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8/01/14, Spong: Carrying My Understanding of Christianity to France
by Ellie Stock via OE 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR Carrying My Understanding of Christianity to France In two lectures in Paris, France, this summer and through various other media, I sought to place into the religious conversation of that nation a new way of looking at Jesus of Nazareth. The majority of both audiences that I addressed consisted of people who still have some relationship with institutional Christianity. The first was primarily those who had a Protestant orientation and the second those primarily of a Catholic orientation. In the Protestant audience some clergy were present. In the Catholic audience no clergy were visible, but one person in the question period did identify himself as a Jesuit. One of the Protestant pastors was the senior minister of the church which hosted the lecture. He was French and French speaking with only a limited facility in English. His church may have been the largest and most active, indigenous Protestant congregation in Paris. He was tall, about forty, clearly impressive in ability and his response led me to believe that he was on my theological wavelength. He had welcomed me warmly. His name was James Woody, which surprised me because it did not sound French at all. I discovered that he received his name from his grandfather, who had landed with the American army on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. He then fought the Germans until they were ousted from France. In the course of his service, he fell in love with and married a French woman. Their son was the father of this pastor; hence James Woody was the rather Anglicized sounding name of this French-speaking Protestant pastor. The second identifiable Protestant pastor was an expatriate, serving the American Protestant Church in Paris. His name was the Rev. Dr. Scott Herr and his ecclesiastical background was Presbyterian. His church was similar to the American Episcopal Cathedral located just a few blocks away. Both of these churches were built to serve the American business and diplomatic communities living in Paris. The Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral is the Very Reverend Lucinda Laird, who once served with great distinction as the rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Teaneck, New Jersey. She was not present for my lectures as she was attending a clergy conference in Baden-Baden, Germany, although Christine and I did get the chance to have dinner with her later that week. My sense is that her congregation is basically American with perhaps some English citizens who live in Paris. The questions that came in the discussion following the lecture in the Protestant Church reflected the same modern tensions we find in the United States. Sometimes, they also revealed a defensive clergy mentality and a fear of stepping too far outside the traditional formulas of Christianity. For example, one questioner asked, “Do I have to agree with all of your premises to get to your conclusions?” with which, he stated, he generally agreed. I suspect that if we had had time to develop his comments. I would have discovered that he was in fundamental disagreement with my conclusions in regard to such things as the necessity of finding a way to talk about “God” without using the familiar theistic vocabulary. People are not aware that theistic language always sees God as a being, supernatural in power, dwelling outside this world in some spatial realm and able to intervene in human history in invasive, miraculous ways. Christianity’s concepts of Incarnation, Atonement and its doctrines of the Holy Trinity, all assume a theistic God definition, and all of these ideas are very difficult to translate into categories understood by those who live inside an educated, modern world view. Despite that problem this theistic language continues to be used in Christian liturgies Sunday after Sunday, in both Protestant and Catholic churches. That is one of the major unrecognized reasons that so many people today find themselves unable to relate to the language of worship. Other questions also revealed this unrelatedness. “What specific changes would you call for in the liturgy for Christianity to be able to live in our world in a new way?” one asked. That question assumes that one can make minimal adaptations around the edges of Christian thinking and accomplish the goals about which I wrote in my book on Jesus. That is no more in touch with reality than those who re-arranged the deck chairs on the Titanic just before that ship sank into the sea. A radical reorientation of our understanding of both God and human life is required. We need a shift from the idea of God as a being to the possibility of God as “Being” itself. We need to drop atonement language altogether. We need to dispense with the concept of Jesus as the “savior of the sinful,” the “redeemer of the fallen” and the “rescuer of the lost.” We need to see salvation in terms of wholeness. We need to stop relating to God as if we are trembling children standing before an abusive parent or as if we are convicted felons standing before a hanging judge. We need to drop penitential language like, “Lord have mercy” and “Kyrie Eleison.” If I had spelled out these requirements more specifically I wondered if any of the clergy present that night would have been prepared to take on such a task. One of them described himself as a “generous conservative,” an interesting phrase that seemed to make a virtue out of clinging to the theological patterns of the past. Another worried about how these concepts would translate to our children. That is always a smokescreen. Our children have given us