Monday, February 27, 2012

Design Team Summit (February 2012)

About 20 Design Team members came out from our network for this quarters summit. After checking in on our 2012 PM Plan, we broke up into small groups to discuss more specific topics team to team.
In our music workshop, Rod led a discussion on what we consider to be a declarative song. He chose specific songs for us to compare and we took turns offering alternative language and even whole verses to make adaptations.
Mike Stichter led the network technician directors in a time of sharing resources and new skills.
Scott had a dialogue with our art directors about why and how we lead our community through the art making process as one way of worshiping God.  
After our workshops we came back as a large group and continued to share online resources so that we can better stay connected site to site, and more organized season to season.
Carl and Joshua closed us out by teaching 2 new songs. One in Latin called "Yo te Busco" and one written by Jonny S. called "Lord Hear Our Prayer". You can find them on the COH music table.
All around a great time!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Holy Week 2012 "Sabbath: The Culture of Generosity"

Holy Week 2012 – Sabbath: the culture of generosity

THEME: Jesus' journey through his last week is our own journey from darkness to light, despair to hope.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  Titus 3:5-8

TEMPLATE

I hope we can all follow a general format.

I've marked out how long I think each segment is in order to give an idea of what might be the ratio in each evening.

15 minutes Centering

Suggested element for centerings:
Centering prayer. Silence. Meditation, etc.
Song(s)
Litany   
Silence activity

Intro the theme again. Use our theme scripture (Titus 3:5-8) and talk about tonight’s “need for redemption/rebirth" and why you set your hope on Jesus.

Give a brief recap of the previous evening.

Introduction to your particular evening.

********

(The following 40-minute section is the heart of what you are doing and may not be two distinct time slots.)

15 minutes The journey of Jesus' last days (in Mark)

Tell the story that is your scripture.
Speak it/show it/act it out. Your choice.

********

20 minutes how we can relate to this part of the journey

*********

5 minutes Closing

Prayer/Blessing/Pass the peace

Could close again with the song response.


ASSIGNMENTS (should you be so kind as to accept one)

You are given great leeway on this. We will not have a meeting to plan your evening – you make your own team. We do not have any art or music direction, to provide, yet. I (Joshua) will help you in any way I can.

April 1 – Palm Sunday, 5 and 7 Entry to Jerusalem

    Mark 11:1-11
    Joshua with the Mike/Greg/Amanda team

April 2 – Monday, 7:00   Teaching in the Temple

    Mark 11:12-12:44
    Lauren with Rob/Lattanzio

April 3 – Tuesday, 7:00 The End of the Age

   Mark 13:1-37
   Tiffany & Joshua

April 4 – Wednesday, 7:00 At Bethany

    Mark 14:1-11
  Martha with Eric

April 5 – Maundy Thursday, 7:00 The Lord’s Supper (footwashing)

    Mark 14:12-42
   Vanessa and friends from her cell

April 6 – Good Friday – Stations of the Cross/Vigil  noon-3   The Crucifixion

    Mark 15, etc
    Stations of the Cross – Joshua
    Vigil – ??

April 7 -- Holy Saturday -- in the grave
    Monthly Training at MC
    Topic: Sabbath
   
April 24 – Easter Sunday  

    Mark 16:1-8 -- Pastors and Team
    6am  Network on Lemon Hill

    Easter Feast 6pm
  Mark 16:9-20
    Joshua, Dane/John L./Tiffani w/team

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lent as Sabbath



This Seasons Theme is: Lent as Sabbath

Based on (verses, story, quote, etc.):Titus 3:5-7
PM Plan Time Line:
4:55 Instrumental (music team)
5:00 Acapella song to gather folks for the PM (music team)

5:05 What has God done story with sung response w/Acapella verse (Coord & music team)
5:10 Prayer, pass the peace
5: 12 Welcome & What to expect (Coord)
5:15 Vision time (coordinator)
5: 20 Solidarity Prayer "Desert Peoples" (SP Team)
5: 25 Talk (speaker)
--musicians go up before/during prayer
5:50 Talk Back (pastor/guest speaker)
5:55 Music & Art (music & art directors)

  • How and why we worship (Music Leader)

  • 1 more song
  • Intro to Art Making
  • 2-3 more songs
  • Final verse of acapella song
  • Pray and Go in peace

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: Using the book of Romans, write a new song each week. 
HERE are some selections to look at.

This Season's Music Process (when, who & how):
  • Feb. 26th John & Jonny "In you we are one"
  • March 4th Carl "If we have died, died to sin"
  • March 11th DJ (Subbing for Greg)
  • March 18th John "Death is Broken"
  • March 25th Carl "Oh Spirit help our weakness".
  • April 1st (Palm Sunday) Greg 'I Will Have Mercy.'
  • April 8 (Easter only 6pm) John 

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 on how to engage in the art making process.
This Season’s Art Project: To change the shape of the PM space with a large installation. 
  • Consider bringing the community from dark and burdensome into light and and life giving. 
  • Consider changing the space in a way that the community needs to either walk through or around something.
  • Consider ways that either allow you to do all of the work in the beginning, leaving minimal work for you week to week. OR ways that the community can do the majority of the work during the PM.

