February 2026 Update | The Initiative

Thanks so much for reading this month‘s news from The Initiative, a community committed to “walking in deeper friendship with Jesus and his followers, so that the love of Christ might exceed all divisions.” We do this primarily through prayer, sharing of our lives, and proactive work for greater unity.

This month, I’m sharing a brief reflection on the beginning of Ephesians and some of its imperatives for our relationships with one another in light of who Jesus is. We also want to celebrate the good things from January’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and offer a number of ways to participate in the “living laboratory” of our community.

Are followers of Jesus at liberty to disregard or to disengage with one another?

More conversation and prayer opportunities

For the remainder of February, and into March, we’re hosting a couple more online prayer times, plus one more conversation on Thursdays:

The February prayer gathering will be this Thursday, February 19th from 8:00 to 9:00pm Eastern. Zoom link
The March conversation: Reconciling All Things? A deeper dive into Ephesians 1:10 and the implications for the relationships between Christians. Thursday, March 5th from 8:00 to 9:30pm Eastern. Zoom link
March prayer gathering: Thursday, March 19th from 8:00 to 9:00pm Eastern. Zoom link

After Easter, we’ll switch back to Wednesdays, with a Zoom conversation on April 8th. More details in the next update.

Celebrating the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

In spite of some challenging weather conditions in the East Coast and Midwest that resulted in the postponement of some of the services (and tested the heartiness of those who turned out in snow and sub-freezing temperatures), it was a beautiful and powerful week. I was especially moved by how Armenian Christians gifted us with the prayer liturgy this year. And it was heartening to be at services (and hear about others) that grew love and new connections between followers of Jesus from all around the country. Here are a few pictures from some of those services. There are also links on our website to homilies, talks or reflections from them as well.

Deeper in the Living Laboratory – come to the national gathering in June

I really do believe that our three days together this summer will be essential for our perseverance in love (having regard and remaining engaged) that is greater than division. We’d love for as many of you as possible to be there, and we’ve got resources to help that happen. Reach out by replying to this email if you’ve got more questions. Put aside the time on your calendar, and go ahead and register. We’ll even extend the early bird special through the middle of March!

National Gathering 2026 price & dates – 1

Resource of the month: Center of the Heart of Jesus

One of the goals of these monthly updates is to connect friends and members of The Initiative to resources that help all of us live out our calling to Christian Unity. Juan Medina is a part of The Initiative, the newest member of our Leadership Council, and someone who has a deep calling to missional ecumenism. In a couple of weeks he’ll be facilitating something of an online spiritual formation retreat around Jesus’ prayer in John 17. I hope you’ll be able to join in! The date, time and how to register are all below.

As we journey into 2026 together, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude for each of you who read, participate, pray and give generously. Whatever the year ahead holds in the joys and challenges of living “love greater than division”, I’m glad to be walking with you all.