Thursday, July 26, 2012

Clear the way

Image by Gerrie Congdon

This Seasons Theme is:_Clear the Way_

Based on (verses, story, quote, etc.): "Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! 
Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God." Isaiah 40:3


Time Line for PM Plan:

Special Note- Everyone has been working very hard at owning their speaking parts, and by now you should be off of your script. You know how and why we do each part of our PM. Use your knowledge and understanding to communicate that with our community.


Loud music to signal time is starting-(Music Team)
Welcome -(Coordinator)
God Stories -(Coordinator)
Pray -(Coordinator)
Pass the Peace- (Coordinator
Start loud instrumental version of slow song to signal end of Pass the Peace -(Music Team)
Art Direction (Art Directors

  • Keep your directions to one paragraph or less.

Allow some quieter instrumental of slow song -(Music Team)
Why and How we use music talk -(Music Leader)
Rest of Music Set -(Music Team)
  • Remember to consider the flow of your set in a way that creates an arch, not a roller coaster. 
Talk -(Pastor or Visiting Speaker)
Talk Back -(Pastor or Visiting Speaker)
Vision -(Coordinator)
Solidarity Prayer (SPT)

  • Remember your 3 minute limit.


Music & Tech
PM Plan Goal: To create a safe space where our community can use music as one way of worshiping God together. 
  • Find ways to collaborate with the community in the music making process.
  • Create a sound that allows the community to be a part of the choir.
  • Create a set that is well organized and easy to engage in.
  • Make sure all understand the language we are using (other cultures and "christianese").
This Season’s Music Project: Each music team will create a song based on our theme verse. The verse is currently a declarative statement, so wording will need to be changed. Feel free to rewrite this in a more personal way, it does not need to be a copy of this verse exactly, but something that speaks more personally to where we feel the wilderness, wasteland and desert in our lives, or where we see it in our community, around the world, etc. and how we want to glorify God in clearing a path through these things. You could also simply continue into Isaiah 40 for more inspiration. 

This Season's Music Process (when, who & how):
Sept. 16th DJ & Greg (Joshua Returns)
Sept. 23rd John & Danny
Sept. 30th Cameron 
Oct 7th DJ & Greg
Oct. 14th John & Danny
Oct. 21st Cameron 
Oct. 28th DJ & Greg
Nov 4th John & Danny
Nov. 11th Cameron
Nov. 18th DJ & Greg
Nov. 25th John & Danny

Arts 
PM Plan Goal: To create a safe space for our community to use art as one way of worshiping God together. 
  • Find ways to collaborate with the community in the art making process.
  • Even if individuals choose to not be a part of the art making process, they should still feel it's presence in some way.  
  • Provide materials, designate a space and give simple and clear directions (1 Paragraph) on how to engage in the art making process.
This Season’s Art Project:  


Script: This season we are building an ebenezer to mark the places in our lives where we have seen God. Throughout the season we’ll be addressing specific areas of our lives that must be cleared to make way for the Lord. As we clear the way we are bringing objects from our lives to represent the areas explored. This week we are reflecting/using …

This Season's Art Process:
9/16 - Amanda/Kristen - Intro- Litany/Prayer
         As the first time we will be inviting people to enter into the season through a litany - the goal for this season is to build an installation with artifacts people are prompted to bring.  This will occur in the cove to the left when entering the space. Art Directors will gather the week prior to the PM to prep the space and to provide pieces to start the build.  The core of this piece must be built by the art directors.  Imagine a base with two-by-fours and a column of chicken wire reaching up to the ceiling.  The two walls in the corner will also have chicken wire hanging from them.  The things people bring each week will be connected to the column with wire or another yet defined method.
        This litany prayer will act as a prompt to encourage people to bring things from their wastelands/areas that must be cleared.  The team has identified eight areas to draw from, but we only need seven.  Amanda and Kirsten will introduce the season, encouraging people to bring things, and write a litany and create slides that praying to God for the seven wastelands we’ll be working with this season.  

9/23 - Tiffany/Emily - Build – Family Picture Frames – empty or with photos.  Tiffany and Emily will connect with Circle Thrift to collect their unsold ones on 9/16 and 9/23. CT pulls unsold things and places them in the free bin.  Coordinate with Jess Shoffner to get them for free.

9/30 - Rob/Jess - Build – Home – scrap wood or other objects from around the home. Heavier wood objects would be preferred in an effort to provide a heavier base to start the build projects. Scrap wood, chunks of metal or PVC pipes.  Larger things found around the neighborhood.

10/7 - Amanda/Kristen - Reflect - Write a prayer for what we’ve been doing.  Reflect on our process the past two weeks and where we are going. Sort of a check-in/encouragement to keep bringing things and help people into relying less on the Art Directors and taking more ownership of the process.

10/14 - Tiffany/Emily - Build – Job - an object that represents your type of work. What objects do you produce when you labor, or what do you consume?

10/21 - Rob/Jess - Build -Money - A less defined, but open interpretation of what to bring atm slip, receipt, paycheck stub (these will be attached to clothespins/clips)

10/28 - Amanda/Kristen - Build - Materialism
11/4 - Tiffany/Emily - Reflect

11/11 - Rob/Jess - Build – Navigating Emotions/Self – acknowledging the difficulties of dealing with emotional baggage or attachments.  Making connections between counseling and personal growth.

11/18 -  Amanda/Kristen - Build – Friendships/Relationships – Being known by others. Working as a collective force and growing together.

11/25 - Tiffany/Emily - Reflect - Recall the seven deserts/wastelands we have cleared our way through.  Do not reuse the prayer from the first week, but using it as source material is okay.

Solidarity Prayer

PM Plan Goal: Solidarity is worship, teaching, prayer, and opportunity for action.  We remember the suffering and rejoice with good works. We think God moves when we ask and may use us as part of the solution.

  • To be informed, and to inform others about what is going on in this day and age, and to use prayer as one way of remaining connected with our brothers and sisters around the world.
  • HERE is a simple Solidarity Prayer Format:
  • Hi my name is ____and I am here to tell you about_____.
  • Create 3-5 sentences to explain who we are praying for.
  • Create 3-5 sentences to explain why we are praying for them.                                                  Create 3-5 sentences explaining how we can be more involved. 
  • Offer 2-4 visual aides (slides, maps, props, etc.)
  • Finish with “Please rise with me now and hold hands as I pray” or “Please rise and join me in saying this prayer together (show slide of pre-scripted prayer)”.


This Season's Solidarity Prayer project is: Consider areas of harsh living environments and the people who live in them. Remember to try and make a personal connection in some way. Reach out to someone from that community, and find a way for us to apply our new knowledge to our own daily lives.

Solidarity Prayer process is (when, who & how):

Sep. 16th-Mike C. (DJ may lead on Fracking - protest that week)
Sep 23rd-Mike C. Aral Sea is Disappearing and it's impact on Kazakhstan and surrounding region.
Sep 30th- Craig-Kenya and the extreme drought conditions
Oct 7th-Jess-Refugees from Indonesia (Jeana Masters compiled the info)
Oct 14th- Rachael - Kenya- MCC's work with the food crisis during the current drought
Oct 21st- Craig - Concrete Jungle in Atlanta GA
Oct 28th- Mariko - MCC reforestation efforts in Hait
Nov 4th- Rachael -Bolivia farmer's relief work and building of
infrastructure for sustainability
Nov 11th-Jodi K- Hebrew prayer for loss of loved ones
Nov 18th- Jess-Lao-Hunger and Deforestation
Nov 25th- Mariko -Inuit in Nunavut, Canada