Sunday Vespers

As usual, Bede writes articulately about an experience I have shared, but haven't been able to articulate. Sunday afternoon the monastery after the guests leave is a special time. I find Sunday afternoons to have a similar feeling for me at COTM. It's one of the reasons I stay at COTM for a few hours after everyone has left--I need to feel the building relax around me. I need to know the place as quiet.

Here Bede is reflecting on the Sunday afternoon Vespers service:

Just last week I was thinking of the quality of my attention at Sunday Vespers, and it's quite an interesting thing. I'm not riveted on the meaning of the words, I haven't got the energy. Sunday Vespers is not the time for intense prayer, at least for me. It's a time for sitting in God's lap. I'm not absent from the words of the Psalms and the readings, but I'm not closely focused on them, either. The years have given me the Psalms as a part of my consciousness and they are never absent from me. But at this time I'm conscious of them pretty much in the way that I'm conscious of my bones or my toes. They are there, they are crucial, they carry me. But at this point, they aren't the center of my attention. My attention is more diffuse. I'm taking in the light, the smells, the sounds, whatever is there. (source)

I'm especially moved by his comment "The years have given me the Psalms as a part of my consciousness and they are never absent from me."

BTW, the Order is meeting in Chapter this week and a Superior will be elected on Saturday--so be sure to remember them in your prayers...

-t

Sunday Notes

Attendance was just slightly on the soft side today. I suspect the intensity of Saturday's work day may have been a factor. More and more I'm itching to improve the signage outside. I'm eager to see Melana's latest plans on Tuesday. But I realized on Saturday that we could even put up some smaller flag poles jutting out diagonally from the building corners on the Avenue Road Side. We could hang the Anglican Church Flag and perhaps the Canadian Flag, etc. I can see brackets that once held flag poles, but like many things around COTM they have been neglected for many years.

No, I haven't forgotten about my desire the fix the flag pole on the top of the bell tower, but that's going to be a very big deal. Just rigging the safety line properly is going to take some careful effort. And once I get on top of the tower I have to haul up a ladder from the side of the building! I suppose a professional company would come in with a rented cherry picker, but I think the climbing approach is still okay as long as I find good hard points to attach my safety line. I also will need a spotter, of course. Anyway, it's still on my list of things to do.

In the mean time I need to see about getting those smaller poles installed. They need to be set up so that someone at ground level and raise a flag without a ladder. They would look good and they give a sense of activity. The new landscaping, BTW, is a huge improvement!

-t

Spring Fling

Friday was full of running around. That including preparations to receive Betsy's parents. We had supper with them at home.

Saturday morning was the "Spring Fling" at church--a day for exterior planting and landscaping. The turnout was good--about 20 or more. We did a ton of work. One of the Wardens and I ended up digging up some old, trashy beds on the south side of the church and replanting them. One of the long-time members of the church (pre-fire) told me that I was the first priest he remembers who ever got his handles dirty at parish events like this. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think laboring side-by-side on projects for the good of the congregation is a great way to lead from the front.

After working at the church for a few hours we headed to the house of a parishioner with a pool for a pool party. I did some massive canon balls into the pool, myself. The kids had a great time in the water and the adults enjoyed grilled meats and other summer pool-side delights.

I got a bad case of water in my ear--which became quite annoyed and inflamed. I tried the trick of putting in alcohol to get rid of the water. That didn't get rid of the inflammation and pain, however. So I went to the drug store and got something that did the trick. After letting the drops soak in during a nap I was mostly back to normal.

Church in the morning. I think the congregation should feel proud of itself for a job well-done today!

-t

Clergy Conference Recap

Monday
Two priests came over to our house at noon to start the road trip out to Guelph for the Conference. I asked one of them, a newly ordained Curate, to bring some "interesting" music along. The other is new to our Diocese from the U.S., and I've been helping him get acclimated to life in the Great White North. We barely listened to the CD's as we got so wrapped up finding common connections and friends. In fact, I even missed the exit off the highway and to turn around and try again.

I was initially overwhelmed seeing so many friends all at once. There were about 175 clergy at this event and lots of connections to reestablish or create. After check-in the first Plenary Session introduced our theme: "Passionate Leadership: From Beleaguered to Beloved." Essentially, we would hear stories throughout the conference of people going from feeling depressed and run down and transformed and passionate.
Jason telling me not to post his picture on "that blog of yours"

"Social Time" meant networking, talking about our various churches, and taking advantage of the over-priced bar. $5.50 for a beer? Yikes. Lots of people to talk to. Lots of stories to share.

Supper was followed by small-group discussions facilitated by the new Curates. Compline was said in our groups. Then there was another social time. In previous years I gather there were more plenary sessions and less social time, I'm glad that the balance was adjusted. Time in proximity with colleagues always seems to be the most important part of these events.

