There was no real way of pleasing everyone, or avoiding some criticism, but overall, once I'd come to land some fixed ideas about how it should feel; it flowed very naturally, and I was really pleased with the service as a whole.
It was jam packed with ideas based around the brokenness from which a pioneer can begin to work out of. I'd been musing on Jonny's blogging on newness all month and remembered this idea of darkness and unknowing, where the pioneer needs to go into that 'liminal' space to which there may not be a definitive end in sight, if at all. There were ideas of the letting go of a comfortable 'methodical' (crumbs!) church environment to which we have become accustomed, to acknowledging the brokenness we often encounter beneath the surface of the routine. The promise of restoration through the gospel messages, and the hope of newness in breaking the ground and planting a new seed.
It was a challenge to the church in parts, but also a celebration of the arts and thankfully it was a thoroughly multimedia experience. There was a real sense of denominations coming together, and overall I felt encouraged by the people I met throughout the day... I'm not sure if its really possible to clarify the role of the pioneer in a neat encapsulated way, but it felt to me like I'd managed to provide people with a mental reference point to the kind of thing to expect. It was certainly very different to what people had expected I think, and that seems like a positive thing so far.
The video might give you an idea how the service 'felt', and the reading 'we are creatures of comfort (liminal space)' was written by Jenny Baker
stupidly after the service I asked one chap who was being rather nice and introducing himself to me whether he was into this kind of thing?
'NO! not at all!' he said and wandered off...
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