Theology Pub + July 18 @ Usher’s House

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Enjoy drinks and good conversation?
Spiritual but not religious?
Open to questions of being, belief, and belonging?

Chat about this and more at…Theology Pub!

This summer, The Project F-M and friends will be gathering at Usher’s House (downstairs @ the Hunt Club) for scintillating conversation and delicious beverages.

The format is very open, but Adam comes with some questions, quotes, and ideas to guide us. Mostly, however, we go where the participants leads, so come join the fun.

Topic for July 18, “Creation or Coincidence?” We’ll talk about how we all came to be, if God continues to create (or not), and how we might be co-creators with God.

Dates for other Theology Pubs: 7:00 p.m. August 1, & August 15.

Facebook invite is here.

Filed Under: events, thinking together Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Theology Pub + July 5th @ Usher’s House

June 23, 2011 By 1 Comment

Enjoy drinks and good conversation?
Spiritual but not religious?
Open to questions of being, belief, and belonging?

Chat about this and more at…Theology Pub!

This summer, The Project F-M and friends will be gathering at Usher’s House (downstairs @ the Hunt Club) for scintillating conversation and delicious beverages.

The format is very open, but Adam comes with some questions, quotes, and ideas to guide us. Mostly, however, we go where the participants leads, so come join the fun.

Topic for July 5, ‘Judge not lest you be judged’ REALLY?

Presented by The Project F-M, cultivating a modern Christian faith community in Fargo-Moorhead boldly committed to curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness.

Dates for other Theology Pubs: 7:00 p.m. July 18, August 1, & August 15.

Facebook invite is here.

Filed Under: events

Searching for the signal

June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I wrote this post for some other blogs (my personal site, and The Thoughtful Christian.com), but I thought I should share it with Project F-M folks too. I’m a big advocate for openness, authenticity, and thinking together, and this post hopefully models that. I’d love to hear your feedback, especially if you’ve found the signal of the traditional church problematic or unappealing…

Recently I’ve been working a lot with a conference theme, “Searching for the Signal.” By, “a lot” I mean — preaching on it for two weeks, reflecting on a small group manual all about it, enjoying recreation based upon it, and listening to two weeks of keynote sessions addressing it. (I’m enjoying life at the Montreat Youth Conference at the moment.) So, after all this reflection, I’m struck how the theme connects to the different and sometimes seemingly disparate parts of my life.

Let me start outside the organized church, with folks with whom I interact at The Project F-M. In my conversations with people about the Project, many point to signals in their life. But these aren’t generally the sorts of signals church leaders want to embrace. Often, these are signals for why young adults were scared-off from the church, signals of close-minded church leaders who weren’t open to LGBTQ Christians, signals of hypocrites in the church who gave the whole organized religion thing a bad rap. Not always, but often, folks will point to one specific experience, one specific bad signal in the faith that, for them, was reason enough not to have much to do with an organized faith community.

For a smaller group of others, it’s not as if organized religion sends them a bad signal, it’s just not signal they are searching for. There isn’t some big gaping hole in their life and they say, “If only I went to a worship service every Sunday morning and sang 3 hymns and listened to a 15 minute sermon my life would be perfect.” (Go figure!) The bias of folks who do attend church is often that people who don’t attend church really want to, they just don’t know how. Or that they feel like something is missing in their life. In my conversations, that’s simply not the case. And, in fact, sometimes folks don’t attend church very intentionally, almost as a spiritual practice itself.

OK, now moving to another group of folks entirely: high school youth at this church conference I’m helping lead in Montreat. For some of them, the week in Montreat marks a turning point in their faith journey, a time when they feel God’s signal as particularly strong. And, for some, they’ll tell me that they felt God’s presence this week in a way they’ve never experienced before, in a way that’s almost palpable, a way where — for a time at least — all doubts faded away.

Now while it might be nice to think these youth’s faith lives will now be happy and simple, that’s definitely not the case. Because, well, they have to go back to their home town, and away from these lovely mountains, and to “normal” life in their home congregations. The Montreat high is very difficult — well, it’s impossible — to keep up. It’s difficult to keep the Montreat high because folks have troubled lives, and church people are just as mean and petty as non-church people. The signals keep coming, but they’re mixed.

