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

Monday, April 16, 2012

Summer 2012 "True Self/False Self"

"Search for my Self" by Alfred Gockel.

This Seasons Theme is:"True Self/False Self"


Based on (verses, story, quote, etc.): Romans 7: “I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it.  Instead, I do what I hate.... In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

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: Communicate and collaborate with all members of your design team to create a collective plan for this season, and especially look to our Solidarity Prayer Team to make sure you are learning about what they are doing. "Steal" at least 2 songs from another congregation, and re-do at least 2 songs (that are not yours) from the past 6 months over the course of this season. Here is who you can email for more information (they know that you may be contacting them):
MC
BW
Ben White                           benjamin.p.white@gmail.com
Angie Petersen                angpete57@hotmail.com
Ben Rosenbach                 ben@benrosenbach.com
Israel Petersen                 israelpeterson@gmail.com
Rod White                           rod@circleofhope.net
19G
Kristen Rashid kristenrashid@gmail.com
 
James Porter  porterja@sas.upenn.edu 
Adam Fussaro adamfussaro@yahoo.com 
Justin Hollinger justinhollinger@gmail.com
  
This Season's Music Process (when, who & how): 
  • July 1st John L. & Danny G. "_______"-new song by Jonny S.
  • July 8th DJ- Wonderful*   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seQljY_oXMI
  • July 15th Dave P. -"We'll find peace and Quiet in your love"
  • July 22nd John L. & Danny G. - "What height, depth, power"
  • July 29th Cameron & Dave -"O Nash" (sung in Russian, connections to SP that night)
  • Aug 5th DJ - "Ever since my sin"
  • Aug.12th John L. & Danny G. "______" song by Justin H.
  • Aug. 19th Cameron & Dave -"Holy Spirit We Are Open"
  • Aug. 26th DJ "Saramaccaner" -connections to SP about Suriname
  • Sept. 2nd John L. & Danny G. "_______" 
  • Sept. 9th Cameron & Dave "Keep Me"
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:  Communicate and collaborate with all members of  your design team to create a collective plan for this season. Especially look to our Solidarity Prayer Team to see if you can make any connections, and maybe take a peek at Marlton and Crescents PM blog, and see if you can "steal" any ideas from them for this coming season.

Email Bryce directly if you would like more information.
brycehewlett@gmail.com

This Season's Art Process (when, who & how): Click HERE for full document. 

This season we are exploring our true selves and our false selves.  These are big existential concepts that can get extremely cloudy and difficult to navigate, but, at the core, we need to hold on the the fact that God loves us.  God loves all of us regardless of how many times we buy into the falsehoods the world whispers into our ears. God loves us regardless of how many promises we make and break to Her. God loves us no matter how many times we run away from Him.

In our humanity we are slaves to sin.  We don’t understand ourselves because of the struggle between what we want to do and what we actually do.  Paul speaks to this in Romans 7: “I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it.  Instead, I do what I hate.... In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

Through this framework we are exploring our perceptions of self this season.  We are not alone.  The Spirit dwells in our hearts and our sisters and brothers are dealing with the same skewed perceptions of self.  Instead of embracing the self-imposed exile of manufactured shame and guilt we are trying to embrace the liberation provided through Christ.

Here are some of the things we’re working on for the next couple of weeks:

    • July 1st: Tiffani/Emily Strips of white paper and black sharpee.  Two tables with the things we want to do (True self) and the things we don’t want to do (False Self) - congregation goes up and writes on the strips leaving them on the table to be used for the next week
    • July 8th: Rob/Jess B. Paper Mache strips to wire framed headbase. Rob will get Meg to help him prep the wire before hand and add a layer or two of blank paper strips
    • July 15th: Amanda/Kristen Color tissue paper paper mached over the black and white strips so they come through. The idea being that God sees us in various colors and complexities while we see ourselves in black/white; true/false; right/wrong.  God sees us and loves us regardless.
    • July 22nd: Tiffani/Emily Litergial reflection written to reflect on how God sees us and using the paper mache mask as a prompt
    • August 5th: Rob/Jess B. Glass panes with foil
    • August 12th: Amanda/Kristen Remove foil
    • August 19th: Tiffani/Emily Break Glass!

  • August 19th - Rob and Jes - Large roll of brown paper.  Warm watered-down acrylic paints.  Cover the whole paper with the warm colors. At moments our relationship with God is passionate and on fire.  Think of the last time you were in that place and use the warm colors to paint the paper.
  • August 26th: Amanda/Kristen Flip the warm color paper over and paint with cool watered-down acrylic paints.  Cover the whole paper with cool colors.  Reference the previous week's warm colors.  At times our relationships with God feel distant or cold.  Regardless of how we feel God stays consistent.  The warms and the cool colors are placed on the same paper - which represents God.
  • September 2nd: Tiffany/Emily The art directors cut the paper into large strips before the PM. The congregation connects the strips as circular loops into a massive paper-chain.  We each are made whole in God (individual circle); we are connected to each other in God (two links connected); we make a community of Christ-followers (large chain).  There are waaaay too many bottles of glue in the supply closet.  Use the glue to connect the strips to make the chain.
* September 9th: Rob/Jes B. The art directors hang the paper-chain over from the ceiling creating an enormous circle paper-chain.  The ADs lead a reflection and prayer on being connected and supporting each other in our identity as God’s beloved.

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:  Communicate and collaborate with all members of your design team to create a collective plan for this season. The rest of the design team will be looking to you as their driving force. Lets celebrate the good things that God is doing around the world. Use the same world map image and add a red line connecting each place you take us to week to week. Lets try and make it all the way around the world! Talk to the PM coordinators from other congregations to see if they have any suggestions on who we should be praying for.
Bryce Hewlett brycehewlett@gmail.com,
Justin Hollinger justinhollinger@gmail.com,
Rod White rod@circleofhope.net

Solidarity Prayer process is (when, who & how): Countries/States to choose from:
Cambodia- Jess M, Pacific islands, Eastern Europe, Alaska, Any U.S. States with Native American reservations, Papua New Guinea, Scandinavia, Hawaii, Russia, New Zealand-Maori's-Jess M
Sri Lanka, Suriname-Jess M, Indonesia

  • July 1st: Mike C. - Indonesia                         
  • July 8th: Craig - Alaska
  • July 15th: Jess M.- Cambodia
  • July 22nd: Craig - Russia
  • July 29th:  Rachael K-Easter Europe
  • August 5th: Jess M- Maori
  • August 12th: Mariko Snook - Papua New Guinea
  • August 19th:  Rachael K-Native American Reservations (specific one TBD)
  • August 26th: Jess M-Suriname
  • Sept 2nd:  Mariko Snook - Sri Lanka
  • Sept 9th:  Mike C. -Pakistan

Monday, March 5, 2012

Season of Pentecost 2012 "Spiritual Reproduction"

 

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 world
it'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 Lord
and my soul, and my soul
it longs for you, it longs for you
but 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 - MilitarismDj
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 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 fatherlessVanessa
June 24th (Last Day of SP team Covenant) - Ration Meals/Canadian Food Bank - Mariko