Network Relations

Chicago Nexus

March 5, 1976

Wk.9, Q.III, 1975­76

CONTEXT: As a movement, we have always made singing an important part of everything we do. One of the key events in a Town Meeting is the creation and presentation of the community's song. This weekend's conversations focus on this aspect of our corporate life and practical strategy.

CONVERSATION I:

1. What is THE edge song you find yourself singing these days?

(get several suggestions and select one)

2. Read John Wesley's "Directions for Singing" from 1761, then sing the song

3. Why do you suppose this is an edge song for us today

CONVERSATION II:

Context: Any movement that is revolutionary produces songs, the singing of which symbolizes the cause and solidifies the group behind it. "La Marseilles," "A Mighty Fortress is our God," We Shall Overcome," and "The Star Spangled Banner" are examples of such songs from the past. Now let's try one that seems to fall in that category from our more recent past.

Sing: "The Vision"

Questions:

1. At what point did the song's power impact you?

2. What is the power of this song? What does it do for a group? Why? How?

3. What is it about singing that is revolutionary?

CONVERSATION III:

Sing: "More"

Questions:

1. Where did you get tripped up or sucked in by the song?

2. Where did your mind wander off to during the singing?

3. What did you see in your meanderings? What we illuminated about the way life is?

4. What songs do you predict will be important to our spirit life during this Lenten

Season? Why?

CONVERSATION IV:

Context: Someone has said that singing is celebrating the fulfillment that exists in the present

moment.

Questions:

1. What would you hold up as the fulfillment of THIS present moment?

2. What songs embody that?

Sing: a couple of the songs named

3. Which one did the best job? Why?

I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

1. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight

degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

1. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first..

VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

From John Wesley's preface to Sacred Mclody, 1761

SONG

CONVERSATIONS: Below are revised questions for the Song Conversation.

It is crucial that the song really be sung before the Guild enters into the conversation. The Awe should break in on the singing.

1. Where did transparency break through ­ like page with match under it? What phrase?

2. When you looked through, what did you behold, what did you see, sometimes it comes as if I were being beheld; what beheld you at the moment that transparency broke through for you?

3. In the past 24 hours or so, where were you in the midst of that happeningness?

4. Let's pull back from this. A song is if it speaks, if it mediates the deeps of life. The artist may be largely unconscious, but whether conscious or not, what profound aspects (deeps) of humanness was he out to point to with the song?

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Date Old Testament New Testament Capita1 Verse

JULY

2 Daniel Ch. 1 Hebrews Ch, l. 1 3­4

3 2:1­16 Ch. 2 17­18

4 2:17­23 I John 1:1­2:2 1:7

5 2:24; 2:36­49 2:3­2:11 2:8

6 3:1­7 2­12­2:17 2:16

7 3:8­23 2:18­3:3 2:26­27

8 3:24­30 3:4­3:12 3:9

9 7:1­10 3:13­3:17 3:14

10 7:19­28 3:18­4:6 3:20

11 8:1­14 4:7­4:12 4:12

12 9 :15­27 4:13­4:21 4:21

13 10:1­14 5:1­5:12 5:3

14 10:15­11:1 5:13­21 5:21

9/9 fun song; there is a tavern in the town

the song: On the street where you live.

9/5 fun song: whistle a happy tune

the song: With a Song in your Heart

7/12 fun song: Oh, What a beautiful Morning

the song: Old Black Magic

7/13 fun song: Blue Skies

the song: Far Away Places

7/16 fun song; It's a Grand Night for Singing

the song: Blue Moon

7/17 fun song: open choice

the song: I'll be Seeing You...

7/18 fun song: Church­camp song

the song: Night and Day

7/19 fun song: Bye, Bye Blackbird

the song: I'll be Seeing You

7/20 Sanctification course

7/24 Desert Song

7/25 fun song: open choice

the song: Stranger in Paradise

7/26 fun song:

the song: Shadow of Your Smile

7/27 Council IV

7/2 Orientation Day

7/3 fun song: Oh, what a Beautiful Morning

the song: Some enchanted Evening

7/4 fun song

the song

7/6 fun song

the song

7/10 fun song: Bye, Bye Black Bird

the song: Ah, Sweet mystery of Life

7/11 fun song: It's a Grand Night for singing

The Song: Till there was you

Summer '73

Fourth Week Orders of the Day

12:15 Gather in Guild space.

GUILD

LUNCH Sing: Several resurgence songs

Accountability: Teams check to see if all are present.

Absolution

Ritual: Repeat after me

At the edge of history

The future is blowing wildly in our faces

Sometimes brightening the air

And sometimes blinding us.

