A Letter from the Leadership Council
Dear Friends,
Wedgewood, like many spiritual communities, has gone through its fair share of challenges. From leaving Baptist conservatism to embracing interfaith spirituality, from selling our property and moving back into the Enclave (our original sanctuary) and hosting services over zoom during the pandemic, we’ve certainly been through a lot. It is with this history in mind (and a mixture of sadness and optimism) that we share some news with our Wedgewood family.
On Monday, September 4th, we received word from the owners of Sharon Academy that we will need to vacate the Enclave by the end of the month due to plans to demolish the building and build a new building for the child care center. As some of you may know, we sold our property to the owners of Sharon Academy in 2019 with an agreement that we could stay on the property for a set amount of time. That time was extended due to the pandemic, but it is now time for us to embrace a new chapter and, ultimately, a new location for our unique congregation.
While the time to leave 4800 Wedgewood Drive has come more abruptly than we would like, we are filled with optimism and hope for the future of Wedgewood Community Church. Starting Sunday, October 1st, we will return to having virtual Sunday Services over zoom, like we did during the pandemic, for the duration of 2023 with the intention of using that time to plan and strategize. In addition to resuming virtual services, we will hold regular Sunday lunches in restaurants around Charlotte so we can continue to meet as our Wedgewood family in person and enjoy fellowship and community along with a delicious meal. Our social justice book club will not be affected as it already meets virtually.
We appreciate that this news may come as a shock. It certainly did for us, but we remain encouraged by our congregation’s resiliency and embrace this news as an opportunity to turn a new leaf. Change can be good and we believe this change will ultimately be good for Wedgewood. We welcome everyone’s ideas and hope you will view this as a chance to contemplate possibilities for the future of our community.
We will hold a brief question and answer session on Sunday, September 10th after the Sunday Service in the Enclave. This portion will not be livestreamed, but zoom will be available to anyone who would like to join us virtually. We also welcome any questions folks would like to send us over email (wedgewood.church@yahoo.com).
Friends, we know this news may bring up a number of emotions, but we hope you will remain as encouraged as we are. As the writer Zig Zigler said, “Difficult roads always lead to beautiful destinations.” We know that wherever this road leads, the destination will be beautiful because we will be there together. And no matter where we end up, we are all welcome here.
In Hope,
The Wedgewood Community Church Leadership Council:
Ashanti Munir
Liz Schob
Melba Evans
Ryan Davis
Wedgewood is a liberal, culturally diverse, service-oriented, interfaith church in Charlotte, NC with members who are Progressive Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, and many other faith journeys and perspectives. When we say everyone is welcome at Wedgewood, we mean EVERYONE!
Join us as we try to change the world.
"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Social Justice Book Club
The Wedgewood Social Justice Book is back after a summer break
The Wedgewood Social Justice Book will meet again on Thursday, October 12th at 7pm reading the first six chapters of “When Innocence Is Not Enough: Hidden Evidence and the Failed Promise of the Brady Rule” by Thomas L. Dybdahl. Patrice Gaines, a member of our book club, was the investigative reporter for this case for 6 years while working for the New York Post. We will have the opportunity to talk to the author and one of the defendants. Make plans to join us on zoom!
Land Acknowledgement
As a community that considers social justice to be a cornerstone of who we are, we would like to acknowledge that the land that Wedgewood Community Church is on the unceded land of the Xuali, known today as the Cheraw, as well as the Esaw, now known as the Catawba, and the Sugaree people.
