Visio Divina

The Visual Arts group met in the Parish Hall yesterday (Saturday, July 26), with our newest associate, John Bonsey! The rest of the group includes Buddy Patten, Norine Meyer (Weekly) and yours truly, Jan Hanson. We viewed a visual version of vespers (a work in progress) by Jan, a wedding documented by John, and several of the meditations from the Visual Preludes by ecva.org.
Here is the description of the Visual Preludes:
The Visual Preludes 2-DVD Set contains a series of nine multimedia meditations for private and public viewing. The work of 123 visual artists and 10 musicians comes together in nine contemplative presentations. Each meditation is 10-12 minutes in length. Titles include Gracious Spirit, Bread of Life, and All Things into Christ. 116 minutes.

We plan to use each of the 9 preludes within the framework of Vespers/Evening Prayer. Norine is looking at the New Zealand Prayer Book as well as the BCP and will have a specific suggestion for liturgy at our next meeting. We agreed that we would need someone at each service to welcome and introduce the service, and should use a variety of voices for the "officiant" and readers. I think we had consensus on beginning with all lights on, then dimming after the welcome, and using a table of candles (with small icons and works of religious art?) for prayers, using the DVD prelude followed by silence, and departing in silence after the closing prayer.

We discussed the role of words, especially printed or projected words, in visual meditation. I think there was consensus that it was generally a distraction from contemplation. We also discussed the role of music (recorded or "live"). I don't think there was any definitive conclusion to that discussion, but, outside of the music that is part of the "Visual Prelude" I don't think we have any plans for music as yet.


Assuming this service becomes an ongoing thing, we will continue to work on our own creations to use after we have exhausted the material in the Visual Preludes.

We agreed to meet again on August 27, 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall, to "rehearse" the service. (This will be 10 days after the larger group meets) The dates for the Visual Arts Meditations are: September 21, October 19, November 16 and December 21. Please add comments or recollections I've forgotten!

Change is Good

From the Webside "Church Marketing Sucks" http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2005/08/reasons_to_use.html

"I worked with our student ministry on project last year when our High School and J-High dates and times to meet changed. The theme for that was "Change is Good." So I had the idea of sending out diapers instead of postcards.
We literally bought 750 diapers, adhered a small postcard INSIDE The diaper with the new information and a fun tagline about change is good to tie in the diaper just in case they didn't get the correlation. Then we tabbed the diapers shut using newsletter circles and sent them bulk mail (for about .16/piece!)
It was amazing how many calls we got. If you got a diaper in the mail (no packaging - JUST A DIAPER and when you open it, the message is inside) - wouldn't you want to look at it? That was a fun project. ;)"

I love this idea. Too weird?

Labyrinth Update; Wednesday Chef; Good Reading

We are looking at some great possibilities for procuring a labyrinth for around $2,100. There is strong support from vestry, and I'm hoping to have it on hand by mid-August. Also, have talked with a guy who is very interested in being our chef for our fall Wednesday night program. Things are quietly moving along...

Mary Lyons loaned me Gathering the Next Generation -- about ten years old, essays by gen-X clergy and a few others. It's a mixed bag, but there two particularly good essays that I would send out to y'all if my scanner was working. A couple of bites:


From Youth's Authority by Margaret K. Schwarzer

"The authority of audacity, the authority of inexperience, the authority of interior truth -- these are some of the rich sources of power which scripture teaches us that young adults possess. Scripture's images of David, Mary, and Jesus are intended to be prescriptive of young people's authority, as well as descriptive of the particular experiences of the Israelite king the mother of God, and the Christ...

...young adults also prize the mystical and vulnerable reality of spiritual disciplines. In a world where technology produces an overabundance of information, it isn't surprising that these women and men long for the silence, intimacy, and slowness of the spiritual process. Students understand that these disciplines can lead to wisdom and peace -- two rare qualities in a nantion clamoring with the overstimulation of sound pollution two-job families, and information superhighways."

From Episcopal Culture through an Xer's Lens by Beth Maynard

I am not sure that someone born before the 1960's can grasp how truly post-Christian our generation's experience has been, or how negative are most of our associations with the institutional church. Clergy: the word means "pedophiles." It means Jimmy Swaggart...hypocrisy. It means irrelevance....

