iTowers

A Living Basilica

2008-07-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

When we visited four years ago, A depleted congregation wondered if it would be the last to occupy the grand, city-center basilica. Designed to seat 1500, scarcely 100 people scattered themselves around the sanctuary. In his sermon, the preacher cited demographic trends to explain the emptiness. Despite the excellent music, worship lacked spirit. The preacher seemed eager to enter retirement.

We returned to that church this past Sunday and found a transformed congregation. We knew something had changed from the moment a woman came up to greet us on our way down the aisle. A buzz filled the sanctuary as the pews began to fill.

Even though the new preacher noted how the day's attendance was lower due to summer vacations, three or four hundred people brought a new energy that was evident from the moment we entered. The light seemed brighter, the congregation more diversified, the coffee hour friendlier, the choir more vibrant, and the preacher alive to the moment.

Church growth specialists write books about turn-around stories like this. The list-makers would have a field day -- noting the things this church did to facilitate change: The search committee found a minister with gifts for communication. He has an ability to tell a story, to weave common experience into bibilical themes, and to share his personal warmth with people -- all while standing in the center of the chancel without notes. Professional musicians performed challenging and lively music. A hymn-sing replaced the formal prelude. Traditional service music like the Gloria Patri and Doxology were replaced with fresher selections. The Lord's Prayer was begun with "Our Mother, Our Father." Responsive readings were omitted, with the minister speaking the call to worship and other prayers. When the congregation sang a "Hallelujah," it did so with the whole congregation using sign language, as well as voice.

The coffee hour, held in the brightly-lit narthex, was a noisy affair with several people coming up to us and talking. A new church sign announced to the street that the church is alive and thriving.

The five-day continuing education class was wonderful, we learned a lot. Another layer of learning came from attending this worship service. We are charged with hope.

Cones

2008-07-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

After three nights at the Vancouver School of Theolgy, we strolled over to the rose garden where we got married over five years ago. It's a five minute walk through an idyllic university fringe neighborhood where everything is perfect.

A decade ago, the theological school found itself with ample acreage, an excess of old buildings in need of maintainance, and a dwindling financial base. With the cooperation of the University of British Columbia, overseer for the whole area, they sold or leased their land to developers who have filled it with high-end condominia and apartments. In return, the school received tens of millions of dollars, which it invested in updating its signature Iona Building. All of the seminary offices, classrooms, libraries, and student spaces are housed in it.

Now, with the residential development nearing completion, the vision of the builders has proven successful. The neighborhood is well suited to the natural environment, and all the buildings cluster together in pleasing ensemble. Nothing was left to happenstance.

The rose garden looked better than ever. We stood in the place where we said our vows and savored. Adjacent to to the rose garden, a stand of ancient western cedars had been allowed to perfect themselves without intrusion from designers. Huge trunks supported branchings that would have served well as individual trees in other regions. That grove bespoke another kind of ideal. We stood silently to watch the sun set over the waters and mountains.

To the above description must be added the broader view. This region occupies the western-most part of Vancouver known as Point Grey. In moving about from place to place, one cannot help but see wonderful panoramas of the Straights of Georgia -- one of the most scenic waterways in the world. From the windows in our rooms, and through the grand trees that protect them, we see blue-sky glimpses of the water and the distant mountains.

All of which is to say that we are enjoying the sights that surround us. It's beautiful here, and the people seem to know it.

We wonder how this grand environment, made accesible to those who have wealth and priviledge, is related to our own city of Holyoke, where fewer people of privilege choose to visit. We think Holyoke is beautiful, too. It may even be wealthy, in a way -- not in money or prominence -- but in the people who call it home.

Holyoke is home to many who live in deep poverty. This neighborhood is home to people of great wealth. We must reflect some more on how the two are related, and why there is such a difference between the two.

On the way home we searched for pine cones we might take home to plant and see if it is true that what takes root in one region can also take root in another.

