). We’ll choose one 24 hour period each week - especially for rest and renewal, for limited work and tech, and for extra time with the Lord and with family and friends. 

5. Play

We will choose to laugh and dance and sing and find the beauty in the midst of it all. We will prioritize our families and make room for lightheartedness despite the heaviness.  

6. Disconnect

We will not allow the media, whether news or the social kind, to control our day. We will strive not to look at screens for the first and the last hour of each day. We will go to God for comfort and coping and turn away from mindless numbing and scrolling. 

RELATIONSHIPS

7. Connect

For Families: We will not give up connecting with our loved ones in our homes, creating rituals of prayer, rest, relationships, and work.  We will commit to a weekly “online” group and choose to be vulnerable and full of grace. We will check-in regularly with our people and let them check on us. We will choose connection over isolation.

For Singles: We will not give up meeting together, even if over zoom. We will commit to a weekly “online” group and choose to be vulnerable and full of grace. We will check-in regularly with our people and let them check on us. We will choose connection over isolation.

WORK

8. Give

We will not live with a scarcity mindset. We will trust that the Lord has given us all we need and therefore we can give generously to others. We are called to be on mission with Jesus, so we will sacrifice our time, money, gifts and other resources as He leads.

9. Move

We will move our bodies every day. We won’t give in to the tendency to become lethargic and complacent, even if confined inside. We’ll choose an enjoyable activity to keep our bodies (and brains!) working and serving us well. 

10. Create

We believe that crisis cultivates creativity! We’ll use this time to attempt a new hobby or craft. We’ll use our hands to make art or food or poetry or music. And we’ll allow God to use the “right side” of our brains to bring peace and productivity in a different way.