their answers; we simply have not been willing to hear them. Every poll shows that those we call the “millenials,” that is those who came to their maturity in the 21st century, are today stepping outside of organized religion in droves. Their parents know that and so parental questions about what kind of theological language will engage their children is little more than a reflection of the parents religious anxieties, but without the courage that their children seem to have in being able to admit it. If we adults do not face the fact that our churches are in a statistical freefall, we will never be able to take the action needed to address this reality. Most Christian congregations have never even dealt with the contemporary biblical scholarship of the last 200 years. If they cannot face that, there is little reason to think that they have the ability to grapple with creedal and liturgical issues that are challenged by current theological thinking. Protestantism is very weak in France, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, but so is the Roman Catholic Church. Rigor mortis would be too lively a phrase to describe the life of Christianity in not just France, but in most of Europe today. When I arrived the next night at the Catholic venue, the previously mentioned self-designated Jesuit, was the only person who admitted to a significant relationship with this church. Catholic monuments abound in France, but Catholic practice is almost non-existent. The shortage of clergy is desperate and quite apparent. One priest might today serve as many as five churches, having time for little more than “saying Mass.” Take the tourists out of Notre Dame Cathedral and the congregations on Sunday mornings would be embarrassing. I found little here respect for what might be called “Catholic thinking,” since most French people assume that the Catholic Church has little wisdom to offer to this generation. When prodded they would regularly say something like “the hierarchy is so conservative, they are out of touch.” Some of the questions arising from my “Catholic” audience were these: “I wonder if you are not losing part of the incarnation in your approach?” “Why do you keep using the phrase fully human?” “How could the human Jesus step beyond the boundaries of his humanity?” “Was Jesus not religious? In your book, you cite 23 references to Jesus being in the synagogue. Does that not indicate that he was religious?” The Jesuit stated that he basically agreed with my concepts. Then he went on to say that no book can interpret Jesus completely and suggested that mine did not either. I did not disagree with him, but in my opinion he was seeking to appear open to new possibilities without ever having to commit himself to anything. In the last analysis he did not even ask a question, he only inquired as to how I might relate to his comments. “I do not have answers,” I responded. I only believe that we must start a new religious conversation. The first step is to let go of the language of the past; it no longer works. The second is to learn to walk faithfully into the unknown without yesterday’s certainties impeding us. Any religious system that purports to offer security is an empty idolatry. People trained in the traditional Christian pattern of history, so often cannot even get past this first step. It was my third audience, the totally secular representatives of the French Press that gave me hope. They like most of France were completely non-religious. They had no agenda or turf to protect. They asked questions not out of defensiveness or fear, but out of a quest for knowledge. For them this press conference was a possible story, nothing more. Their first response was shock, rooted in the fact that I was a bishop saying things they had never heard a bishop say before. Shock quickly turned into interest, however, not so much in my answers, but in what they perceived to be my authenticity. Religious debates in their experience were between two equally irrelevant positions. The debate I sought to inaugurate was about the search for truth with no “sacred cows” needing to be defended. It is about how human beings can process transcendence, about how I find meaning inside an institution which they had long ago abandoned, about how to deal with life’s limits and life’s fears, and about whether there is anything by any name that we can call ultimate. The most encouraging memory of my time in France is rooted in the fact that the press conference went on for three hours with no journalists leaving and then during a radio interview the following day, learning that the producer in the control room let out a few “wows” as the dialogue developed. If my writings ever make an impression in France, it will be because the media presents them to the nation. I discovered there that a “God shaped hole” is still in the soul of the secular French. The world in all of its non-religious secularity still yearns to have it filled with meaning. ~John Shelby Spong Read the essay online here. Question & Answer John Fugelsang, via the Internet, writes: Question: I've come to view Jesus much the way I view Elvis. I love the guy, but the fan clubs really freak me out. I think a lot of the times the mistake we make is confusing God and religion and thinking they're the same thing. What we have now is all the fundamentalist Christians who read the Bible and they skip right from the golden calf to Revelation - and then the "Left Behind" books and they kind of leave out the fact that Jesus was pretty much the most extremely liberal guy ever in history and literature or wherever your belief system locates him. You look at the character of Jesus and he scares the hell out of the conservatives even today. If Jesus came back today, you wouldn't be