Padre D

Bishop Spong's understanding of God as a verb and not as a noun has opened up a lot to me. I'm now 83 and trained in the 1950's at a Theological College in Manchester for the Congregational Church (Spong's cousin Bernard was a friend and fellow student). I have served the Church in Australia -now the Uniting Church all my life - and I still take an active role in a congregation and support our present pastor. He is quite traditional but accepting that within progressive understandings of Christianity is where I stand. However when I take services and have general conversations and talk with my fellow church members I can't help feeling that I should not be seeking to be so up front about how I understand faith, that I disturb and hurt my friends. I must admit we are an elderly congregation, but one that has a whole range of social outreach to the disadvantaged - including a number of people with mental disadvantages who are lovely people and who worship regularly with us. Within this sort of caring, accepting community I don't feel i can be so upfront about what i believe that I upset these who are my friends. How can I still be a pastor to them to help them to grow spiritually? Padre D