[Dialogue] Did NOT WORK????
Tracy E. Longacre
tel at telphoto.com
Tue Mar 11 08:08:32 EDT 2008
Jan,
Thanks for this analysis. I think it's quite accurate.
"Serious spiritual disciplines, soaring worship, learning opportunities, and
effective, strategic missional engagement are rarely found in one place but
can be found here and there in congregations. We are thankful when we can
grow and serve in such a faith community. The LCX at its best also had an
interchange mechanism that shared struggles, victories, and "best
practices." There was a sense of the whole moving together that I do not
find other places. Perhaps this can be reinvented for the 21st century?"
This is, I think, exactly what is most needed. I find that those (including
myself) who have personally found these pieces (spiritual discipline,
strategic missional engagement, learning opportunities, etc.) have found
them in different places in their lives and almost desperately desire for
them to be integrated. Any of those I know of who feel integrated have
somehow struggled to create that on their own -- in which case what is most
often missing is community.
- Tracy E. Longacre
VSO Volunteer
Bamenda, Cameroon
So before I tip my cup, I just want to pick somebody up. Raul Midón
Cameroon Blog: http://telcameroon.vox.com/
Running Blog: http://revruns.blogspot.com/
Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tlongacre/
_____
From: dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Janice Ulangca
Sent: Monday, 10 March, 2008 8:43 PM
To: Colleague Dialogue
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Did NOT WORK????
>From Janice Ulangca
A fascinating thread. And started by a provacative statement (did not work)
that compelled many to say "DID TOO!" and talk about how. So no apologies,
please, Jim.
Here's my take on what is happening. Bits and pieces of the many things the
local church/galaxy (LCX) strategy tried to do are popping up in many
places. It is interesting to me to name some of these bits and pieces,
starting with what's been mentioned in this thread. I'll also include, in
blue, what each does not have that the LCX had, at its best.
* Helping people to grasp the significance of their faith in a
complicated and global world. Boy, do congregations, young people, all of
us continually, ever need this! Exciting resources I've bumped into: For
theological grounding, materials put out by the Living the Questions folks,
started by two young United Methodist pastors in the Phoenix area. After
the original Living the Question series done locally for a summertime
ecumenical group of 30 in 2005, I'm now part of a weekday small group that's
using the DVD series called "Saving Jesus" (basically "saving Jesus" from
contemporary irrelevance). It's terrific, with Jack Spong, Marcus Borg,
Dominic Crossan, Matthew Fox, the wonderful Amy Jill Levine, Brandon Scott,
Bill Nelson, Sr. Helen Prejean, many others, going at it full-tilt with
their best fairly brief comments. I would characterize this as "recent
scholarship and the 2008 relevance and enormous excitement of the Jesus Way
- for thinking people". Excellent printed quotes and questions go with it.
What this series does not do is move on to specific mission.
* Theological basis for relating to non-Christian spiritual
traditions. I remember the story JWM told of the three old men walking
together in India - Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and seeing that he and the
other two were elders drawing from different wells but tapping into the same
underground water stream (living water). The Network of Spiritual
Progressives, founded by Rabbi Michael Lerner, is doing great work in
relating interfaith depth spiritual tradition to the biggest issues of our
century. Another summer's ecumenical discussion on Lerner's book "The Left
Hand of God" found great insights, broad global context, and exciting
specific proposals. The national NSP organization (very interfaith -
co-chaired by Sr. Joan Chittester and Cornell West) is actively working on
some of these proposals. To my limited knowledge, what they do not yet have
is the most powerful methods to enable broad participation and strategic
focus to target the most catalytic places. Excellent methods were
characteristics of the LCX at its best. One place strategic approaches have
continued to be enriched is through the movemental spin-off, the IAF -
International Association of Facilitators.
* What if the new form of the local church is all those inventive
community based ngo and non profits?? On the side of being Mission, every
time I get Harvard Business Review I am overwhelmed by their embrace of a
sort of wedge blade consciousness. Organizations written up in Harvard
Business Review are generally terrific in terms of management, measurable
objectives, at least some aspects of global context, strategies. They may,
in secular terms, draw on some of the same deep wisdom that is available
through great religious traditions. But they may have weaknesses in terms
of relating to Biblical justice, of drawing on deep wells of commitment, and
the vision of resource accessability to "every person on the planet" is
probably limited. Current work of ICA International carries on movemental
justice traditions of passionate work on behalf of the most vulnerable; they
work with courage and very effective use of resources. Their vision involves
developing the potential of every person and community on the planet, via
accessibility to the best learning and planning methods and strategic
resources. Effective global interchange is important to their strategies.
* Still, what other structure is reaching out to do the congregating
task in a context welcoming of the ongoing and future activity of G - O - D
as well as the past activity (as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be . . .) Ah - this is where the local faith congregation seems to me
to be irreplaceable. These days I find myself passionately interested in
local church renewal, being "the secular religious", and
ecumenical/interfaith insights on actions vital to the planet's future.
