About Jubilee! Circle
Jubilee! Circle
is an intentional, progressive, inclusive community, seeking to come together not just for weekly celebration services, but as a group of the faithful who want
to touch the community around us in a meaningful way. We seek to be in communion with one another, and with those outside of our community.
As a parish extension of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, South Carolina, we hope to be involved in many ministries around the Columbia area and be known not just for our celebration service, but our community service.
A Unique Worship Experience
Jubilee! Circle offers a different kind of "church" experience, appealing to those who may no longer find meaning in traditional church settings but are still seeking a connection to the Holy. Our celebration services are unique, using contemporary music and themes. You're more likely to sing a Monkees song than a hymn. We believe that the Holy is in, through, and around everything - including things deemed "secular" like many forms of music. God is not just in the hymn book, but in the hearts and songs of many contemporary artists. We seek to use our celebration services to connect in new and innovative ways with the Holy.
Help! I've Lost My Dogma!
Our tag line, "From certainty to mystery ..." captures our mission at Jubilee! Circle. Our goal, in both community and worship, is to move us out of the dogmatic forms of religion that restrict us and quash our creative spirit with their "certainty" and move us instead into the "mystery" of the Holy where we can experience liberation, freedom, and new ways of moving and being in the world.
A Focus on Creation Spirituality
Jubilee! Circle uses as its guide the principles of Creation Spirituality outlined by Matthew Fox. Most of the Christian theology today is drawn from a story of fall and redemption - where we've fallen from God's grace and are originally cursed with sin. Instead, Jubilee! Circle focuses on a theology of Original Blessing, which Fox tells us is older than the fall and redemption story which traces its roots to the fourth century and Thomas Aquinas.
Creation-centered spirituality traces its roots back to the ninth century B.C. "with the very first author of the Bible, the Yahwist or J source, to the psalms, to wisdom books of the Bible, to much of the prophets, to Jesus and much of the New Testament" (Original Blessing, Matthew Fox, page 11.)
We begin, not in a dark place of sin, but in a bright place of delight - where God created the heavens, the earth, the animals, the plants, and yes, the humans, and proclaimed them all good. God still delights in all of it and invites us to delight in it, too. Love is not just the stuff of fairy tales, it's the stuff of all creation, from the smallest atom to the tallest tree - God's love and delight is in, through, and around it all.
You Are Welcome Here!
Jubilee! Circle is a progressive, inclusive church, influenced by Creation Spirituality, ecumenical, feminist, and traditional Christian theologies. We are an open and affirming congregation, welcoming all regardless of race, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
At Jubilee! Circle, we respect and value each person's spiritual path. Whether you come from a church background, a religious background other than Christianity, or no religious background at all, you are welcome here.
We invite you to come and take delight in the Holy and in each other at Jubilee! Circle.
Meeting days: Sunday nights
Meeting time: 6 p.m.
Meeting place: Spring of Life Lutheran Church, 7900 Nell Street, Columbia, SC (Inglesia Luterana Manatial de Vida)
Leadership
Jubilee! Circle is led by Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge, an ordained United Church of Christ minister. She currently serves as associate pastor at Garden of Grace UCC. She is the founder/editor of Whosoever: An Online Magazine for GLBT Christians. Her first book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, was published by Jossey-Bass in 2008. You may contact her using this form.
Advisory committee:
Our advisory committee is working to shape Jubilee! Circle into the church the Holy intends it to be. We welcome your input and feedback on the journey.
- Rebecca Causey
- Wanda Chellew-Hodge
- Martha Cooke
- Beth DeHart
- John Lucas
- Jennifer Polley