Tacked on....

While in the larger scale of the Church, this may seem small, I feel like I'm a part of the rebel forces trying to destroy the Death Star....
I've blogged in the past about the lack of leadership at the Annual Conference level we have in youth and young adult ministries....so little that the couple of people keeping it together have done the best they can with the little resources and support they get, and that is clearly not enough!
Now, finally, the leadership up there on the Conference level has decided that "yes"-- a chunk of our apportionment dollars should go into creating a position for this small, yet significant constituency.
And, like the grinding institution we are, it's now on to fight out who and what this position will look like and be.
I definitely have a vision of what that position should look like. It differs from some of the leadership. That's gonna bring on the jedis and rebel forces to fight for the good of the force.
Where's the disturbance in the force felt?
The sticky point is campus ministry. Now, before I start talking about where I stand on this and how it relates to this position we're dreaming up, you need to know a bit of my background. I was VERY ACTIVE in campus ministry while in college. I was a UMSM person. I loved and respected my campus ministers. I support our presence on the campus so much that I felt called at one time to this ministry.
I don't think, however, that this new position should include campus ministry, Christian Education, or camping in its position description. Why, you ask?
If we are to create a culture of call in my Annual Conference, we need to develop good, creative, confident youth and young adult leaders who will go out and do the hard work. We need someone who will come in and not do programming and all that other stuff that often gets dumped on the youth person; rather, develop and encourage leadership. That's a whole different picture than the way we did things in the past.
Why can't campus ministry fit into that picture, you ask?
Well, first of all we have a bunch of full time campus ministers that are supposed to be doing that type of ministry, and I am sure they probably are. They have a Conference committee that oversees their work. They have plenty of people and resources from our apportionments making those ministries happen. Same thing with Christian Ed and camping. Youth and young adults suffer from lack of resources and commitment because of how extremely difficult they are in our context. Our future lies in the hands of those who lead young people. In the skewed words of Princess Leia, "Youth and young adult workers, you are our only hope!"
My prayer is that I can help articulate a vision for this dynamic part of our collaborative ministry that others will get the point and its importance. Otherwise, we're just as bad as Congress, tacking on pork to important legislation. I don't want us to do this to our kids. They deserve more!
(Oh, and happy 30th anniversary to Star Wars tomorrow!)

Virtual Church

Last night on the NBC Nightly News, there was a story about "Second Life," a HUGE virtual world that millions belong to that has virtual worship services from various faith traditions that you can "go" to within this virtual world. You can use this link to go and watch the story. We hear from the perspective of a young adult man who goes to the virtual church every Sunday and watches through the screen-- you get the sense that he feels very much a part of this worshiping community. You'll see a piece of an interview with the virtual pastor who talked about his understanding of the great commission including cyberspace. And you hear from Rev. Elaine Heath, professor at Perkins School of Theology (and mother of my most amazing first service musician!) about her take on this virtual church.
The most telling comment of this short story came from a man whose "Second Life" persona is a large cat in a t-shirt. He says that he can be himself in the virtual church and it's the first time he's felt able to be himself in church.
What a sad statement. Sad statement, indeed.
Is there a place in our churches for persons who seem themselves as a large cat in a tshirt?
While I definitely fall more on the side that Elaine mentions, (I wish they had more from her!), that being that we need to be a part of a gathered community, I can see the allure, especially to younger generations of a church like the virtual church-- it's easier to be you when you have greater control over how you present that "you" through cyberspace. Yet, I am hopeful that we, the real church, might get a clue and ask ourselves that difficult question, how can we help make our churches more hospitable to all the "not-perfect" people that need to know Christ's love?

Annual Conference Countdown....