able to hear him talk over the sound of Christians calling him a socialist. Jesus was anti-wealth, anti-death penalty, anti-public prayer, never anti-gay, anti-abortion and never anti-premarital sex among other parameters. Answer: Dear John, Thank you for your letter. It is almost breathtaking in its scope. I can appreciate your point without necessarily agreeing with all the leaps you took to reach your refreshing conclusions. Let me try to respond. There are certainly some comparisons to be made between Jesus and Elvis Presley. They both had devoted followers and one could even say that the followers of both were unable to accept the reality of their heroes’ deaths. They both spawned movements dedicated to keeping the memories that inspired many alive. Those two movements obviously distorted the memory of their heroes in many ways, not the least of which was turning the movements into profit-making institutions. Lest we get carried away with easy comparisons, however, there are also some vast differences. Elvis was primarily an entertainer. Jesus was prophetic in that he led people to new understandings of life and removed many of the barriers that so many impose on life’s potential. Jesus called people to wholeness and, according to the only records we have, lived out that wholeness even when being publicly executed. Elvis exhibited the hedonistic indulgences of a broken and distorted life. He died, excessively overweight, addicted to drugs and to alcohol. Those are pretty substantial differences. The “Left Behind” books do in fact distort the Jesus story rather dramatically; so do the religious institutions that have been created to extend Jesus’ memory to future generations. I do not recognize Jesus frequently in the claims of those who purport to speak for him. Through the ages, the church in both its Catholic and Evangelical Protestant forms has been anti-Semitic, anti-Moslem, anti-women, anti-gay and racist. The Christian Church has carried out the Crusades, the Inquisition, endorsed slavery, resisted desegregation, advocated an inferior identity for women and people of color, called homosexual people deviant, evil and depraved, when the only “sin” of the homosexual was, we now know, to be born with a sexual orientation different from the majority. What you, John, do not seem to understand, however, is that the Christian Church has also raised up within itself visionary voices that bear witness to unpopular truths that eventually have forced institutional change. Abraham Lincoln, while never comfortable in church, read the Bible daily and that Bible informed his commitment to end slavery and to issue the “Emancipation Proclamation.” The Civil Rights movement was a movement led by Christian clergy of all denominations, first as courageous minority voices, but ultimately achieving a majority status. I remind you that Martin Luther King, Jr. was the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and that his homiletical genius was born in a deep engagement with Holy Scripture. The church also inspired and raised up the voices of women from Mary Magdalene to Julian of Norwich to Joan of Arc to Dorothy Day to Rosemary Ruether, Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza to Nancy Wittig to Barbara Harris to Katharine Jefferts-Schori. These women first challenged and ultimately defeated institutional sexism. No, that battle is not over. Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox Christians will not yet ordain women, but inevitably they will and sooner than their hierarchies now think! The Church of England has finally run out of delaying tactics and will open the bishop’s office to women very soon. There will be no turning back on this. The battle for gay rights, gay acceptance and gay justice has been fought inside the structures of the Christian Church as well as outside it. Great pioneers like Fr. John J. McNeill in the Roman Catholic Church, Louie Crew and the Rev. Robert Williams, the Rev. Barry Stopfel, The Rev David Norgard, The Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton, The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool, The Very Rev. Tracy Lind and countless others in the Episcopal Church have not only challenged, but in some cases, have overcome and defeated the homophobia of institutional Christianity. The followers of Elvis Presley have never raised up minority voices to purge and to purify their movement. The Bible asserts time and again that Christianity is called to be a minority movement, but always affecting the majority. We are told in the New Testament to be the leaven in the dough that causes the bread to rise, to be the salt in the soup that gives it flavor and to be the light in the darkness that will not be extinguished. I am a Christian, not because I am proud of the history of institutional Christianity, but because I believe that minority Christian voices can and do purge institutional Christianity of its excesses and of its life-diminishing prejudices. You seem to have some sense of who this revolutionary person called Jesus is that we Christians follow. I invite you to cease standing outside ecclesiastical structures as an external critic and to come inside, enter the trenches where the battles are being fought and there to make a difference. If you do you will know how shallow it is to compare the Elvis movement to the Jesus movement. ~John Shelby Spong Announcements **We apologize for the delay in today's essay. It was due to our Mailchimp account - which was temporarily suspended. The issue has now been resolved. We thank you for your patience. Do you or someone you know speak French or Spanish? Share and Visit these sites: Bishop Spong in French: protestantsdanslaville.org Bishop Spong in Spanish: johnshelbyspong.es

