At Bethlehem Congregational Church, “Congregational” means something very specific. When I asked one man, a highly involved lay leader in his forties who works as a midlevel manager at a downtown company, to describe what brings the church together, he emphasized themes that other members would talk about again and again:

He went on to tell me about a debate over whether to use Styrofoam or paper cups at the coffee hour, brought about by some people who “felt strongly about the environmental issue.” He said, ruefully, that a lot of energy was expended over what was in fact a small thing. Openness to all of the members' needs all the time can lead to exhaustive debate. He said that sometimes “We worry too much. We beat ourselves up over things.” Still, he is glad that this is a place where one or two people can start a public conversation over an issue that they care about.