[ hold :: this space ]

I curated a space for a leadership training event at the Centre for Theology and Ministry [CTM] on Saturday. It was on the theme ‘the memory of water’ … the chapel at the CTM is so perfect for doing installations. The CTM is a new complex, and the architects did a fantastic job of listening and understanding the dynamics of different forms of worship and sacred space. i was in on the initial conversations with the architects - they asked quite brilliant and insightful questions, and it’s reflected in the way the space has worked.

There are powerpoints everywhere, including a number of hidden points in the centre of the floor. There’s also network cabling for internet access. The chapel has full length windows against the back wall, which look over a gorgeous garden…

those windows have mechanically operated blackout blinds, and then the choice of a white overlay blind that can be lowered to cover the black [which is great to project onto]. The skylights have blackout blinds. The lighting is easy to manipulate, the furniture is all easily moveable, and there are good storage spaces which make it possible to entirely clear the room… the space is large, but not too large… next time i’m taking a ladder - i think we could stick a data projector onto the cross beam on the back window and project up high onto the ‘hidden’ wall…

i was even given permission to put hooks in the ceiling if i needed to [i wanted to hang stuff], but there were glass shields on lights that weren’t being switched on, so i could use suction hooks instead.

in terms of the space itself, i think it worked ok. most of the people who came through are very new to this kind of space… it’s such a leap to move beyond participation as reading the words in bold to a prayer on a newssheet…

after the jump are the words for the ‘thirst’ station - we’re using a variation of this at greenbelt, so save the surprise if you think you might get to our service there…

(more…)

[optional reading: the whingy bit.

i don’t know whether the following is any good [i'm not looking for affirmation - i don't really care if it's any good!], but in the spirit of what i always tell people in workshops about unearthing their creativity, i’m putting it out there purely because it’s something. and sometimes the only way to get to something good is to go first with the something.]

This is a series of stations based around Luke 16:19-31, to use in the workshop on Sunday. i won’t be setting all of these up for Sunday, just one or two, and we’ll talk through the others. there are also a couple of stations still missing in the series [i think they'll be about the judgement] - i want to finish them with the group.

Station: At the gates [1]

setup: a length of purple satin, safety pins.

We are led to believe it is inevitable that there are the rich and the poor in this world.
The call of faith is to work against the inevitable.

Wait here in the silence
for your confession to emerge.

if you would like, rip a piece of fabric and pin it to your clothing. Wear it as a proclamation of the times you have been complicit to the way of the world.

Station: At the gates [2]

setup: movie of beggars in the street with their signs. a series of cardboard signs framing the images with the pleas of beggars written on them; extra pieces of cardboard and black markers

Every beggar has a story that deserves to be told.

Sit in their presence and let them speak to you.

if you know of someone whose story needs to be told, write it on a piece of cardboard and add it to the wall.

Station: Do I have the faith of Abraham?

setup: large piece of black plastic covered in a thick layer of sand, bucket of sand nearby.

Like there’s room in the sky for all the stars
and space in the desert for all the sand
in Abraham’s world, there’s a home for all.

No one is left outside the gates.

If this is a vision to which your faith calls you
add a handful of sand to the pile.

And if this is a vision of which you need reminding, put some sand in your pocket.
let it become the grit by which your everyday actions rub up against.

Station: The words of the prophets
setup: recordings of different voices reading from the books of the prophets, as found in the lectionary readings from the preceding and following weeks - Habbakuk, Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah. the voices reading the passages overlap each other.

the following questions written onto a large sheet of card on the ground.

What is the call you have been avoiding?
what is the prophetic message you need to tell the world?

When you are ready, add your responses to the card.

Station: The water
setup: jugs and glasses filled with cold water; music - Foy Vance’s ‘Gabriel and the Vagabond’

Take a glass of water.

It may be that you have had a lifetime of waiting at the gates for someone to throw you a lifeline
a scrap of food
a glass of clean water.

This is for you.
May it hold enough grace to help you survive the harshness of today
and to give you hope for an unknown tomorrow.

It may be that you do not feel you deserve this water.
and probably you don’t

but, nonetheless, this is for you.
May it hold enough grace to let you begin again today
and give you the hope to live differently tomorrow.