After the party was the after-party. 'Nough said. "What happens in Guelph stays in Guelph."

Tuesday
Slept in Tuesday. Rejoined the group for lunch in my kilt. A few people were familiar with Utilikilts before the conference, and one of two guys even told me they have a real kilt at home. Mine was much admired, especially by the ladies.

The afternoon was for scheduled free time. I opted to go on the beer tour. A bus took about two dozen of us to two local breweries for tour and tasting. Wellington Brewery, our first stop, was a smaller operation than I expected. They emphasize traditional recipes and ingredients imported from England in their brew. We saw beer in process and admired the pleasing stain-glass fermenting vessels. I recognized the yeast smell from my dad's home brewing adventures.

The second brewery, F and M, was even smaller. Their claim to fame is a kettle that heats the wort with direct heat. As it turns out, there is a lot of cross-pollination and cooperation between these microbreweries, and they often cooperate to find efficiencies. For instance, one plant will have a nice bottling line while the other will have a good canning line and then they'll trade services so that both breweries can offer cans and bottles.

Our last stop was a local pub where we sampled yet more beer, including some "real" style ales that have less carbonation and are served at a lower temperature than what most North Americans are used to.

Back on campus in time for supper. A word about the food: it was good, but not exactly calorie-counting-fare. In fact, I had gravy with every meal except one over the three days!

The day ended with another plenary session and social time. This night I went to bed early. One does get older year-by-year.

Wednesday
Breakfast, then the last Plenary Session. It was divided between a presentation by Bishop Elliot and a Q and A Panel with the bishops known informally as "The Bear Pit." It's a custom at Toronto Clergy Conferences, I'm told, for the Bishops to allow their clergy to ask whatever they want. The doors are closed, it's just the priests and deacons, so you can imagine how intense that could get. Yet this year most of the questions were soft-balls prepared ahead of time and asked by the moderator. Then there was only time for two questions from the floor, which was pretty disappointing. I know that was the only real complaint about the whole conference that any of us had, which is remarkable.

The Room for Our Plenary Sessions at the University of Guelph

But we had one of the real gems of the conference: a fantastic Holy Eucharist liturgy. The Prayers of the People were a magnificent example of how moving sung prayers of the people can be. The Cantor did an excellent job. The sermon was good, as well. But the real prize was the liturgy of the Table (everything after the Peace). We gathered around a large square table and chanted repetitively while the new Deacons did an elaborate offertory rite. It focused on preparing the Altar Table itself rather than on the gifts of bread and wine. When they were finished, Bishop Johnson sung an entire Canon of the Mass. The Word were unfamiliar, yet poetic, and singing them was the right choice. Communion was by stations arranged naturally on the four-corners of the Altar Table.

Bishop Johnson Presiding at Holy Eucharist

Many of us agreed that it was the best liturgy at a Diocesan event that we've seen in a long time. I paid my compliments to the planners and kept thinking of things we might try at COTM.

Lunch (more gravy). Then good-byes and the road trip back. We got stuck in traffic but didn't mind--we had a lot to talk about. New friends. New ideas. Funny things that happened.

I'm looking forward to the next such event in two years. In the mean time, my last Momentum Session is coming up in a week or two.

-t

"The Naked Truth" Calendar

Regulars to my blog know that my dad and his wife grow and sell Kona Coffee in Hawai'i. Most of the "Kona" Coffee that you find around is actually a blend of real Kona Coffee and cheaper stuff, and loose labeling laws allow the big mills to be deceptive in their advertising. Needless to say, farmers like my dad are big into protecting the reputation of 100% real Kona Coffee. One of their efforts along these lines has produced a semi-nude calendar entitled, "The Naked Truth about 100% Kona Coffee."

A local paper has the scoop:

"A bold step was needed, and we took it," said Mary Lou Moss, a Kona coffee farmer who operates Holualoa-based Cuppa Kona and came up with the idea for the calendar.

The calendar, which sells for $12 on the trade association's www.konacoffeefarmers.org Web site, aims to "tastefully" depict farming activity that takes place each month of the year on Kona coffee farms.

Eleven farmers agreed to be featured in the calendar, including "Miss May" Cecelia Smith of Smithfarms, who said participating wasn't easy but was helped by champagne consumption. (source)

I'm so proud. You can buy one of their calendars from this link...

-t

Advice on Improv From Donald Schell

Donald Schell, former Co-Rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa and now Consultant and Creative Director of the All Saints Company, posted the following advice about improvising Gospel stories on a liturgy E-mail list-serve. I'm thinking that anything posted on a forum is fair game, so here's a repost:

I'm writing from Malawi, Africa where I'm spending three weeks assisting my wife's annual visit (she's international programs director for Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance). Through the wonders of wi-fi, I'm here reading this conversation. Responding to Margaret Lukens' reference to what we developed at Family Camp and Pamela's concern that it takes an auteur, I offer this description of a process for converting a Bible story into an improvised, participatory theater event where reflection on what people have done takes scripture into body memory.