Rabbinic Midrash and air-conditioned worship

2008-06-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks we travel to Vancouver for a week of summer school study at the Vancouver School of Theology. We will be stepping into the world of "Midrash and the Rabbinic Imagination," taught by Rabbi Robert Daum, PhD. He holds the Diamond Chair in Jewish Law and Ethics in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern & Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. The Vancouver School of Theology occupies property at the edge of the UBC campus.

The course description portrays a world of inquiry that allows for a more creative interpretation of Biblical texts. The key is to ask questions about the events and characters as if they were windows through which to see a world of truth: "What did Satan tell Sarah while Abraham and Isaac were en route to Mt. Moriah?" and "What did Moses see when God transported him centuries forward in time?"

The course description continues: "These questions are part of a vast collection of inventive rabbinic midrash. The course will explore theories and genres of rabbinic midrash while engaging some of the most startling, biblically-inspired literary compositions of the late antique and medieval worlds."

We are drawn in by the invitation to engage biblical texts with creative imagination! Meanwhile, we look forward to welcoming you to worship services held in our air-conditioned Skinner Chapel. On Sunday Mornings, choirs continue through the summer at 10 a.m. For those looking for a less traditional mid-week service, try out "City Vespers," Thursdays at 6:30 pm.

Creation Celebration

2008-05-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

Two things seldom happen in worship: listening for the word of God in the Creation, and listening for the questions of kids in the words of a puppet. Both are happening on Sunday. Worship will allow for the reading of the entire first story of creation -- the one about the seven days and seven nights -- with breaks for music between each day. Day one will be read in Hebrew. Day seven will be followed by a piano/organ duet featuring a pianist who will make his Carnegie Hall debut in June. We'll sing a couple of verses from some grand old tunes with a theme of nature.

Then, just when a sermon ought to be preached, a puppet will ask a bunch of questions of the pastoral team. Hope we can answer them! We're looking forward to this Creation Celebration!

Bobbie and Chuck

P.S. If you are curious about our "City Vespers," please consider this your personal invitation to discover it for yourself. Just come in the front door of Skinner Memorial Chapel. We start at 6:30 pm, each Thursday. If you are a few minutes late, that's okay. More information on the church website: www.uccholyoke.org

Flames and Flowers

2008-05-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

Our church tradition recognizes some holidays that occur on different dates each year. Christmas, for instance, is always on the same date, but Easter and Pentecost "float" back and forth on the spring calendar depending on formulae that others know better than we. This year, we have two big holidays to celebrate on the same day: Pentecost and Mother's Day.

Pentecost, the day when Jesus' disciples first experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit, is often symbolized by flame. It was said that tongues of fire danced over their heads; a metaphor suggesting a sudden enthusiam for God. On pentecost, we wanted to hand out flames to everyone who attended, but the fire risk was overwhelming. Thus, we are handing out red carnations to symbolizing the fire of pentecost. (We are also inviting people to wear clothing with the color red.)

Mothers Day, while it isn't one of the traditional religious holidays, is never-the-less quite dear to people in our church traditions. We typically celebrate Mothers Day with flowers. In our congregation, (the United Congregational Church of Holyoke, MA), the tradition is to hand out flowers to all the mothers who attend worship on that day. Mothers Day is an occasion for all in attendance -- male and female -- to honor their mothers.

Worship with us on Sunday. Everyone gets a flower (unless we run out)!

Titanic

2008-04-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Three unrelated voices brought up the very same point this week. One suggested that too many pulpits echo with talk about just maintaining the institutional church. Too few carry a passion about the mission of the community so gathered. One voice asked whether a church should just be content with feeling comfortable in the familiar routine and tradition -- or should it be reaching toward things that cause it to stretch?

Another voice said, "I want a church that is passionate about something!"

People in general do not clamor for a return to "institutional religion."

* * *

The Titanic sank 96 years ago this month. The designers gave it too small of a rudder, so that when lookouts saw the iceberg, the ship was unable to turn onto a different course fast enough. A thriving community knows how to change directions without abandoning its mission.