...Ask for something "contemporary," and the Episcopal Church's default setting seems to be to downplay both the spiritual and Christianity's distinctiveness. We'll just have ski weekends and social events.... Unfortunatedly, for Xers, this strategy is backward. Postmodernism has led us to expect that each human tribe will have its distinctivve worldview and way of life; tell us there's nothing special about yours and we'll stop caring fast. Postmodernism has also led us to assume the reality of the spiritual, so that we are usually drwn in, not repelled by myster and the numinous -- as long as it doesn't come off as manipulative....

Visio Divina

I think this is what we have been feeling our way towards:
http://www.visio-divina.com/concept.html

Tell Me About Taize!

Hey all you 3rd Service types. I'm on my last percocet day, and look forward to having my brain back, if feeling a little more sore. I want to hear your thoughts about the service you experienced in Portland. Also, got a fun idea from Keith Hussmann about doing a coffee house event -- have to get his permission to publish. I'm recovering well, having been smothered with wonderful meals, beautiful flowers, thoughtful cards. I guess this is more a blah-blah than a blog. I'll comment more substantively when my brain is back in gear. --Kathleen

Worshiping with Children In Mind

Each time the 3rd Service Committe meets, it seems that we grow closer to where the Spirit is leading us - toward a new design for faith formation and liturgical expression. We use words like "inclusive" and "contemplative" frequently. We explore what kind of changes our people are desiring, what will bring more families to share in our worship services, and how we can be more deeply and intimately connected in Spirit. We have an awareness that many of the young people of the parish have grown up and are moving out into the world. We notice that there are not many young families coming in to fill those places in the pews. We miss that spectrum of congregation - the interactions and blessings that come with younger families involved in church community. In considering this, I have been stirred to do a bit of searching on the internet to see what might be happening out in the world with children and liturgy. I happened upon a site that is perking with excitement and ideas. This is an excerpt from the site:

Imagine, if you will, children streaming into the church. They are bringing their friends; their friends are bringing their parents. The entire congregation is writing prayers, writing music, telling the great stories of the Bible, developing art for the sanctuary. The energy is palpable; the excitement, celebratory... the transformation unbelievable!

http://www.childrenatworship.org/whatsnew.html
and more....

Valley of the Dry Bones
Here is a reading woven with a hymn, that might be offered as the Ezekiel reading during the Easter Vigil, a reflection on the issue of change and renewal.
Prophet:The hand of the Lord came down on me. And the Spirit set me down in the middle of a valley.It was filled with bones.
The Spirit led me all around them.There were very many. They were very dry. God said to me:
God: Can these bones live?
Prophet: God knows!
God: Prophesy to the bones. Say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord
(Congregation might softly hum the tune to “Breathe on me Breath of God.” It might continues underneath the text.)
This I say to the bones: I will cause breath to enter you.And you shall live! I will lay sinews on you.I will cause flesh to come upon you.I will cover you with skin.I will put breath in you, and you shall live! You shall know that I am God!
Hymn Hymm 508, 1982 Hymnal- “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” Verse 1 Or this hymn...Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) from Songs & Prayers from Taize with cantor parts.
(Congregation continues to hum)

The website is full of creative ideas that might be helpful in creating our own vision of children and liturgy.

Norine Meyer Weekly

Taize Field Trip, Funding Request, Contemplative Arts

Three things on my little pea brain:

1. Taize Field Trip Sunday Evening -- meet in the parking lot at 6:00 for 7:00 service at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. EVERYONE is welcomed to join in! I hope someone will call Ann Marie and Katie! (I added an announcement to the Sunday bulletin.)
2. Funding request: 3rd Service Planning Group -- please check your e-mail and review the draft of the funding proposal asap. Though I am not aware of a meeting date for the Outreach Committee, I know that I won't be able to do a lot of work on a proposal after tomorrow! I crafted it with both Faith Formation and 3rd Service Planning in mind, since they both seem to spring from the same well.
3. This Sunday I am planning to announce what I have dubbbed "A Contemplative Arts Series" for the fall -- i.e. the Sunday evening short prayer and music/visual arts services. Doesn't mean we can't change anything, just gets it on the table for folks to plan, pray, talk about. How does the name sound?