I'm in the process of developing this as a replicable method, so am glad to answer questions, clarify, or pursue this in whatever detail would be helpful to anyone (and doing so will help my work as well). My only caveat is that I'm slower, at the moment, at email due to to travel -

The method doesn't work well with every Bible story. It takes a narrative that's more than just a conversation because the improvising structure is based on finding and communicating physical cues (blocking and gesture) in the text. Stories that work very, very well, so examples to hold in mind as you read through this would include the Prodigal Son, Zacchaeus, Jesus healing the blind man in John's Gospel (pretty substantial and a little long, but reach in physical detail), Mary Magadalene at the Tomb (John) and the double resurrection appearance in the upper room (John again). I've discovered John's Gospel stories (unlike the discourses) are remarkably rich in physical description of action, as though the writer had a dramatist's imagination, but any Gospel or other story with physical gesture and conflict and resolution can work.

Here's the description of the method as I've practiced it and begun teaching it - - -

1. read the story over several times (stories with a small to medium sized cast of characters work best and stories with real conflict work best).

2. find ANY physical (posture, touch, movement) cues embedded in the story (e.g. 'Mary Magdalene turned...' or 'Jesus reached out to touch...,' or 'Jesus knelt down to write in the sand...') The physical cues are the essential framework for the improv. (this is a powerful means for the 'preacher-director' to make discoveries including questions of possibly different interpretations in the text - for example, in the appearance to Thomas, does Thomas take Jesus's invitation to place his hands in the nail holes and in the wound in his side? Does he begin to make that gesture and then fall at Jesus' feet? And does Jesus leave him there or raise him up. These can be director's decisions or the director can frame them and leave them to the improvising actors, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

3. where the text offers choices about how to enact (does Jesus appear to Thomas in his sight or behind his back other disciples see him and he has to turn?) make a choice for directing the improvising actors. For this passage in John, I think it's interested to have Thomas first SEE the wonder on the face of the other disciples and then turn to face Jesus. If I'm making a choice that's not determined by the text, I tell people that as we're making the improvisation.

4. study the lines characters speak. Will the words work paraphrased or are there specific words or lines people need to get quite accurately for the story/enactment to make sense? in the later case, plan either to give people an index card (only when they need the line) or feed it to them a phrase at a time and have them repeat it.

that's the planning stage as I do it.

5. In the moment, read or narrate the story and then recruit volunteers from the congregation or group, usually starting with the least challenging roles ('I need three disciples of Jesus who will represent all twelve for us,' or 'we'll need four people to be a crowd of townspeople'), then moving on to more individual and challenging roles ('We'll need a Zacchaeus), to the roles that people might be initially reluctant to volunteer for - 'we'll need someone to be Jesus.') I nearly always find it works to trust who volunteers. I also do gender-blind and age-blind casting. Having a girl or woman play Jesus would be the most obvious example. Sometimes it's revealing and in parables, it's possible to adapt the story to the actors, e.g. the parable of the prodigal daughter or the prodigal son and the dutiful big sister.

6. talk them through the scene using the preparation work you've done ahead. This is something like a rehearsal. It may feel a little stiff, but discovery begins to happen (you'll see and feel it). When you've gone through the story beginning to end as an enactment ask the actors (and then the group) what they felt or saw (not 'thought'). Then invite group and then actors to provide other directorial choices and say, 'shall we try it that way?' and we do it again, concluding with a second conversation about what they felt or saw. Nearly always the second enactment takes on an sincerity, intensity and economy that is full of grace and discovery.

My goal is to get the text embodied and envisioned rather than interpreted. It's more wild and alive that way and stays with people (learning continues past the liturgical or teaching event).

I'm glad to offer clarification or addition to any of this.

love,
donald

Having participated in this kind of thing on several occasions even as a child, I can relate that it is very powerful and transformative work. I mean that it's not just pedagogically useful for conveying the content of the stories, but that it changes you as a person to participate.

If this kind of thing interests you, check out Systemic Constellations, which is a therapy methodology that takes advantage of the mysterious dynamics of drama to affect positive psychological change. I attended one such therapy session back when I was seminary and it was a real eye-opener. Sometime I'll do a long post to tell the remarkable story of that day. Suffice it to say that is not just psycho-bable: drama resonates with something deep in the human condition.

-t

Clergy Conference Recovery

I just got back from a three-day Clergy Conference for the Diocese of Toronto. They usually hold these every other year. It's a chance for the clergy to gather to learn, share, pray, and network. I had a great time, and the general buzz was positive. I took some pictures and hope to be able to do a fuller report tomorrow. I think one of the highlights was introducing a new guy to the clergy of the Diocese. He's an American just called to a well-known parish. He started there last Sunday, so it his first big Diocesan event. What an introduction: three days living and eating with about 170 clergy!