Some suggest that the mainline tradition has about another twenty years before it sinks.

The journey depends on our navigational skills.

Review

2008-04-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

The first City Vespers gathered people for a new worship adventure in Skinner Chapel as day was turning toward twilight. We loved it. Before the service began, the piano created an environment that was both relaxed and inviting. The candles added warmth. The late-gothic space lent itself beautifully to the experience.

After singing a few songs, many people were invited to name areas of celebration and concern.

A part of each City Vespers will focus on some specific area of Holyoke. This first week, we talked and prayed for all the people at Dean Technical High School, a wonderful school that offers students a way to enter life with substantial skills and education.

A text from the Gospel of John gave rise to comment by some. In it, Jesus was telling people that they could do everything he could do, and even more. Did that mean that people who live like Jesus can heal people? Or does it mean that all the followers working together can accomplish great things? We could have talked longer, but we also want to keep this service between 30 and 45 minutes.

We know that the service will evolve and change. But already we see its character emerging. We suspect that some will find this to be a "thin place" for their souls to encounter the Holy. The saying is true: "Whoever you are, and where ever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."

Now, our focus is on Sunday Morning with it's three baptisms! That's a first for us!

City Vespers

2008-04-17T06:32:00.001-07:00

Tonight is the first of our new "City Vespers" worship experiences. We're looking forward to it, even though we don't know who or how many people might find their way to it. (Meets in Skinner Chapel at 6:30 pm every Thursday.)

One thing we're wondering about is where people will want to sit -- and whether they will be okay being drawn toward the piano. Just like trying to start a fire, you have to have the kindling close enough to burn, but with enough space to "breath."

We're using the music of Ron Klusmeier, a friend who lives on Vancouver Island, Canada, and has written wonderful tunes going back thirty some years. Piano. Maybe African Drums, -- and whatever instruments arrive!

Gotta Run. We'll tell you how it went.

Bobbie and Chuck

A "Devilishly" Grand Exploration: April 6 &12

2008-04-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

We both grew up in traditions where the "devil" was not considered to be a major player in our personal realities. He showed up as a cartoon-like character wearing a red suit, a goatee, horns and a sharp trident. Oh, he also had a spiked tail. As we developed our own sense of the Christian faith, we pretty much relegated the "devil" to mythology. For us, there is but One God, whom we know best through the man, Jesus.

We have close friends and family members, however, who treat the figure of the devil -- or "satan" -- as a key player in the unfolding drama of humanity. For them, the devil is like an unwanted stalker, who is constantly trying to trick the human soul into surrendering to the the dark side, at the cost of eternal damnation in hell. We wonder how the figure of satan compares to the figure of the Spirit of God as a part of everyday life.

We will explore some of these differing pictures of satan in worship, Sunday Morning, April 6th. Then, on Saturday, April 12, from 4-5:30 pm, we will welcome Professor Greg Mobley, who co-authored, "The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots." Mobley is on the faculty of Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. In 2005, this book was the main selection in three major book clubs, and has been described as THE book on Satan. His presentation is funded, in part, by a grant from the Johnson Fund of the Hampden Association of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.

The reader of this blog is most welcome to free admission to the Mobley event. A devilishly good meal will be served at 5:30pm for a donation of $8. Then, at 7:00pm, the silent film, "Flesh and the Devil," will be presented with live organ music by Peter Krasinski of Boston.

Come to the United Congregational Church of Holyoke, corner of Maple and Appleton Street. There's plenty of on and off-street parking. The Mobley event will be held in Skinner Chapel. The meal will be served in the Assembly Hall. The film will be presented in the main sanctuary.

Parade Day and Thin Places

2008-03-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

The celebrated Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade marches past the church this Sunday (two weeks late, due to Holy Week). We've heard that we have one task for worship planning: Keep it short. (It reminds us of our days in Wisconsin, when we had to keep an eye on the Green Bay Packer schedule, lest half the choir be forced to leave during the anthem.)

