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Katie does not "do Buddhism."

9/28/2014

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We invited a guest artist, zen practitioner Lisa Gyoko Schaewe, to introduce us to Enso, Zen circles, as part of our Unity theme. She is an instructor at Naropa Institute, the nearby Buddhist university. She brought her squirrel, ox and horsehair brushes, her sumi ink, and rice paper. After meditation on cushions, each multi-age group inscribed the Enso in one breath. Then they adjourned to the grass and created the Zen line, each one drawing with a giant horsehair brush in one breath, then handing it on to the next person. This was definitely not "Katie does Buddhism." It was the real thing. I recommend using resources and people from the larger community to add the depth needed for mature spiritual practice.

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Hacking away at age boundaries

9/18/2014

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We were thrilled last Sunday when 4 adults asked if they could join the DrumJam, ages 30 - 75. Three were congregants who had rarely, if ever, joined in anything R.E. related. Our answer - "Can you ever! Please do!"
Michael Newman, SpiritJam staff, is a djembe drummer and leads the Pagan Group at nearby Naropa Institute. He led the DrumJam as an exploration of our monthly theme of "Unity." Here's his description: "We will explore the theme of unity as expressed through the art of drumming. In many of the world’s religious traditions, drums are used as an important tool for setting a group pace and establishing a groupmind for raising energy within the context of ritual. We will be using this physical practice as a gateway into extending our physical unity into a mental and spiritual connection."
There were also youth and children, a truly muli-age group. When I asked the adults how it was for them, they mentioned only that they wished it was longer. 
I am eager to continue hacking away at the boundaries between kid and adult programming!

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Water Slide for the Water Service

9/12/2014

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Many of the Trustees, staff, congregants and the Minister, not to mention the kids, enjoyed a Water Slide after the Water Services. Our Music Director, Dr. Sam Welsh, is pictured here. Our Merging of the Waters service takes place the Sunday after Labor Day. We also kick off double services and this year, we kicked off SpiritJam. 
I rented a 25' water slide with the permission and support of our minister, Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry. What better way to bring the families to the service? The children gathered for a CircleJam about water, and we read the book, "The Wonder Thing" by Libby Hathorn. Then we enjoyed kids-only time on the water slide. The sounds of the splashing and yelling filtered into the sanctuary, but Lydia incorporated it into the service. Folks mentioned that it was refreshing to hear the joy after contemplating the repercussions of the big flood 1 year ago.
Then all ages were invited to slide! Lydia had announced that she would do it, and included the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to her fellow ministers in the Front Range of Colorado. The crowd started chanting, "Lydia, Lydia!" As promised, she appeared, having changed into her "Standing on the Side of Love" shirt, and charged into the slide. The kids dowsed her with water and everyone clapped and yelled. It was a great way to kick off the year.

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Contagion

9/5/2014

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SpiritJam as a model seems to be contagious - in that people are catching it...
A young woman, 15 years old, came to me last Sunday, and asked if she could offer a Jam about ethical eating. Evidently she's been researching the topic and is very interested in sharing it. We chose the month of November since the theme is "Compassion" and it seemed appropriate around the Thanksgiving holiday. She envisions serving fair trade chocolate and store brand chocolate - we'll have to call it an EATINGJAM!

A distinguished white haired member of the board, with a rich southern accent, has offered to tell the story "A Bundle of Sticks" as part of our unity theme. Today, the chair of the Worship Committee offered to develop a PoetryJam based on Naomi Shihab Nye and her book,  THIS SAME SKY. 

The great thing is these folks can come into the School of the Spirit and have the back up of the consistent, paid teachers. This is Maria Harris' "the Church IS the curriculum" idea embodied!


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    Katie Covey came up with SpiritJam when told by both the Treasurer and the Minister to "Think big!" She has been a religious educator since 1983.

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