What is a liminal space

What is a liminal space

Author:
October 17, 2022

 One of the highlights of my week is Pastor Kathryn’s Bible Study meeting at noon on Thursdays.  It is a great time of catching up on each other’s lives as well as reviewing the sermon from the previous Sunday and looking at the texts for the upcoming Sunday.  It’s a great opportunity to go a little deeper and ask questions about what these texts mean.  All are welcome to join us.  No prior experience or knowledge is necessary. 

This past Thursday, a portion of our discussion was about liminal space.  What is liminal space?  One description that I found from verywellmind.com says the following: “The word ‘liminal’ comes from the Latin word ‘limen,’ which means threshold. To be in a liminal space means to be on the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. You can be in a liminal space physically, emotionally, or metaphorically.” Physical thresholds include airports, hallways, doorways, trains, airplanes, and bridges.  Emotional thresholds include death of a loved one, divorce, moving, graduation and illness. Liminal spaces are the in between places. They are times of uncertainty and can be uncomfortable.  Several people in the group shared their personal experience living in liminal space or time.  As I am nearing completion of my degree at Central Penn, I am experiencing liminality and uncertainty, not knowing what is going to happen after graduation. 

The church (both the universal church and MPC in particular) has been in a liminal space for the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Church, as we knew it, was suddenly disrupted, leading to a need to find new ways to minister to the needs of the congregation and the world around us. Now, things finally seem to be returning to “normal”, but it is not the same as before. The world has changed, and the church has changed and must continue to change to meet the challenges of this new existence.  It is a time of uncertainty and anxiety.  It can also be a time of excitement and inspiration as we seek to discern where God is leading MPC. 


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300 East Simpson Street | Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
717-697-0351


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