The advice a pastor gave to a crowd of non-believers

Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh described itself as a, “secular community that celebrates life”. Many of the members consist of atheists, agnostics, and people who don’t identify with any label. Pastor Natalie Hall was invited to speak at Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh. She gave five practices called the “Faith5” that families and households can adopt. The Faith5 is based on the idea that practicing “the content of your beliefs in conversation together, you are claimed as part of something good, which is larger than yourself”. Pastor Hall went on to describe the Faith5 as “a fierce, bold act of love and stability – both in your home and in the
world”. The Fait5 as described by Pastor Hall are:

SHARE

The goal is to listen and really hear from the people you live with. You can circle
back another time for conversation. Now is just the time to listen.

READ

Read a text that is important to you. A text that you feel is meaningful and that you are interested in having shape your life. A proverb. A poem. A quotation. A brief story of some sort. Find something – or a variety of somethings – that works for your household. Consider having the various people in your home take turns sharing an important text. What do you want to hear that expresses meaning and purpose?

Talk (often thought to be the most difficult)

The goal is to figure out how the thing you read relates to you and the people in your home. You’re looking for two things: Pinch – something needs to change, and promise (where is the gift?). Briefly explore how what you read applies to your highs and lows. How
could the impact your daily life and work? Recognize, too, that there’s no “right answer.” It’s the conversation that’s important.

Pray

For Jews, Christians, and Muslims, this piece involves addressing God in some way, uniting everyone in that divine center of common faith. Yet, if you don’t believe in God, another way to view this step is simply finding a clear way of connecting with the members of your household that extends to a point beyond one another. For example, have a moment of silence in which you acknowledge that you’ve seen and heard one another.

Everyone of any belief system might reimagine this part of your evening conversation as standing together with those you love, pointing, and saying, “Hey, would you look at that! “Thank you for the joy. Help with the sorrow. Wow that was amazing today.” This is nothing more and nothing less – than a ritualized way of acknowledging one another and holding one another’s humanity gently and near.

Finally, Bless one another

A blessing is essentially a benediction (Latin for Good Word) – something you say and do at the end of an important time together. It’s the equivalent of a hug and kiss goodnight rooted explicitly in the nurturing conversation you had together – a safe touch that holds you close to one another, even after you go your separate ways to sleep.

Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh is a secular community that celebrates life. Visit the events page to see what’s happening in the community: Events