This Season's Art Process (when, who & how):
A tunnel/cave is going to be created out of cardboard boxes from the PM space entry way (where the stained glass begins) up to the first 2 columns. It will be have 3 tiers on each side that are made in sections that can be pushed aside for events. Over the season the boxes will move around the room, have things written on them, be folded up, cut into, turned into alters and then taken away. All of these actions will be done by the community with direction from the team week to week.

The overriding concept is to consider what we are walking through the door with during lent each week (hopes, losses, burdens, goals etc.) and what are we choosing to hand over, share with the community, or leave behind when we walk back out the door. The boxes represent what we bring in, and as the installation changes over the season, it also represents how we change what we bring or let go of week to week.

Materials
· Lots of cardboard
· Clear tape
· Candles
· BIG Black Sharpies
· String
· Luminary materials

Preparation
· Putting up the structure – tunnel

  • Week 1 – February 26th – Tiffany – Congregation will write burdens on loose boxes or brown construction paper that has been placed under their seats. “Call out and own it”
  • Week 2- March 4th – Rob – Congregation will look at the writing on the boxes and pray for a burden that is not their own.
  • Week 3- March 11th – Amanda – Congregation will light candles and place it on a ledge near a burden they are connecting with. Congregation can also write encouragement on the boxes.
  • Week 4- March 18th – Tiffany– Congregation will move the loose boxes from the structure and place around the room. This is will break the obstruction. Some people can carry a burden together.
  • Week 5 – March 25th – Rob – 3-4 people in the congregation will pray around each box that was placed around the room from the prior week. They will pray for each other.

  • Week 6 – April 1st (Palm Sunday) – Amanda – Congregation will break down the boxes

  • Week 7 – April 7th ( Easter) – Tiffany– The boxes will be tied together with string and placed around the room as alters. Candles will be on them.
Solidarity Prayer
PM Plan Goal: To create a safe space for our community to use prayer as one way of worshiping God together.
  • 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.
    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: Desert Peoples, as often we ourselves are wondering in a dry place during Lent.

Solidarity Prayer process is (when, who & how):
  • Feb. 26th DJ- Fracking in W. Texas
  • March 4th Mariko- Food Deserts in Philly
  • March 11th Jess - GEMS
  • March 18th Mike C.- Desert dwelling community (via Al Jazeera)
  • March 25th Vanessa -Somalia
  • April 1st (Palm Sunday) Robin Ingalls - Bread for the World
  • April 8th (Easter only 6pm) Heads together Haiti-Vanessa

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

New Humans

"Sweet Sweat Spots" (cotton, sugar & paper)
"The international expansion in consumption of sugar and cotton is deeply embedded in colonial history as these goods were crucial to the establishment of empire in the Americas, Asia and Africa. The history of sugar continues to have great relevance because of its defining role in shaping world history and culture."
Artist: Raksha Parekh

This Seasons Theme is: New Humans, New Identity, Economy for new humans, New Humanity, Unity Not Uniformity, Reborn Better, Created Good, The Tensions Remaining.

Based on (verses, story, quote, etc.): HERE are some verses on Renewal

Click HERE for the PM Plan outline and details


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 fallow.
  • Make sure all understand the language we are using (other cultures and "christianese").
This Season’s Music Project: Looking for new songs in other languages. Extra points if it connects with our theme of "New Humans".  

Here are a few links to get you started:
Poke around on our network music log and see if you can "barrow" some other language songs from there.


This Season's Music Process (when, who & how):
  • Jan. 1st (Julius) was called in to sub last minute.
  • Jan. 8th (Greg) Di Wanga Morena from CD called Heart Sounds (can be found in COH song of the week archives)
  • Jan. 15th (Jonny) Purify Us (new Broken Walls song)
  • Jan. 22nd (Carl) Yo te Busco
  • Jan. 29th (Greg) Ke Rata Jesu 
    Lyrics (N. Sotho)
    Jesu ka mo rata
    I love Jesus
    Ga gona wa go swana nae
    For there is none like Him
    http://www.youtube.com/user/HSIOM?feature=watch
  • Feb. 5th (Jonny) John L. wrote new song called "In you we are one"

  • Feb. 12th (Carl) Christe Lux Mundi
    Christe lux mundi,
    qui sequitur te,
    habebit lumen vitae,
    lumen vitae 
         Christ, light of the world, whoever follows you will have the light of life
  • Feb. 19th (Greg) Tulasizwe (Be Quiet)