And that’s where the two groups come together in my mind. Broadly speaking, let’s say for many in first group there’s been some signal or signals that keeps them skeptical of organized religion. For the other group, there’s been some signal within organized religion (and specifically within a super-organized conference) that is so powerful it makes the everyday nature of church life seem like a letdown.

But, how about this….a significant connection between each of the groups is the search, the journey. What if the common thread of folks is that story of faith consideration, faith questioning, even faith not-caring (if it’s viewed in a way that sees faith not as a static thing but as a process). So, the challenge in my work with The Project F-M is how we can make a safe place for people to continue their search. And the challenge in the church’s work with youth is how we can make church a safe place to continue their journey as well.

Faith life is a journey, a process. If it’s static, something is wrong. So, I wonder, would emphasizing the journey, the search, the movement of faith (or not-faith) be a helpful common denominator for all? And, if so, how?

Filed Under: community, thinking together Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Theology Pub + June 20th, Usher’s House

June 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

Enjoy drinks and good conversation?
Spiritual but not religious?
Open to questions of being, belief, and belonging?

Chat about this and more at…Theology Pub!

Every other week starting June 20th 7:00 p.m. we’ll be gathering at Usher’s House (downstairs @ the Hunt Club) for scintillating conversation and delicious beverages.

The format will be very open, but Adam will come with some questions, quotes, and ideas to guide us. Mostly, however, we’ll go where the participants leads, so come join the fun.

Topic for June 20th – Religion. Helpful or hurtful?

Presented by The Project F-M, cultivating a modern Christian faith community in Fargo-Moorhead boldly committed to curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness. http://theprojectfm.org/

Dates for other Theology Pubs: 7:00 p.m. July 5, July 18, August 1, & August 15.

To respond to the Facebook invite, check it out here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Squirrels dying in your yard and people dying in Africa

May 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

by Adam Copeland

My partner Megan and I have had shared some eery moments recently when we both independently had what we thought were unique thoughts only to find we were thinking the same thing. For example, we both had planned to bring the same risotto salad to a potluck. And we both liked the identical couch and accent chair from several vast furniture stores. Increasingly, a similar experience happens now with Internet ads, on Facebook, and via Google searches. I’ll look for some shoes on Zappos one day, and the next day a sidebar add on a random news site scrolls through similarly styled shoes that I really dig. Spooky? Handy? Both.

This type of niche marketing has happened for a long time, but with the bounty of information our Internet lives leave and with code improving, we’re getting close to the time when pop-up ads might mimic that lovely odd moment when you and a close friend have the same random thought at the same instant.

Eli Pariser cautions against this movement in Monday’s NY Times. This caution is particularly noteworthy coming from Pariser since he’s president of the board of MoveOn.org, a groundbreaker in using the Internet for social causes. Pariser acknowledges there’s no going back to the old time days when editors and social elite chose what was broadcast, but he’s uncomfortable with where we’re headed.

Apparently Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook fame once said, “a squirrel dying in your front yard may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa.” I suppose that may be true, but it is not as it should be. The world should not be governed by Internet codes that filter out stories of African catastrophes.

Unless you’ve changed your settings, chances are your Internet moves are being tweaked as we speak. If you search, “Christian church” on Google you (assuming you’re a Christian) may get very different results from an atheist who searched the same words. As companies filter search results for personal relevance, they help shape our point of view.

Similarly, a friend of mine recently lamented that Facebook’s newsfeed is set to prefer the friends with whom you interact most. This friend complained that Facebook seemed to inappropriately narrow her awareness of her social connections to a small select group.

[By the way, you can change both Google’s search and Facebook’s newsfeed functions. Go here for Google and here for Facebook instructions.]

I’m of two minds about all this. On the one hand, I do enjoy Zappos helping me choose the coolest shoes. On the other hand, I don’t want my political thought or access to information governed by an algorithm that prefers certain perspectives.

But it’s not as if this is a totally new phenomenon. Post college and grad school, I’m increasingly aware that beyond extended family gatherings I rarely socialize with people of widely varying political views. Even my choice of coffee shops and grocery stores narrows my awareness to people who tend to look (and buy) like me. And, honestly, congregations I know are looking more homogenous by the day.

