Season of Pentecost 2012 "Spiritual Reproduction"

 

Reconstructed Mohawk Iroquois clay pot, c.1550-1575

This Seasons Theme is: Spiritual Reproduction

Based on (verses, story, quote, etc.):___________

Outline for PM Plan:

Gathering song -Music leader w/team

Welcome-Coordinator

Where have you seen God Stories -Coordinator (without singing interludes). 

Pray-Coordinator

Pass the Peace-Coordinator

Re-gather with 1st half of an up beat song -Music Leader & Team

How and why we worship-Music leader (if you chose to have quiet music going, instruct the team to play in a way that allows you to not need to play an instrument while you speak)

2nd half of up beat song- Music Leader & Team

Art Direction -Art Director

Rest of music set & art making (remember to consider the flow of the music and how it impacts people getting up an down)

Pray-Music Leader

Talk -Speaker of the night

Talk back-Speaker and Community

Vision-Coordinator

Solidarity Prayer- SP Team

Go in Peace -SP Team

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: Find peppy gospel tunes that were written after the 1950's, or create one in that style. Remember to pick songs that are not declarative. This means that we find songs that sing to God, and not just about God or to each other.

This Season's Music Process (when, who & how):

April 15th Carl "Set Me Free"

April 22nd Greg "So Many Falling By The Wayside."
April 29th John L. "Lift Him up"
May 6th Carl "Victory"
May 13th Greg (Joshua's last PM) "How I Got Over" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRVzOV5ZaLs&feature=related)

May 20th John L. "Everything"

May 27th Carl (Pentecost) "Rain on Us"
June 3rd DJ "In the Morning When the Trumpet Sounds"

June 10th Jamie G. You've got the Love  by The Souce (also recently done by Florence and the Machine)
June 17th Carl keep me  (*see re-write lyrics below)
*In such a lost, in such a lost
 such a lost world, such a lost worldit's hard to see, it's hard to see see how we can do right as your people, as your people So much trouble, So much trouble on every side, on every saide
seems so easy, seems so easy

so easy, to give up the fight

Lord I need you to keep me

Lord I need you to keep meKeep Me (x4)
In this heart of mine, In this heart of mine
I love you Lord, I love you Lordand my soul, and my soul
it longs for you, it longs for youbut we're living, but we're living
in such dark days, in such dark days and I struggle, and i struggle

June 24th DJ (Last Day of Covenant) Wonderful*   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seQljY_oXMI

Other suggested songs:
You Are My Everything By Fred Hammond
High and Lifted Up You Are 
You've got the Love  by The Souce (also recently done by Florence and the Machine)
How I got over by Mahalia Jackson (currently slow and somewhat declarative, but easy to change)
Stand by Me by the Staple Singers


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:  Create a process where each week the art is recycled from the previous week and turned into something new.

(Example: Community creates images on card stock, images are turned into stencils, stencils are printed on large paper, paper is cut into strips, strips become collage, collage becomes paper mache and turned into sculpture, sculpture is cut up and turned into vessels, vessels are used to hold candles, wax is used to create relief sculpture, etc.)


This Season's Art Process (when, who & how): DUE MONDAY MARCH 26th
Click HERE for Art Direction Script. 

Pentecost –made up, added to, sent off
April 15th – Rob – made up – Using cardboard for prints – draw with glue. Week to dry – 2 each
Every week grab up something you didn’t do. Get out of comfort zone.
April 22nd – Amanda – add to it- dip it into (sponge) put paint on glue to print (cardstock)
Hang up extra art
April 29th – Tiffany – add to it – add colors to images – colored pencils
Hang up extra art
May 6th – Rob – send off – write into, personalize and give to someone

May 13th – Amanda (Joshua’s last PM) – made up – terracotta – red clay (earth tones) – creating vessels/tiles – coils – little pinch pots
May 20th – Tiffany – add to – Carve out -fired by Lauren’s kiln
May 27th – Rob (Pentecost) – Send off - tealights – celebration – receive light

June 3rd – Amanda – made up –flame-colored banners - pour wax –tie dye – colors, shapes,Yellow, red, orange
June 10th – Tiffany – add to banner
June 17th – Rob – add to banner
June 24th – Amanda (last day of covenant) – take away – go home – possibly add purple at the end.

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:  Connect with articles from MCC's website or from "A Common Place". Email the author of the article directly to get more information and making a more personal connection and then add something that will help our community connect and remember to pray throughout the week (ie. a recipe from that country, fabric that is made there that we see in our clothes, etc).

Solidarity Prayer process is (when, who & how): DUE MONDAY MARCH 26th

Solidarity Prayer Dates for next season:

April 15th  Day of Prayer & Action in Colombia http://washington.mcc.org/days - _______?

April 22nd - Holistic Education for Child Laborers - Jess

April 29th - Militarism- Dj

May 6th - Water  & MCC's engagement with the Ecumenical Water Networks - Vanessa

May 13th (Mother's Day) - Joshua's Sabbatical - Mariko

May 20th -  Afghan & Iraq Vets - Jim

May 27th (Pentecost) - MCC and the Environment - DJ

June 3rd - MCC's connection to an orphanage in the Ukraine. - Jess

June 10th -  MCC's response to the crisis in the Middle East. - Mike

June 17th - (Father's Day) MCC's Global Family and how they help the fatherless- Vanessa

June 24th (Last Day of SP team Covenant) - Ration Meals/Canadian Food Bank - Mariko

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!

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

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