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"Journey Reflection" Blog Review (July 2014)
by John Cock via OE 01 Aug '14

01 Aug '14

From: John Cock <jpc2025(a)triad.rr.com <mailto:transcribebooks@triad.rr.com> > Date: Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 2:23 PM Subject: "Journey Reflection" Blog Review (July 2014) Colleagues of OE and ICA, Following are the most viewed blog posts of the month ³Journey Reflection² Blog Review (July 2014) <http://rejourney.blogspot.com/2014/07/journey-reflection-blog-review-july-2 014.html> . And below is a sample of today's blog post e-mail via Mail Chimp that goes to couple hundred OE/ICA colleagues, plus. Let us know if you would like to be added (would come to your e-mail at 7 a.m. US Eastern Time). Journey on, Lynda and John View this email in your browser <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=8952b59f34&e=fbef96b95f> Journey Reflection July 31 Interior Conversion Thomas Berry: As spirit is one, so the universe in its primordial origin, its movement through time, and its final fulfillment, is a single, if infinitely diverse, mode of being. [Our Universal Spirit Journey* book] is a simple, direct, and exuberant statement of the all-pervasive presence and power of spirit and its ever-present support for the Earth Venture and the Human venture. Journer: Berry is talking about the heart of the profound journey for all. Nez: Prophetically he warns that without spirit all the economic, political, and cultural processes of humanity will not make it via ³our [present] dysfunctional interior life.² Namaste. ______ * from Berry¹s Foreword, pp. 10-11, of jpc¹s book (2002) Image: source <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a268 54c8af6&id=dff50aca17&e=fbef96b95f> Xtra Blog Post: Profound Journey Learning <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a268 54c8af6&id=d6b3015bd6&e=fbef96b95f> (Wyatt Prunty) 3,600+ Daily Blog Posts since August 2004 JPC & LLC Links: <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=23cb744cd6&e=fbef96b95f> Website <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a268 54c8af6&id=c65c4569e4&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a2 6854c8af6&id=b96cff07ff&e=fbef96b95f> Books <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a268 54c8af6&id=8d115918c3&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=9da2d6abbb&e=fbef96b95f> Facebook <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=199bc3d5ae&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=2501ee1aec&e=fbef96b95f> Twitter <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=f4ad53998b&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a2 6854c8af6&id=7b69fa63a2&e=fbef96b95f> Google Plus <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=bb6c927970&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=4bf58ed149&e=fbef96b95f> Share <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=47d68d8360&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a2 6854c8af6&id=e88f9b0708&e=fbef96b95f> Tweet <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a268 54c8af6&id=e2242d0d08&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a2 6854c8af6&id=8c2ec3672e&e=fbef96b95f> +1 <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a268 54c8af6&id=b3918f5ff8&e=fbef96b95f> <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a2 6854c8af6&id=38cd4a930f&e=fbef96b95f> Share <http://transcribebooks.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=16fbe6261dac75a26 854c8af6&id=9ac4ff8b8c&e=fbef96b95f> <http://us8.forward-to-friend1.com/forward?u=16fbe6261dac75a26854c8af6&id=b fef446ea8&e=fbef96b95f> Forward <http://us8.forward-to-friend1.com/forward?u=16fbe6261dac75a26854c8af6&id=bf ef446ea8&e=fbef96b95f> Copyright © 2014 Transcribe Books, All rights reserved. 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Cock >Daily Blog: "Journey Reflection" at this link > Google or Google+ : www.reJourney.blogspot.com <http://www.rejourney.blogspot.com/> >Web Page: www.transcribebooks.com <http://www.transcribebooks.com/> >Books: http://www.amazon.com/John-P.-Cock/e/B001K8Y5KW