In my Annual Conference, we're about a month away from the BIG SHOW. At this point last year, I was a ball of nerves/stress because I was in charge of the agenda for the Sessions. We were trying something new for us, more in line with what our Bishop envisioned. And so, I was dealing with the angry dogs that did not get time or wanted more time, and the usual extra folks the Bishop granted time to without thinking about how it affected the whole grand scheme of things. (She is one of the most gracious people I know.) I resigned last year for a variety of reasons-- two of the biggest being that I started at a new church and I wanted to work on the culture of call issue that faces us. Without a desk to be chained to and the responsibility I've had, I have this overwhelming sense of, "WEEEE, I'm FREEEE!" I have way more choice about what I do this year at conference (or not!). I feel so liberated!
Well, I feel liberated in part. The other half of me knows I'll be in plenaries working hard on some stuff I'm passionate about. I want to see a young clergyperson elected to General Conference. I want to be a part of conversations about the future and vision of the Annual Conference-- especially related to young people. We've had a very poor track record of support and resources for youth and young adult ministries in the past ten years. (This is no knock to the wonderful, talented folks who've kept youth ministry going! )
But the other half just wants to completely disengage and play....spend time with my friends, listen to my ipod, and do any other thing that will keep me from scuffling in the politics of the week.
So, while I know in my heart I won't be able to disengage completely, I want to do what I can to allow myself some space to play. So here's the challenge. I want to make a playlist for Annual Conference. Songs that have made it in the past include, "Time is running out" by MUSE, and the totally appropriate, "If you talk too much (my head will explode)" by People in Planes. Your turn to play-- what else shall I include?
If the list is really fun, I'll create an imix on itunes!
Oh, and happy birthday to my niece, Shana, who turns 1 today!

The Friday Five

The Revgals like to play a bit of Fridays (who doesn't?) Here's the Friday Five according to me...
Reverendmother says, "There are two types of people in the world, morning people and night owls. Or Red Sox fans and Yankees fans. Or boxers and briefs. Or people who divide the world into two types of people and those who don't. Let your preferences be known here. And if you're feeling verbose, defend your choices!" RED SOX NATION! I went to seminary in Boston...so I can say with confidence that the Yankees are evil....
1. Mac? or PC? Both. :)
2. Pizza: Chicago style luscious hearty goodness, or New York floppy and flaccid? Bring on the deep dish!
3. Brownies/fudge containing nuts:a) Good. I like the variation in texture.b) An abomination unto the Lord. The nuts take up valuable chocolate space.[or a response of your choosing] Mmm...brownies....yum...yum...
4. Do you hang your toilet paper so that the "tail" hangs flush with the wall, or over the top of the roll like normal people do? I don't care as long as the last person doesn't leave me hanging there with an empty roll....
5. Toothpaste: Do you squeeze the tube wantonly in the middle, or squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go just like the tube instructs? I'm a middle squeezer...Joel can attest to that!
Bonus: Star Wars or Star Trek? Definitely STAR WARS FOR ME!!!
You can go to the Revgals site (from the right side of my blog) to play too!

Unpacking....

I'm still unpacking, literally and figuratively, the lectures, conversations and events of the past few weeks. I've pushed my body, mind and spirit to the point of pure exhaustion. And yet, I can't stop thinking about some of the things that came up...and notice how I've internalized the information and used it in my ministry context.
As I am starting to prepare for and think about Annual Conference, it is hard for me not to think about a quote that I wrote down from Luther Smith, of Candler School of Theology. It had to do with the discipline of suffering. He said, "Who's looking at how you bear the suffering?" (in this instance the suffering you or I do in the local church.)
I think about this in relationship to conversations I've had with colleagues about how hard ministry is, and how it seems like baseball, three out of ten is an all-star figure in our vocational life. I think about young clergy who responded to surveys and shared their personal suffering because of how little they are paid and how high the cost of living is in our context. I think about the constant conflicts that happen between younger folks and the majority of the church-- who are significantly older-- about translating the good news into other languages, namely the languages of younger gens. I think about a friend who is struggling to be pastor and single mom. The list of the suffering I see and experience in the lives of my clergy colleagues is weighty. That does not even begin to list the suffering I see in my congregation and community.
Do others notice the suffering you bear? If suffering is a spiritual discipline, are you prepared to live with conflict as a constant in life?
I think it is one thing to make sure others see the suffering I bear....but do I see the suffering that other's bear? It is a call to attentiveness...a difficult calling in a world as fast and crazy as ours is.
I take comfort in knowing that Jesus struggled with this, too. He got frustrated and disillusioned when people did not get the suffering he was to bear--even as he hung on the cross.

Lewis Fellows

Here we are! The latest Lewis Fellows Cohort. We met in Baltimore, MD, in April to receive training in church leadership. Check out www.churchleadership.com for more information. We're from all over, and represent about six different denominations. I'll be blogging about specific things we talked about soon...just wanted to show off the group!

Incubus_

A Post-Modern Psalm, for sure!