| Rapha (from the Hebrew word for healing) began in the late 1960s as a small house church. We are nonresidential, making decisions by consensus. We function through shared volunteer leadership. For charitable giving, we are registered as a not-for-profit corporation.
Our purpose is to take questions of faith seriously, to support and accompany members on both the inner and outer journey, and to be an extended family, caring for one another, having fun together, sharing joys and sorrows, eating, singing, and praying. We strive to challenge each other to identify, bless, and use our gifts in the world, to reach beyond ourselves to the needs of others.
Since we own no communal property, we meet in homes, churches, recreation centers, and the like. We gather once a month for worship, alternating times with children included and times for adults only. We celebrate traditional holidays together as well as personal events like weddings, house blessings, or children's graduations. We meet informally in times of personal crisis or need. We meet twice a year for evaluation and visioning about our life together. We meet in small groups, or "cells," committed to mutual support, study, or projects.
We are open to new members--families with children, couples, and singles. Some members identify themselves as Christian, but many wisdom traditions have enriched our faith journey since our founding--for example, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Quakerism, Buddhism, and well as Native American, goddess, and creation spirituality. | Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses) |