Faith communities can provide crucial context and depth motivation for
working on key issues, including political decisions. Serious spiritual
disciplines, soaring worship, learning opportunities, and effective,
strategic missional engagement are rarely found in one place but can be
found here and there in congregations. We are thankful when we can grow and
serve in such a faith community. The LCX at its best also had an
interchange mechanism that shared struggles, victories, and "best
practices." There was a sense of the whole moving together that I do not
find other places. Perhaps this can be reinvented for the 21st century?
With profound gratitude for all this and much more,
Janice Ulangca
----- Original Message -----
From: James Wiegel <mailto:jfwiegel at yahoo.com>
To: Colleague Dialogue <mailto:dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Did NOT WORK????
I apologize, I just thought, from some old documents that the point was not
for us each to be IN ONE, but somehow to make a difference in the form and
structures of the MANY, MANY OF THEM around the country and the world. I
thought the insight, coming out of the experience of Joe and Joe in the war
was that many lay people (soldiers) did not have a very good ability to
grasp the significance of their faith in a complicated and global world.
Re: Randy's comment: What if the new form of the local church is all those
inventive community based ngo and non profits?? On the side of being
Mission, every time I get Harvard Business Review I am overwhelmed by their
embrace of a sort of wedge blade consciousness.
Still, what other structure is reaching out to do the congregating task in a
context welcoming of the ongoing and future activity of G - O - D as well as
the past activity (as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be . .
.)
Wilson Priscilla <pwilson at teamtechinc.com> wrote:
ala Niebuhr...I would say that I am in a "church" today. We claim to be
mission church on Mission Road...and we work to fulfill that claim. Plus we
are pushing to put a theological base under that. We are fortunate to be
where we are.
Priscilla Wilson
On Mar 10, 2008, at 7:58 AM, R Williams wrote:
Where do we find the "church" (ala Niebuhr) today? It is seems not to be,
with some noteworthy exceptions, the cigar boxes with steeples, and I am "in
a church" to use Dick's words. Randy
Richard Alton <dick_alton at hotmail.com> wrote:
Margaret, you must be right! The only problem with Jim is that he is not in
a church! Dick
Richard H.T. Alton International Consultants and Associates 'building global
bridges' 166 N. Humphrey Ave, Apt, 1N Oak Park, IL 60302 T:1.773.344.7172
richard.alton at gmail.com Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back
Babe Ruth
_____
From: aiseayew at netins.net
To: dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 20:06:59 -0500
Subject: [Dialogue] Did NOT WORK????
Jim, surely you did not say that. Some one of those fundamentally sinful
people John mentioned commandeered your computer, right?
I just finished a four meeting strategic planning with my smallest
congregation. There are only fifteen members. We met with never more than
seven at a session through blizzards, ice storms, blizzards and frigid cold.
Only one member (and myself) were at every session. Ten of the fifteen were
there for at least one session. They struggled with vision, but they really
got into the contradictions and concluded that they were not out to declare
the Word with every activity of the church and that they had not embraced
the new challenges of their diversity. This was in adddition to confessing
that they were tired and skeptical of a plan that might demand more than
they had left to offer.
I could talk about the authenticity of this process and struggle for hours.
I couldn't be more proud. We decided on two new events, a regular study
that will last six weeks starting after Easter and two Family Fun Saturday
afternoons that will reach out to the whole neighborhood. We'll evaluate in
six months and see where we are. That they managed to move off the dime is
miraculous. That the church has been their sustenance for centuries, that
they are still sustaining it and waiting, willingly praying is equally
miraculous.
The journey to Jerusalem never ends. We are once again on our way to
Jerusalem and I have been asking for most of a lifetime of myself and others
if we were ready, truly ready for the crucifixion. This last week I was so
sick with the flu and trying to take a relationship to Lazarus' story that
it felt like a mighty intervention of the father himself and his question
has been, Are we ready for the resurrection?
----- Original Message -----
From: James <mailto:jfwiegel at yahoo.com> Wiegel
To: Colleague Dialogue <mailto:dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 12:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Fine editorial
too bad the local church / galaxy strategy did not work. There would be
ecclesiolas in every "cigar box with a steeple" at every cross roads and
local caring people all across the country would have access to a deeper
formation in what is going on than seems currently available re: depth
study, reflection, conversation, etc.
John Cock <jpc2025 at triad.rr.com> wrote:
Amen! to a fine editorial, Diann. Thanks.
But believe there is and will be more villainous, depraved, and vicious
stuff coming than just slurs about racism, sexism, religionism,
Christianity-ism, USA-ism, military-industry-ism, party-ism, and
my-candidate-ism. Hate, divisiveness, and profiteering can't wait to get out
of the box -- with campaign permission -- and go crazy.
Is this sort of evil potentially in all of us? Nah! Sounds like hard-core,
die-hard, fundamental sin to me.
_____
From: dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of McCabe, Diann A
Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 12:11 PM
To: dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Fact Check re: Obama
Nicholas Kristof says what I had wanted to say:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09kristof.html?th
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09kristof.html?th&emc=th> &emc=th
--Diann McCabe
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