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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Another Emerging One
Greetings emerging women! I decided that it might be a good idea to write my introductory post while I'm feeling the effects of the Darvocet I'm taking for some minor oral surgery. That way if I sound really asinine I can say it's because of the drugs, but if I sound fairly normal I'll say it's in spite of the drugs. Kind of a win/win, you know?

Anyway, my name is Anne, (AnneGogh to the Oozers), and I'm an elder - not in a church elder way, but in the universal way that has a much more distinguished connotation than just being over-the-hill or a Woman of a Certain Age. My experience may be a little different than some here as I had a very nominal upbringing as a Christian. There wasn't much emphasis put on its importance in my family, and so it was easy to wander away from it during my hippie years. I stayed away from Christianity until my mid-30s when I discovered that unbeknownst to me that small seed of faith in Christ had quietly been growing through the years. That faith-blossoming led me to the Catholic church, but half a dozen years later after much personal turmoil I found myself wandering away. I stayed away from church for a number of years until one day I found myself walking into a building called Threads. I didn't know the word "emergent" in relation to a new type of Christian church. I only knew I had discovered a place that felt like I had walked back in time to what I imagined the early church might have looked like, and that it was a wildly creative place as well. It was a perfect fit for a twice-divorced, ex-hippie graphic designer woman. I found out I didn't have to wear a mask there, and that my creativity would not only be welcomed, but would fluorish and grow within the church walls.

I have been a part of this motley crew for over two years now, and am very involved in a Creative Collaborative ministry that develops experiential worship elements for our gatherings. I have found that life can be rich indeed within a community of Christ followers. Thank God for that. And thank you for having me here.
 
posted by Anne at 8:18 PM ¤ Permalink ¤


8 Comments:


  • At 1/23/2007 09:28:00 PM, Blogger Jemila Kwon

    Hi Anne, welcome! Hope your mouth heals quickly!

    I am a bit younger, but like you I didn't grow up "in the church," in fact my parents were psuedo-hippies who taught me to seek the truth everywhere. As a teenager I found Christ; then I got sucked into fundamentalism and subsequently had to relearn to seek the truth everywhere, this time with the Creative, redeeming spirit of Christ.

    What does creative collaboration sometimes look like in your community?

     

  • At 1/23/2007 10:55:00 PM, Blogger Don't I Know You?

    Anne, good to see you. i don't post here much but like to check in, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little.

     

  • At 1/24/2007 07:43:00 AM, Blogger Nancy

    Hi Anne! Glad to hear from you. I too would be interested in some details about "creative collaboration". And I long for a "Threads" in my own community...perhaps you have something to share that will give us some direction...

     

  • At 1/24/2007 07:50:00 AM, Blogger Anne

    Wilsford, as always, nice to see you too.

    Jemila, how interesting to read about your journey as a child of hippies who encouraged you to seek truth in various places. Were you a rebel by becoming a fundamentalist Christian then?

    Our Creative Collaborative is involved in alt worship/multisensory worship. We use various kinesthetic, tactile, visual and contemplative elements to enhance a spiritual talk. I first became familiar with alt worship from my pastor and then reading Morganthaler, Kimball, Jonny Baker's blog, etc. I know I could talk too long about this because I get excited about it, so I'll curtail my tendency to ramble on about it. :)

    Thank you for the welcome!

     

  • At 1/24/2007 08:57:00 AM, Blogger Unknown

    Hi Anne,
    Glad you joined the discussion.
    Sounds like a colorful life...I love it. Hope to hear more about your experiences!
    Feel better.

     

  • At 1/24/2007 10:00:00 AM, Blogger Jemila Kwon

    Yes, I think becoming a fundamentalist Christian was part rebellion. Also part looking for something simple and solid in a childhood that was pretty emotionally chaotic.

    What have been some of your favorite multisensory worship experiences?

     

  • At 1/24/2007 04:33:00 PM, Blogger Amy

    Hi, Anne. I just wanted to say welcome. I'm excited to hear more from you and your experiences in your faith community and journey.

     

  • At 1/25/2007 08:20:00 AM, Blogger Anne

    Amy, thank you as well for the welcome. Jemila, I can understand both the rebellion aspect and also looking for something solid in a chaotic world. It's hard to pinpoint my favorite experiential creations. One that had a lot of impact was when our pastor's spiritual talk was about the harm we can do verbally to others. At the end he told a story illustrating that and said how trying to undo the damage from harmful words is like trying to chase feathers in the wind. Then he ripped up a feather pillow in front of an industrial-sized fan and let them fly. We had a silent reflection while feathers floated all around us. Powerful. I'm also doing more three-dimensional work, rather than my usual computer graphic design. This was a table I created for our "front porch" to enhance a message about our worldly appetites: http://www.goodrichdesign.net/temptationstable2_sml.jpg

    Thanks for asking!
    Anne

     
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