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Fwd: GMCA July 28-29
by David Zahrt via OE 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

*MON Jul 28* Monday was a 19 mi March: from Ashland to W. Omaha, NE. We got up at 4:45am had an early breakfast and tried to get on the road early. The Marchers didn’t circle up until 7am. And there was work to do to get the church left ‘cleaner-than-we-found-it’. My job on breakfast cleanup was done, so after the circle-up I left for W Omaha. It was a long ride. I didn’t get to Hope Presbyterian church until 12:30pm. I ate lunch and phoned Joan Wallace, my friend and host for the next 2 days. She indicated that she could come and get me when I was ready. I told JJ that I had put my bike on his trailer when Don and Jane McClain arrived! They indicated they had stopped in to see Joan and would take me to her house. When we arrived we met Joan’s daughter, Jil. Joan indicated she had the bathroom ready for me. What a treat to take a bath and not just a quick shower. (*Here's the picture that Joan took when he was presentable.*) We had a leisurely afternoon and shared the history that linked us all together. I learned that Joan is self-employed, which means she can make her schedule to suit her needs. She arranges translation of Spanish, French, and Thai on the Internet: amazing. Don had already chosen a restaurant in the Farmers’ Market where he wanted to have dinner. We went out and had dinner. We came back and continued our sharing history and reminiscing until bedtime. Joan had given me her bedroom and Jil was sharing her bedroom with her mother. What wonderful friends, is all I can say. *TUE Jul 29* Tuesday was an easy morning. Joan made sure I had my favorite breakfast, granola and yogurt. She offered to take me shopping because I needed bicycle gloves, etc. We got the shopping done and Joan made a lasagna dish for the potluck for the Marchers at a church halfway to the next campsite. Don and Jane and Patty and Dick Whiteman joined us. We continued to share stories from the past. We also agreed to attend the Rally at the café near the Tuesday night campsite. I had the opportunity to introduce Joan, Don and Jane and Patty and Dick to the Marchers. At the cafe the Prairie Gator Band played a set of music and paused for announcements on Climate Change and fundraising for the March. When the band began playing again our ‘crowd’ decided to leave. But it was a good day for the marchers as well as for me personally. [image: Inline image 1] -- Peace, David