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.
  • Provide materials, designate a space and give simple and clear directions on how to engage in the art making process.
This Season’s Art Project: 
  • This season's theme is  "New Humans". Create one piece of work that develops over the season. I do not want to see individual pieces of work week to week, rather one piece of work created by the group over time. 
  • What do humans look like when they become new spiritually and/or physically? What does humanity look like when newness takes place?
  • The community must be able to be a part of the creating process in some way.
  • Consider incorporating layers of some kind (layers of materials, hanging layers, layers of sound, layers of light or images, etc.)
This Season's Art Process (when, who & how):

Materials
·         Brown Underline paper
·         Shower Curtains
·         Paint
·         Safety Pins
·         Fabric of various colors
·         Fresh Flowers
·         Flower seeds
·         Incense
·         Candles

Space – Wall between the tech booth and the supply door

  • Jan. 1st (Dawn)
    Preparation for week 1
    ·         Around December 26th Rob will start sewing together the brown underline paper, which will be the start of the installation and will be used throughout the season.
    ·         Print intentional words
    ·         Sheet should be hung up before the 5 PM on Sunday, January 1st
     
    Intentions Part 1- Dawn will lead a 2 minute meditation based on clarifying our intentions for our growth as new humans. Direct folks to choose a bold print intention word to pin onto the sheet.
  • Jan. 8th (Amanda & Tiffany)
    Preparation for week 2
    ·         More intentional words need to be added to sheet
    ·         Various slits will be cut into the sheet
    ·         Strips of fabric need to be cut out
    Color Sensation - Amanda and Tiffany will incorporate colors onto the sheet to represent a metaphor of adding color to ourselves or our renewed vision of ourselves. Strips of color fabric can be woven into the sheet. Direct congregation to weave more strips of fabric to the sheet.
  • Jan. 15th (Dawn)
    Preparation for week 3
    ·         More fabric needs to be added
    ·         2nd sheet needs to be hung up
     
    Looking back - Dawn will start cutting holes in the 2nd sheet to represent looking back and gaining insight from the past/looking forward and projecting wisdom to the future experiences. Direct congregation to cut holes into the sheet, look towards the 1st sheet, focus on an intentional word, and mediate on it.
  • Jan. 22nd (Rob)
    Preparation for week 4
    ·         Print black and white images related to intentional words from week 1
    Intentions Part 2 - Rob will pin black and white images onto the sheet representing our intentions.
  • Jan. 29th (Amanda & Tiffany)
    Preparation for week 5
    ·         Pin more images onto sheet
    ·         Newspaper needs to be laid out
    ·         Paint and paint brushes need to be placed out
    Colorizing Photographs – Amanda and Tiffany will start painting over the images. Adding colors can be a changing process – another transition of life. Mentioning how mammals see very little color ranges and we have been gifted to see the colors around us. We are changing into something that can see more and be more. “What have you not been seeing?” Direct the congregation to add a transparent layer of paint to the sheet. Do it so that the words are still visible.
  • Feb. 5th (Dawn)
    Preparation for week 6
     
    ·         Maybe add a 3rd sheet with cut out holes that represents another transition to becoming a new human
     
    Creation as destruction – Cutting pieces out of the sheet – Adding scent and sound
    ·         Incense burning
  • Feb. 12th ( Rob)
    Preparation for week 7
    ·         Have a more intentional bold words printed out – small and large
    Intentions Part 3 - Rob can add more intentional bold words to the sheets. It can be placed on top of all the other layers. Small and large words (get the feel that our intentions are growing ... we are growing into New Humans) Direct the congregation to add more words to the sheet.
  • Feb. 19th (Amanda & Tiffany)
    Preparation for week 8
    ·         Have various scriptures printed out that are based around renewal of life
    ·         Candles or low lighting
    ·         Place flowers onto the main sheets and put flower seeds under the chairs
    Renewal -Tiffany and Amanda will tie everything together with scripture focused around renewal. We can reflect on the past weeks. Either have the lights turned out and candles lit or low lighting, while members of the congregation take turns reading lines of scripture that relate to new vision ... "popcorn effect.” While this is happening members of the congregation can take flowers away from the sheets. Reached a place where we have new life.

Solidarity Prayer
PM Plan Goal: To create a safe space for our community to use prayer as one way of worshiping God together.
  • 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.
    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: "Kids as Humanitarians". I'd love for us to highlight kids or organizations that empower children to make change in themselves, their families and in their community, in the United States and around the world.

Here are some links to get you started:


Solidarity Prayer process is (when, who & how):
  • Jan. 1st Emily Sowell Girl Scouts Beyond Bars.
  • Jan. 8th Zach Woods Youth resolving violence issues in Camden
  • Jan. 15th Colleen Keller Youth & Homelessness
  • Jan. 22nd Joshua Grace Neighborhood Playgrounds and Green Spaces for kids.
  • Jan. 29th Lauren Stichter Children with Special Needs
  • Feb. 5th Jodie Kelly Issues in child abuse
  • Feb. 12th Joshua Grace F&N Baby Blessing
  • Feb. 19th Melissa Powell TBA