The Moravian Church

of Downey

OUR MISSION: "Sharing the love of Christ"   

  ...an intentional Christ-ian community seeking to fill in the             

g   a   p  s    

        of what the institutional church struggles to be:

                vibrant, holistic (healthy), justice-producing, transparent,

                outwardly-focused, & intergenerational.

 ----

GAPS is an acronym for the roles of those who comprise the community:

roles of the Gardener in residence:

                      the lead gardener and composter,

                              general “green” thumb,

            lead community gardening opportunities,

                        local delivery of surplus produce,

                        healthy eating awareness-raising,

                after school garden program, & more.

roles of the Artist in residence:

         see the world a bit differently,

                       creative advertising,

                     reclamation of junk,

                                teaching art,

      artistic endeavors in worship,

                                   after school arts program, & more.

roles of the Psalmist in residence:

                            monthly Open Mic night host,

                         collaboration w/ local musicians,

                      hymn/poetry-writing workshops,

                                    song-recording projects,

                                            after school music program, & more.

roles of the Shopkeeper in residence:

               sort/display used clothing for the Clothes Help ministry,

                                                   connect with local artisans,

                                                                   manage the online shop,

                                                         promote job-creation, & more.

GAPS Community residents are about:

Intentionality: GAPS is an intentional community, which differs from incidental community (friends sharing common spaces and enjoying life together). While enjoyment of daily life together is an integral part of the GAPS Community, our core aim is uniting in outwardly-focused mission: loving & serving neighbors.

Love: The mission of the GAPS community is love, in all things. We covenant to love: God, other people, earth, and ourselves, recognizing that all ugliness in the world stems from a lack of love.

Justice: GAPS Community life centers on the creative and performing arts, which have great power to interrupt cycles of poverty & injustice, freeing those who are impoverished or oppressed physically, emotionally &/or spiritually.

Spirituality: GAPS Community residents share a desire for spirituality, manifested in creative communal prayer, meditation, and worship. They strive to be Christ-ians (Christ-ones), who are inspired to live lives of radical simplicity and love of neighbor, akin to the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Diversity of faith traditions is celebrated, as we seek to further the kin(g)dom of God in the world.

Simplicity: GAPS Community residents live on a daily basis, paring down physical possessions and activities to “the essentials,” and they strive to be “low-maintenance”. They respect the earth by engaging in conservative lifestyles (buying/wasting as little as possible, rescuing/handmaking as much as possible, and conserving water/gas/ electricity.) [There's no television in the house, which allows for more time for creativity, intimacy, and acknowledgment of our need for reconciliation within ourselves and between one another, without the intrusion of television personalities. It also gives us an excuse to go to our neighbors’ homes to watch movies from time to time.]

Stewardship: We try to exist with a mindset of “enough,” understanding that those with too much can meet the needs of those with too little. We believe that the kin(g)dom of God exists without poverty and oppression, and we seek to make that kin(g)dom a reality. The GAPS model of intentional community invites individuals who participate (at any level) to identify their unique gifts and talents and then—as good stewards of those gifts—take responsibility to use those gifts and talents to better the local communities in which we find ourselves.

Visitors: Come and participate in abundant life with us! Daytime visitors to the GAPS Community are always welcome. Ideally, visitors should let us know they’re coming before they arrive. [All overnight visits are decided ahead of time as a community.]

Intrigued? Read on:

The GAPS Community residents are an assortment of folks—of all demographics and ages—who seek to help the Moravian Church of Downey congregation find new life amidst the rubble of a dying institution. The house (the Moravian Church of Downey parsonage) functions as a house of hospitality, an "intentional missional community" in which meals, prayer, creativity, and harmless merriment occur regularly. GAPS Community residents seek to unite with other local congregations in furthering the kin(g)dom of God and manifesting the love and service of Jesus. GAPS residents are invited to participate regularly in Moravian Church of Downey congregational life, including: worship, fellowship, and hardship.

GAPS Community residents pay $25/month for staple items (food/TP/etc.). They’re encouraged to have part-time work in the Downey area, as a source of income and a way to connect with people.

There are loosely shared domestic tasks for all house dwellers (vacuuming, cooking, dishes, shopping, laundry, etc.), with a rotating list for meal prep and chores—as a means of accountability.