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Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] Fwd: GMCA 7/27
by Robert and Cynthia Vance via OE 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Yikes. David Zahrt via Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: >Sun Jul 27 > >We were ready to leave by 7:30. The vehicles still had to be packed up but they would be able to get out of the church parking lot by 8:00. It was a straight shot east (13 miles) on Hwy 6 to Ashland, NE. The Lutheran Church is hosting us and will have a potluck supper and program for us. I arrived at the church at 10:15am. The church service is from 9:30 to 10:30 so I missed the service. But I was greeted by Jack and Carol who live in Ashland and are members of the church. They invited me to stay for coffee. Jack introduced me to pastor Lauri and some of the other members. He and Carol returned home so Carol could fix the dish that she was bringing to the potluck in the evening. > > >We had permission to stay in the church overnight so I chose a room, got out my computer, and set up my sleeping equipment. We had an All-Camp meeting at 4pm. The marchers who were leaving were acknowledged. The sag-wagon schedule, the packing and keeping the gear truck accessible, fundraising, and all-around assignments were topics of discussion. > > > >The potluck dinner started at 6pm. After dinner we were invited to the sanctuary where we had a workshop on climate change. Another Lutheran pastor led the workshop. The first question she asked us was, “When you hear reference to climate change what one word comes to mind?” We were asked to work in groups of 3 to 4 and to agree on one word. When she asked us for the answer to the first question there were 2 people at the whiteboard writing the responses. I found the responses depressing. The next question was “What is your response to the answers we have on the board?” Most of the group found the responses depressing. The last question was “What will/can you do in the next 3 months to alter the climate change?" She was after small steps that could be taken. I volunteered that I had purchased a cup and when I go into the convenience store to get my hot cocoa I take it with me. Not only does that keep me from throwing one more cup away, it also usually gives me a discount. After the group had a chance to share their steps, we called it an evening. > > >Peace, David > >

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Invitation to "Creating the Future of our Past"
by Jack Gilles via OE 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

Dear Colleagues and Friends of the ICA, We want invite you to the first Global Archives Research Assembly (GARA) to be held in Chicago and online during the week of September 20-27th. There are numerous ways you can participate and the amount of time you can is up to you. There are many current collections that already are ready for public viewing and will be active sites for continuing additions and new areas of both theoretical and action research. For example both the Imaginal Education Collection and the Social Process Collection will have active research before, during and after the GARA. We are also looking at what might be a Spirit Life for the week as well. James Wiegel is looking for ideas that could be helpful for all who participate and any ideas you have for such a component are certainly welcome. I am enclosing two items to help you in your thinking. One is a link to the site where you can see the invitation we sent to all the Global ICA’s as well as a place where you can add your name and information regarding participation. It also has a place where you can ask questions of clarification that we can answer for you. In addition, we plan to add a space on the bottom where active research teams can post a brief explanation of the work they intend to do for the GARA. So you may want to check on this site as it will be the place to find out more information for you. <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpWOFYJOiRqvulHuMy9-kjrqCxAoTl0B8jxuLxr…> The second item is a chart of the Accessioning work we did of what we have in the ICA Chicago archives. This is not a Collection chart, but the areas where collections can be created that use the resources. We especially need people who might come for the week and help in assisting the working Collections in finding and scanning archived material. We have already scanned hundreds of pages, but there is much more to do. Also, we are building the GARA around the date of the Solar Panel Dedication event that will happen in Chicago. We see this as a part of the GreenRise Collection (could be expanded to other environmental work being done by you and other ICA’s). So please go to the Google.doc site and take a look and join us in this creative adventure, which we are calling “Creating the Future of our Past!" Peace, Jack Gilles For the GARA Design Team

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Fwd: GMCA 7/27
by David Zahrt via OE 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

*Sun Jul 27* We were ready to leave by 7:30. The vehicles still had to be packed up but they would be able to get out of the church parking lot by 8:00. It was a straight shot east (13 miles) on Hwy 6 to Ashland, NE. The Lutheran Church is hosting us and will have a potluck supper and program for us. I arrived at the church at 10:15am. The church service is from 9:30 to 10:30 so I missed the service. But I was greeted by Jack and Carol who live in Ashland and are members of the church. They invited me to stay for coffee. Jack introduced me to pastor Lauri and some of the other members. He and Carol returned home so Carol could fix the dish that she was bringing to the potluck in the evening. We had permission to stay in the church overnight so I chose a room, got out my computer, and set up my sleeping equipment. We had an All-Camp meeting at 4pm. The marchers who were leaving were acknowledged. The sag-wagon schedule, the packing and keeping the gear truck accessible, fundraising, and all-around assignments were topics of discussion. The potluck dinner started at 6pm. After dinner we were invited to the sanctuary where we had a workshop on climate change. Another Lutheran pastor led the workshop. The first question she asked us was, “When you hear reference to climate change what one word comes to mind?” We were asked to work in groups of 3 to 4 and to agree on one word. When she asked us for the answer to the first question there were 2 people at the whiteboard writing the responses. I found the responses depressing. The next question was “What is your response to the answers we have on the board?” Most of the group found the responses depressing. The last question was “What will/can you do in the next 3 months to alter the climate change?" She was after small steps that could be taken. I volunteered that I had purchased a cup and when I go into the convenience store to get my hot cocoa I take it with me. Not only does that keep me from throwing one more cup away, it also usually gives me a discount. After the group had a chance to share their steps, we called it an evening. Peace, David