12:20 Please appoint scribes and hand in one set of notes to Spirit Life.

DESERT

SONG

Context: It is important for the assembly and the movement to gain practical clarity on the happening of the operetta Saturday evening. This conversation is a way of eliciting our intuitions, and providing the basis for clarifying this dynamic. Therefore,

PLEASE HAVE ASCRIBE APPOINTED TO KEEP CAREFUL RECORD OF YOUR GROUPS ANSWERS.

The key questions are starred, the others are more dimensions of a corporate spin than steps in a rigid construct.

*1. What do you remember about Desert Song evening?

What songs do you remember

What lines of songs

What lines of narration

What do you remember about the frame (room, lights, sound, etc.)

*2. What happened to us?

What songs have you found yourself singing?

Where were you caught up?

What was the mood at the end of the evening?

What now is the high point?

*3. What were the life dynamics of the evening?

* What was the situation of the various roles (singers, dancer, orchestra, narrator)

* What was the significance of the physical setting (table arrangement, lighting, decor, service)

* What was this anyway(in relation to cabaret ­ worship ­ sanctification ­ itself)

*4. Assume that you are going to do an operetta evening your parish.

What are the practical keys to doing this sort of thing in the future?

* What would you be sure to do in a similar way?

* What would you do differently? * What are the spirit dangers to be aware of? * * What are the gifts of this event?

What one sentence of advice would you give to someone who intended to do

this sort of evening?

(Spin off) ­ What are some other operettas which you might consider

suitable for this treatment?

12:40 Study Ecumenical Parish Week 2 Document

DOCUMENT

1:15 Send Out to teams

TEAM Gather as a team for corporate/solitary time on First John. Today's assignment is I John 4:7­4:21 Steps III and IV.

2:00

PSU

DAILY OFFICE

5:30 Daily Office as League

Scripture readings: Old Testament ­ Daniel 3:1­7

New Testament ­ I John 2:12­17

(capital verse 2:16)

CONGREGATION Songs: Somewhere Over the Rainbow p. 40

BREAKFAST (Guild prep for song conversation)

6:00 I Could Have Danced All Night p. 43

Context: These pop songs affirm the past in a way that puts men's disected lives back together again. Do you remember the first dance you ever went to? Remember the first time when you got over your shyness and really danced? Ask a couple of people ­ when did that experience happen for you? Get out several replies to have a montage built for the song being sung.

Sing twice.

ACCOUNTABILITY/ABSOLUTION: Let Congregation account for its presence at worship by Guild. A context before this relative to the dramaturgy of this ritual is crucial to get in today. It is a ritual that must be done with sharp precision or the body will fall into mediocrity that is difficult to recover from. Team priors need to have someone ready to answer if they are not there for some reason.

Meal Ritual: Priest: Praise the Lord, Christ 1s risen.

Community: He is risen indeed

Priest: Amen

Community: Amen

The community is seated

PRAYER: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, send forth, we beseech thee, upon thy servants who bear office in this city the spirit of prudence, charity and justice; that they may in all things walk before thee with steadfast purpose and a single heart, and faithfully serve in their several offices, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Priest welcomes guests

INVITATION TO FEAST: Priest: Let us feast.

6:15 SCRIPTURE NEWS 1st John 2:12­2:17 (capital verse 2:16)

Keep in mind that you are not out to get theological clarity here but to have folk remember

scripture through the day.

Questions:

1. Which words struck you?

2. What's being said about our day and time?

3. How is this a grid through which to see our day?

4. What's the demon this word will dispel today?

Breakfast (cont) NEWS CONVERSATION: Image for preparatory brooding: the concern is

grasping, through these events, the indicative address on one's life, rather than

drawing forth imperatives.

1. What are the happenings of the past lay that have claimed the attention of the globe?

1. Which of these caught your attention? shifted your consciousness? impacted your

consciousness? came as "news"?

3. What is going on in that situation (begin to swirl situation getting out data, situation, forces at work, etc.)

4. How is this news related to or illustrative of resurgence in, our time? or, How does this news inform the task of the guildsman?

READING of 1 or 2 1st John paraphrases (But NO discussion). Brief comment on power of

paraphrase.

6:30 Sing: I could have Danced All Night p. 42

SANCTIFICATION DISCOURSE "The Communion with God"

7:25 MISSIONAL CONTEXT: The image for the day: "Kiss the leper". The transestablishment decision to "embrace 'kiss' the leper', through is to structure in oneself interior discipline required to trend history .

What is it you put off doing ­ seeing? What would it mean for you to kiss the leper today?

7:30 Closing Ritual: Priest: The Lord be with you.

Community: And with thy spirit

Amen/Amen