The theme for worship will be Celtic Christian Spirituality -- "Pilgrimages and Thin Places."

Legend has it that the big parade is the second largest one in the nation -- on this particular date, it's probably the ONLY one! We have noted the appearance of shamrocks on many of the parade route intersections.

Speaking of the Irish, we've heard something to the effect that the Notre Dame Fight Song was first performed in this church. Anybody know the whole story?

Roll Away the Stone!

2008-03-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Maundy Thursday, which means that Christians everywhere are remembering the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples in an upper room. At United Congregational, we're providing a Soup and Bread meal by candlelight -- not in an upper room, but in the lowest level of the church -- the assembly hall. We will gather in the entry area outside the hall to begin the service, then enter in silence while the choir hums several lenten tunes. All are gathered around a common focus in the center table. The sacrament is imbedded in the meal, which we will serve. A tenebrae ritual will close the service.

Good Friday's community service will be held at Noon in the Skinner Chapel, where the readings of John 18 and 19 will be presented by various persons from the Christian Community. Choir members from two churches will join their voices. A delicious meatless lasagna meal will be served in the assembly hall following the service.

Our celebration of Christ's Resurrection begins at 10 a.m., Sunday (March 23rd), in the Main Sanctuary. Music and prayer, Gospel and preaching, Bagpipe, children, bells, and the expanded festival choir, including many singers from the High School Madrigal Group. Services of worship are always open to all visitors. Come, help us roll away the tomb!

We hope that those of you reading this blog will have a meaningful Holy Week experience!

The Mountain

2008-02-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

The city center of Victoria, British Columbia, is relatively flat. Not flat like Kansas, but flat, compared to – say -- Seattle. Still, the “Epiphany Explorations” conference held annually in that city is a mountaintop event. The vision, scholarship, and energy of the speakers reveal vistas far beyond the usual short horizons. The hard part is coming down the mountain to the land of immediate concern.
We have more to say about the Victoria conference, but the farther down the mountain we come, the less clear we are how to invite others into the experience.
For one thing, the conference appeals to people who have been keeping current with trends in Christian worship and theology. Such folk are often prepared to hear about the new quest for the historical Jesus, about the influence of worldly empire symbolized by reference to “Caesar” and “Pharoah.” They are already attuned to conversations that have been going on for many decades about “literal” vs. “more-than-literal” interpretations of the Bible. Without such preparation, the interpretive challenge is much greater, and the bottom end of the mountain path seems not to reveal any clue that any such a mountain even exists.
So we have more to write, but less clarity for what to say first, or how to say it. Keep checking.

Thoughts from the Epiphany Explorations

2008-01-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

Who would ever want to run to be president, anyway??? At home we have rabbit ears so that we get a total of, probably, six channels - enough to give us news, but, after the news, we turn off the TV - So, being in this hotel where there’s a CNN station, we’re seeing additional news reports about the primaries, the caucuses, and debates. And not only seeing them one time, but any time you turn on the news, there’s something more about it. The money, energy, time, endurance of personal slander, and truth twisting that goes into all of this - truly, who would EVER want to run for the presidency? How much truth – how much "justice" is there involved in the whole process?

Needless to say, we have talked a lot about the Conference, the speakers, their messages and how fortunate we feel to have been a part of this incredible event. The theme of JUSTICE ran through the words that were spoken by all of the presenters. And what can be more important in our global community today? We were so impressed by the first speaker, Monica Melanchthon, a woman from India with whom we were unfamiliar. She is a professor at a Lutheran Theological College. (She also delivered the sermon at the second service on Sunday morning), and she spoke eloquently about the cast system that still exists in her country. She herself started life as a "dalit" - a person of the lowest cast, one of those who cleaned the streets, did all of the most difficult work. The dalits were considered to be unclean, therefore, all of society looked down on them - they are still treated with total lack of respect, lack of dignity, lacking the personal identity that tells them they have anything to hope for. This is not for any other reason than the fact of their birth into this place in the world and this part of the cast system. How can we find "justice" in this? In conversation with Ms. Melanchthon, we expressed that we see similarities with conditions in our own community, and in nearly every part of the world.