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Mark Dove has another posting in Progressive Christianity
by Lynda Cock via OE 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

Enjoy and remember this life changing encounter in your own life. http://progressivechristianity.org/resources/art-form-methodology/ Lynda Cock >Daily Blog: "Journey Reflection" at this link > Google or Google+ : <http://www.rejourney.blogspot.com/> www.reJourney.blogspot.com >Web Page: <http://www.transcribebooks.com/> www.transcribebooks.com >Books: http://www.amazon.com/John-P.-Cock/e/B001K8Y5KW

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Fwd: GMCA July 24
by David Zahrt via OE 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

THU Jul 24 There was a late breakfast—7am—because the Rally at the NE Capital steps in Lincoln was scheduled for 5pm. We planned to meet at the Bourbon Theatre on O St at 4pm. The plan was to March as a group 4 blocks over to the Capitol and arrive shortly before 5. I walked over to the gear truck and got my musical equipment and went over to the Capitol steps to set up. We were scheduled to play before the Rally started. Bob Fritzmeier, a friend from Sioux City, arrived. We had a chance to catch up with each other before the Climate Justice Gypsy Band began to play. We played for about 5 minutes and then the speakers were introduced. There were a substantial number of Nebraskans at the Rally. Anna introduced the March and then introduced Ed. Ed made a brief overview of the March and turned the mike over to a Nebraskan who explained what Nebraskans are doing about Climate Change, and how the March helps emphasize what they’re doing. She explained that we are taking a petition, signed by numerous people, and the Marchers to the Governor’s Mansion. Bob and I took my insturments over to his car and joined the March to the Mansion. The gates to the yard were all locked. Then a fellow read the proclamation to the Governor. When he finished the proclamation he must have pushed a button on the entrance because an officer came out of the Mansion and over to the gate. He was handed the petition with all its signatures then returned to the Mansion. The Governor didn’t appear. We Marched back to the steps of the Capitol where a pastor described what was required of us, what we were doing, and gave her blessing. We then headed over to the school where there was sweet corn and dinner for those who wanted it. On the way over I discovered why Bob was so familiar with Lincoln: he had attended University in Lincoln. As we moved along I took the opportunity to introduce Bob to the Marchers. He was pleased to meet them, find out where they were from, and get their perspective on the March. I introduced him to Miriam, who has been elected as the Mayor of the March. When Bob told her he was from Sioux City, she informed him that was where she was born. He also made a financial contribution to the March, which was much appreciated. Since the next day was a stay-day I was introduced to the man who was the taxi to my host’s residence. He took Bob and me back to Bob’s car to get the bass and amp, then went to the gear truck where I packed the music equipment and got my overnight equipment. Bob had to be back in Sioux City at his work on Friday morn, so we said “Goodbye” and departed. Our host was Trish. She was working at the checkout counter at HyVee until 10:30, so JJ and I settled in and waited for Trish to get home. She arrived and we had some conversation before bedtime. -- Peace, David

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Fwd: GMCA 7/25-26
by David Zahrt via OE 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