So here’s an idea (maybe there’s already an app for it, and I just don’t know it). Could someone please develop a website that intentionally seeks diverse views, one that does so not by grabbing an idea from the left and an opposing one from the right, but a site that looks carefully at my search history and Facebook friend list and fills in the gaps with what I’m missing. Now that’d be a website that’s relevant to my interests.

image by Giuseppe Acquaviva

Filed Under: community Tagged With: , , , , , ,

“Love your enemies…” Really?

May 4, 2011 By 1 Comment

You may have heard: Osama bin Laden died Sunday after his compound in Pakistan was raided by Navy Seals. President Obama’s speech announcing as much was watched by 56.5 million views, the most of any of Obama’s speeches as president — and it was at 11:35 pm eastern.

Below the radar, however, thousands of bloggers and religious leaders have responded to the killing. Many of their words reflect a tension: yes Bin Laden had perpetrated many evils acts and his death is in many ways a relief even a triumph, but rejoicing in a man being shot feels uncomfortable too. A quote buzzing on the Internet expresses another irony: “This has to be the first time in history that old white men tried to take credit from a black guy for someone getting shot.” 

With this in mind I’ve compiled a roundup of religious and tension-filled perspectives:

  • Neely in “Thoughts on the Death of Osama bin Laden” considers death of one man while longing for the death of more — violence,  hatred, fear, evil.
  • David Lewicki’s post has moved from small blogs to CNN. David says “Bin Laden died for my long ago” and explained that as he’s prayed for Bin Laden for years (as the Bible calls to pray for one’s enemies too) Bin Laden took a new place in David’s mind. “[Already] he died to goodness; he died to mercy; he died to peace. He died to the things that God cares most about. He was alive until this week — but he died to life a long time ago.”
  • Erin Lane wonders about the appropriateness of celebrating death rather than mourning in “Mourning the Dead.”
  • Brian McLaren was in Britain when he heard. “On waking up to today’s news” includes his reflections on the irony of celebrations. He writes, “Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply spinning harder in the cycle of violence?”
  • Jan Edminston calls for a “time of humility” in “Osama bin Laden, Child of God“
  • Matthew Short writes “God in the Details” in which is says, “So, my emotions about the news stay mixed up and confused, and I’m OK with that.”
  • Finally, Scott McClellan in “TV isn’t dead” reflects on the media around the announcement.

But that’s just a sample. Admittedly, all are of a more progressive bent — honestly, that’s what pops into my Google Reader most — so I’m happy to add more that relate to the tension folks are feeling at this historic moment. What are you feeling? How are you reflecting?

-a post by Adam Copeland, The Project F-M

Filed Under: current events, politics Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A tale of two worshippy experiences

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

re-posted from Adam’s personal blog — he figured he might as well be transparent as to what he’s up to and he’d love feedback from Project F-M folk….

I was lucky enough to visit not one but two new faith communities in the Twin Cities this weekend, Jacob’s Well and Humblewalk Lutheran Church. Both communities worship in new ways, attempting to be welcoming places for people not drawn to traditional ELCA congregations. Both communities are also very different.

Jacob’s Well meets Sunday mornings in two locations, both schools. I arrived a few minutes before the 10:30 service start and was greeted by many flags and signs in the parking lot. Inside the school people gathered in the hallway drinking coffee and chatted. Parents took their kids to classrooms staffed by happy-looking adults (there were lots of kids around) and a table with fruit sat to one side.

The worship space was a school auditorium decorated very nicely for worship. Several candles were lit, water was flowing in a makeshift font, two large screens sat above each corner of the stage and the four-person band was up front. The service included several praise songs, a few videos (mostly made in-house), and a few prayers but the main part — about 45 minutes — was a discussion between a pastor and a guest about the question, “What if…love really did win?” Congregation members could text questions to a number on a screen if they wanted to ask something of the speakers, and it was all done in a loose, natural, conversational style. Both speakers were women.

At the end, an offering was taken. I’m guessing a little over 100 people were in attendance. There was no communion.