The three internationally recognized theologians who spoke several times each, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and Miriam Therese Winter, centered their messages, in the order as listed: Jesus; Paul; and women in the Bible. (Winter gave the sermon at the first service on Sunday.) We can’t possibly summarize all of the inspiration they gave us and the rest of the attendees. But just briefly, Borg explored the message of the life of Jesus - the reaching out to the poor, the forgotten - sounds like the cast system of India to us. Jesus, the personage of God whom we call our leader and teacher, reached out to these people: JUSTICE - love one another, no matter who they are, no matter what their place in the system, and be aware that there are so many who need a hand up, even today - they need the same sort of encouragement our teacher would give them.

Crossan spoke about Paul - explaining that there are 13 books attributed to Paul in the New Testament, however, only seven can absolutely be said to have been penned by him. There are two other categories of Pauline letters: those that have less of the authentic Paul; and finally, those that are very unlike the authentic Paul. And Paul, the Pharisee turned follower of Jesus, the true Paul, was intensely concerned with justice. One example is that he had great words of appreciation for the women in the role of leadership in the church - this is very unlike the Paul of the last collection of books attributed to him. Crossan encouraged us to ponder, "...how could God establish global justice for the future and ignore global injustice in the past?" (Quoted from his lecture and his book, GOD & EMPIRE.)

And Winter also, in a mix of humor and intensity, spoke of all the women in the Bible who are overlooked - this book speaks of the men of the era, but the women are looked at and treated very much in the same way as the dalits of India. She quoted many examples of women who made great contributions to life, in the Hebrew Testament and in the Christian, or New Testament as well. Her "JUSTICE" issue was focused on gender, and was clear for those of us listening: this is a real issue that was present in Biblical times and has carried over into our views still in place today.

In our series, "Living the Questions," we have had the opportunity to hear both Borg and Crossan speak their truths. So, for us, to have the chance to hear them expand on their philosophies, has been very exciting. A couple of years ago, we attended two weeks of summer school at the Vancouver School of Theology. In that class we read about a philosopher/sociologist, Kohlberg, who wrote about moral values. The highest moral value: JUSTICE.

Catching our Breath in Victoria

2008-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

We intended to write more often during the Epiphany Explorations conference, but lacked the time it takes to gather thoughts. The conference schedule runs from 8:45 am to after 9:00 pm each day. Add to that visits to the conference bookstore, conversations with old acquaintances, and time walking back to our hotel for lunch. Also we were both managing colds. Victoria has been enjoying blue skies for the past few days since the conference concluded. We did get out yesterday for a walk in this wonderful "old town" district which leads down to the inner harbor.

Victoria is the provincial capitol of British Columbia, occupying the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island. It's a great tourist area in the summer, but it's more affordable -- and still beautiful -- in the off-season. On clear days, the view across the Straights of Juan de Fuca is crowned by the snow-capped Olympic mountains; an incredible view. The city has the flavor of the British Isles, though it is an international city in many ways, with many inhabitants from around the Pacific Rim.

US citizens can feel quite at home here, but that should not mean that people here share in the same world outlook as seems dominant in the US. One observer a few years ago thought that while our founders promised "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Canadian founders promised "life, liberty, and the common good." Perhaps we see in Canada a stronger popular support for policies and practices that make for the "common good," rather than "individual happiness." Many people here are troubled by what they see and hear coming across the border.

We'll have more to say about the conference, but the sun is shining and we're on our way out the door for another expedition.

Blessings,
Bobbie and Chuck

Report from Victoria: Borg and Crossan

2008-01-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

We are in Victoria, British Columbia, attending the "Epiphany Explorations" conference at First Metropolitan United Church of Canada. We are among over 800 people who have come from all across Canada to hear Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Miriam Therese Winter, Lois Wilson, John Bell, Ron Klusmeier and many more.