*FRI Jul 25* Our Lincoln host, Trish has 2 jobs: one is at HyVee in the evening, and the other is taking care of 3 young girls during the day. She got up served us breakfast, went and picked up the girls, and returned. JJ and I chose to skip the 7am Yoga in the park, scheduled for the Marchers. But we wanted to get the garden tour at 9am. Trish was also interested in the tour. Tim Rinne and his wife were offering the tour. He distributed a printed copy of the article in *Mother Earth News* (April/May 2014) entitled *Homestead Hamlets: Neighborhood Gardens That Create Community Food Security.* If you want to access it on the web go to <http: www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/neighborhood-gardens-zm0…>. If you read his article you can see that the garden is a response to climate change. I shared with Tim our Carson City, Tahoe Drive, Zahrt/Sutton-Tews transformation of 2,000 sq ft of lawn into garden. I/we have not been as successful in recruiting our neighborhood into gardening. He and his wife have created what they describe as a Hamlet out of their square block. It now has a total of more than ½ acre of garden (<Guide to Urban Homesteading>--MOTHER EARTH NEWS). Tim took us on an hour and ½ tour, describing what it had taken to transform the 20 family neighborhood to the Hawley Hamlet. Once the tour was complete we piled in Trish’s van and went back to her house for lunch. Then everybody was ready for a nap after which Trish took the girls home. When she came back JJ and I got to know about her situation. She has 4 daughters, is divorced, and has shared custody of the daughters with her divorcee. This week is his week for the girls, so we had access to the girl’s bedrooms. She has had a great deal of support from her friends and her church. There was a fund-raising event at the Zoo Bar from 7-10pm. Trish had gotten pizza when she took the girls home, so she served JJ and me pizza. We left for the fund-raiser at the Zoo Bar in time to set up for the Climate Justice Gypsy Band. When we arrived there was a band playing and it played until 7:45. Another band was scheduled to play but they let us ‘squeeze-in’ and play 3 or 4 numbers. We did that around the promotion of the Fund Raiser. Although I don’t know how much was raised, I’ve heard that it was successful. Eventually JJ and I went back to Trish’s. *SAT Jul 26* Trish gets home from work at HyVee about 10:30pm. She was up at 5:45am cooking breakfast—hash-browns and scrambled eggs! JJ and I ate breakfast and went to the gear truck first then to the cafe, our departure point. Trish joined us because she doesn’t have responsibility for the children on the weekend. We thanked her and said goodbye at the café. We waited for everyone to arrive and finally circled up at 7:55. Once the announcements were made and we symbolized our departure by all putting one of our hands in the circle and lifting them as we named our departure, it was time to go. I left and found it complicated to get out of Lincoln. I discovered that US Hwy 6 and Cornhusker Hwy are the same road. It was a 15 mile ride to 1st UMC in Waverly, NE, and I got there in 2 ½ hours. Since it was Saturday they were cleaning up the church for Sunday morning. They were preparing piles of sweet corn in the kitchen. I suspect they had a potluck scheduled for after Sunday worship. We had permission to use the church grounds, but not the building. It clouded up and began to sprinkle. I set up the big tent in anticipation that it was going to rain. The clouds blew over, the sun came back out, and we ate supper. Of course we had sweet corn! -- Peace, David

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Request for Photos
by Frank Knutson via OE 29 Jul '14

29 Jul '14

HELP! The Archive Project is missing photos on several of the 24 Human Development Projects (as listed below). If you have any photos, especially ones that have some identifying feature, such as a banner, village sign . . . please send them to me so we can have photo documentation of the these projects. In addition, if you have photos of any other projects, feel free to send those. Please ID the particular project in your email. We probably have some photos but they are difficult to ID as to project as they do not have a sign attached. Thanks on behalf of Archive Project. THE PROJECTS: OYUBARI KWANGYUNG IL SUDTONGGQN HAIOU NAM WAI KAPINI TERMINE KREUSBERG OST CANO NEGRO IVY CITY LORNE DE L’ACADE DELTA PACE INYAN WAKAGAPI VOGAR "While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. That is why I dance.” - - Hans Bos ❤ Frank *Please consider the environment before you print this email.*

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