Key memories: ordering pizza at 2 A.M., a table at lunch applauding the Utilikilt I was proudly wearing, and one of the best Diocesan-event Eucharists I've attended in years.

-t

Secret Service Codenames

The American Secret Service uses codewords to refer to the dignitaries they protect. It's more for clarity and efficiency over the radio than secrecy, per se, so the codenames are pretty widely known. Here's a few current ones:

G.W. Bush: "Trailblazer"
Bill Clinton: "Elvis"
Hillary Clinton: "Evergreen"
Barack Obama: "Renegade"
John McCain: "Phoenix"

-t

Prayer of the Week - Pentecost 3

Beloved Parishioners,

The Church of the Messiah is grouped with ten other neighboring parishes into something called a "Deanery." The clergy from each Deanery get together about once a month to discuss common concerns, hear about things going on at a Diocesan level, and gossip. This month's meeting of the Eglinton Deanery (where we belong) presented me with a stark reality: in the eyes of the diocese we are a "blue parish."

You see, the Diocese has assessed every parish in terms of it's strategic value and viability and given it a colour to correspond. Green parishes are "sustainable." Yellow are "static." Red is reserved for places that receive the dreaded "unsustainable" stamp. Our parish, however, is blue. On the official diocesan assessment scale blue means "God Only Knows." (Yes, they actually say "God Only Knows.") It seems our parish has fallen into that vague category of places that are beyond prediction. We have sailed off the map. Our situation is simply too complex, too fluid, to predict our future.

This is good news, actually. I was concerned that decades of falling attendance combined with our proximity to other healthy parishes would earn us the dreaded "red" status. That would make it difficult to get grants and other assistance from the Diocese. The strategic plan of the Diocese is to withdraw support from places judged "unsustainable" and invest it in up-and-coming parishes. But apparently there is enough potential here to offset the negatives. They haven't made up their minds about us.

Changing our colour to "green" will require some big changes of the kind that we have begun together. It will mean shifting the congregation's mindset away from maintenance towards mission. It will also mean becoming more attuned to the spiritual needs of our neighborhood. And yet these changes are entirely possible for us. We have the people and the resources to create a place of love and transformation in the city.

On the heals of last week's "don't worry" Gospel, this week our Lord spurs us to Kingdom-building action: "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock" (Matthew 7:24). The two things are connected: we proceed from a liberating confidence in God's providence to questing for Kingdom-come and righteousness. Join us in this work!

Lord God of Heaven and Earth, all things come from you. We thank you for sustaining our lives and providing all things we need. Inspire us, we pray, to continue your work in the world, building the Kingdom of God in all righteousness and Godly love. Give us courage to imagine and to explore and strength to plant and to build. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

-t

Me Kilt!

Check out my new "Utilikilt." It's basically a modern, casual version of a more traditional kilt. Some of it advantages over a traditional kilt include pockets, the fact that it rides on the belt line rather than the waist line, and it's machine washable. And just look at that manly belt! Of course it's comfortable as all hell. I'm not surprised, I've long since discovered how great Cassocks are.

From the Wikipedia article on the subject:

Utilikilt's commercial success is primarily from word of mouth, as the company does not pay for product placement or commercial endorsement and eschews professional models in favor of photos of actual customers. Despite this low-key approach, they grew from sales of 750 kilts their first year to over 11,000 three years later. The company received a big boost in recognition after Richard Hatch donned a Utilikilt on-screen in Survivor: All-Stars. (source)

I haven't tried mine with a clerical shirt, yet, but I'm sure it will look as good as it will feel. Ah, freedom, my brothers!

-t

Spring on Farnham

Spring has sprung, sort of....





-t

Wardens' Retreat

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. (Matthew 6:30-32)

Yesterday I took the COTM Wardens for an all-day retreat at SSJD. As it happened, it was also the Feast of the Visitation of Elizabeth to the BVM, so I was pleased to get my Marion fix while I was there. We arrived in time for Morning Prayer. Had two sessions after that, and then broke for Eucharist and Dinner (Lunch), and then had another session together after that.

Here's a learning: it's easy to over prepare for this kind of thing. That is, I went in a bit anxious about how it would go, so I planned out some stuff ahead of time. Most of that went out the window as soon as we started talking--and the results were better than my plans. So beware of over planning something like this.

As it was, it was plenty to do to spend the first session talking about own spiritual well-being, the second on the church's, and the third on plans and priorities for the next year. I think we came away with a better sense of each other and some ideas about next steps for the church.

SSJD, btw, was an excellent host as always. They told us the rules, put out the coffee and cookies, and left us alone--precisely what we needed!

-t