The first two of these are best known for their scholarship researching what can be known about the historical figure of Jesus. Both have been featured on our series, "Living the Questions 2.0" that our church has hosted at 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 Wednesdays. Both represent a progressive theological stance quite different from more common expressions of Christianity heard today.

For Borg, the pre-Easter Jesus was human. He was not God. He was an extraordinary human -- and a mystic. Borg describes Jesus as the defining expression of God for those of us in the Christian tradition. Instead of BELIEVING in certain things about Jesus, Borg thinks that the way to be Christian is to FOLLOW the way of Jesus.

For Crossan, anyone trying to grasp the New Testament language about Jesus -- "Lord," "Savior," etc. -- would do well to first understand the "matrix" of the Roman Empire in which the Jesus story unfolded. Crossan views Jesus as a revolutionary who would overthrow the domination systems of empire, where-ever they are established, even when they are established in the church.

These little paragraphs don't begin to express the power of this event. This event gathers members of a thriving, international movement of a faithful and progressive Christianity that has been emerging in the past couple of decades. We've been moved by great new music for today's worship, by the sense of being in a standing-room-only event, and by the realization that God is still speaking...

We'll update our experience over the next couple of days.

Bobbie and Chuck

Celtic Christian Spirituality

2008-01-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Recent years have witnessed a reclamation of an alternative way of understanding Christianity. Called "Celtic Christian Spirituality," it refers to a tradition that flourished in regions that never came under the umbrella of Mediterranean-style Christianity. The Celts (most pronounce it "Kelts", rather than "Selts") once thrived throughout many parts of Europe. But they retreated in front of the advancing Roman legions.
When Celtic people were led into Christianity, they shaped it according to their own customs, which included several practices and beliefs that were a challenge to Mediterranean-style Christianity: They believed that God was very present in nature. In fact, they knew of some "thin" places -- forest groves and shorelines, for instance -- where the Spirit of God was very close at hand.
The Celtic Christians believed in the equality of men and women, so that when there was a monastic community, both men and women might live there, and either gender might become the leader. Their warriors included both men and women.
The Celtic people also valued times of silence in their spiritual journey. Individuals might find an isolated place and spend time in contemplative prayer or reflection.
Named a heretic by Mediterranean Christendom in the early fifth century, a Celt named Pelagius taught that when one observed a newborn child, one beheld the face of God. At the same time, Augustine, one of the prime shapers of Mediterranean Christianity, taught that even the newborn child was tainted by sin.
Pelagius taught that humanity was basically a reflection of the goodness of God, and that sin was primarily a result of humans forgetting that connection with God. Augustine taught that humans were born into a sinful nature.
Augustine eventually won the battle in Rome, and Pelagius was condemned as a heretic.
Today, interest in the Celtic Christian tradition has renewed as research has provided a greater understanding. For those engaged in a spiritual path that typically bypasses the organized church, the way of the Celts offers a fruitful journey.
Many churches offer what is called a "Celtic" worship opportunity, including a more relaxed gathering marked by music, prayers, candlelight, symbols from nature, and a more conversational time instead of a formal sermon.
We are wondering if people in Western Massachusetts would be receptive to trying this kind of worship. We're just in the thinking stage right now, but we hope to mix this with other styles of worship into a new Service. MAYBE on Thursdays. MAYBE at 6. What do you think?

Living Just Around the Corner

2007-12-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

In Wisconsin, we used to say "Just around the corner" to refer to something that was literally, just around the corner. You could walk to it in four or five minutes. In Massachusetts, "Just around the corner" could include some place located in the next town.

What else do we need to know about life in the Commonwealth? (Please don't insist that we give up the Green Bay Packers!)

We're interested in what's "just around the corner" for progressive Christianity. And how far away is the corner?