Later in the day I attended Humblewalk Lutheran Church in a smal high-ceilinged converted office space in St. Paul. This service was very low-tech compared to Jacob’s Well. Since the group was a different size than Jacob’s Well — 20 or so — I was greeted personally several times throughout the evening. After a little mingling, we sat in chairs facing a decorated table. Songs were led by a single acoustic guitar and folk singer type, and ranged from more traditional hymns to contemporary praise and worship. The congregation sang very well. Several kids walked around during the service, and parents corralled them or let them wander as they felt called.

I don’t remember Jacob’s Well having any liturgy — any words I was to speak — but the flow of Humblewalk’s service is found in the newest worship book and congregation members were supposed to respond at several point. In fact, before the prayer of confession we were asked to consider and even share out loud anything particular we wished to confess.

Everything at Humblewalk was very laid-back and informal. At one point Pastor Jodi flubbed a bit of the liturgy. The congregation just smiled and she tried again. We celebrated communion — I was served by a ten year-old.

A notable different in the services (from this mission developer’s point of view, at least) is that Jacob’s Well included no scripture reading. While a portion from 1 John was on a handout on our chairs, it was never read or referenced from the stage. Humblewalk, however, included two readings from John 20 and a responsive reading of Psalm 16. I suppose other differences include the fact that Pastor Jodi at Humblewalk wore a clergy collar (though informally) while Pastor Dawn at Jacob’s Well wore a T-shirt and jeans jacket.

I’ve found this great post by Andrew Jones helpful in the past few weeks in framing the many different types of churches. In Jones’ rubric, Jacob’s Well, though connected to a mother ELCA congregation, felt most like #2 GenX, Postmodern, and “Emergent” while Humblewalk was clearly more of a #4 House churches, simple churches, organic churches (with a clear liturgy).

In broad terms, I expect Humblewalk would be less attractive for someone who is totally new to faith and formal worship, as it assumed a certain comfortability with liturgy (even though it was done in a very relaxed way, almost like church camp). On the other hand, Jacob’s Well didn’t really expect me to do a thing — nobody shook my hand or welcomed me by name so I could consider faith questions below-the-radar. Also, Jacob’s Well lack of scripture readings presumably wouldn’t scare off those who are questioning or intimidated by the Bible.

But I’m a mission developer, a professional church leader, so my views surely are shaped with a bias. Have you attended a new worship community recently? Do you long for a different kind of faith gathering? Which of Andrew Jones’ ten church types appeals most to you?

Finally, thanks, very much, to all the leadership of Humblewalk and Jacob’s Well. I blog on them mostly as a way to think out-loud, and I’m really grateful for your ministry and wish you the best.

image by TACLUDA

Filed Under: worship Tagged With: , , , , ,

What is a “faith community” after all?

April 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“Faith community” rather than “church.” Why have I — and my Project F-M predecessors — tended to use the former, longer, even clumsy two word term to describe what we’re about? “Faith community” not “church.”

I admit, it’s a bit awkward. When a random person asks what I do these days, I usually pause for some time, trying to figure a way to say it best. Calling myself “a pastor” isn’t right. “Mission Developer,” my official title, is a term very few have heard of. So, after some stumbling, I usually say something like, “I’m helping to lead The Project F-M, a new vision and venture to cultivate a 21st century faith community in Fargo-Moorhead.” Faith community.

I suppose Project F-M folk have used that phrase because it’s not encumbered by the baggage accompanying a term like “church.” People hear “church” and they’ll quickly be thinking any number of different things, but they will surely paint a picture in their minds — stained glass windows, dressed-up people, crying babies, long sermons, whatever. “Faith community” doesn’t bring that baggage with it, which might be helpful.

But “faith community” is also tricky because it doesn’t end up answering people’s questions as to what the Project is actually about. People don’t know what a “faith community” does, or is, or when the community meets, or even: what’s the point? I mean, a monastery, after all, is a faith community. You could argue so are are some yoga studios, family reunions, and even (dare I say it?) Tea Party events.

By calling ourselves a “faith community” we don’t have the baggage of the word “church,” but it seems like we also have a huge task of defining what, in fact, we are. We can’t just be “anti” after all. We’re not an anti-church, or a traditional church by another name. We are The Project F-M. A faith community. A community, striving together, to figure out what we are and should be.

-Adam Copeland (image by Tory Byrne)

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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