The GAPS house is alcohol-free out of respect for our friends who struggle with alcoholism. No illegal substances are allowed in the house under ANY circumstance.

The ONLY pets allowed in the house are aquarium-contained aquatic pets, which the pet owner must tend to on his/her own. [Sorry, you must leave your dogs, cats, birds, horses, lions, and bears with relatives or friends.]

Times of rest and/or reflection and/or playing will occur sporadically throughout the week as individuals, as a house, and with the congregation. One day is also set aside as a Sabbath—typically Friday—during which the community and routine activities rest.

There are private rooms for the GAPS residents and their spouses (and infants) to sleep in. This gives each celibate single person or monogamous couple ample private space to call their own. The parsonage common spaces (living room, dining room, kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room) are adequate for daily community activity. There is a hide-a-bed in the living room for overnight guests.

Interested in applying?:

  First, call (562-806-1090) or email (inallthingslove@downeymoravian.org)       to see which roles are open in the house. Pending an appropriate role opening, please submit the following for consideration:

1) a completed application,

2) a signed Covenant form,

3) a read & signed “Fine Print” form,

4) contact information for two references (not family members),

5) proof of your legal documentation to be a resident in the U.S.A. (photocopy of a United States passport or valid visa), and

6) a background check submission form. 

Completed forms may be emailed to:

inallthingslove@downeymoravian.org,

faxed to: 562-927-0858,

or sent to: The GAPS Community

                 7349 Via Amorita

                 Downey, CA 90241

What’s the inspiration for the GAPS Community?

•The model of the early Christ-ian church as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles Read Acts 4: 32-35 & Acts 2:42-47.

•Jesus of Nazareth, who found community wherever he was, pointing to his disciples, saying: “Here are my mother and my brothers,” and who taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He modeled God’s dream of community.

•other intentional Christi-ian communities, such as:

 -the intentional Moravian community of Kunvald, Bohemia (1450s-60s);

 -the intentional Moravian community of Herrnhut, Germany (1720s-30s);

 -the intentional Moravian community of Bethlehem, PA (1740s-50s);

 -The Potter Street Community of Philadelphia, PA (formerly, The Simple Way)

 -Church of the Sojourners in San Francisco, CA, and many others

What’s the premise?

  It seems that people who find God in the natural world, in silent meditation, in mystery, in artistic expression, and in a wide embrace of others find themselves at the periphery of the institutional church, if not entirely disconnected. As a result, many Protestant congregations now find themselves with a people-deficiency.

   The city of Downey, CA no longer resembles its "glory days" of decades past. Downey was once made up of citrus orchards and dairy farms, and had a predominantly Caucasian population, consisting primarily of families with male breadwinners, stay-at-home moms, and 2.5 kids. Over the past 50 years, development has taken over much of the natural land and brought in an influx of businesses, restaurants, and concrete. While much of this development has been a boon to the area, it has rendered Downey residents with little green space and a lack of cultural/creativity/community-fostering hubs.

   The Moravian Church of Downey building is situated in a sub-urban neighborhood comprised of families of diverse ethnicities, LGBTQ folks, people struggling with addictions, people experiencing unemployment, hungry people, well-fed people, etc.

Many of these neighbors perceive the church (in general) as unsafe, unwelcoming of diversity, and quick to label certain people as inacceptable (all of which are contrary to the gospel--GOOD news--of Jesus Christ).

   And how do these neighbors see our church building? Its doors are often closed and locked throughout the week. (As untrue as this is, this sends the message that those inside the building are also closed and locked up.) Parts of the building are uninviting and unsafe. (As untrue as this is, this sends the message that those inside the building are also uninviting and unsafe.)

   So, we at the GAPS Community are doing what Moravians have done best throughout history: re-imagining ourselves and our sense of mission in the world, lest we become completely irrelevant to those around us. We're allowing ourselves to: experiment with different approaches to being church in the world, to give ourselves permission to worship God in varied ways, to serve our neighbors creatively and resourcefully, and to intimately connect with diverse populations. Come and be the church with us! (Or try something similar right where you are.)

THE GAPS COMMUNITY ONLINE SHOP IS COMING SOON...you'll be able to purchase handmade crafts, like: candles, soaps, clothes, jewelry, stickers, cds, etc.