Benediction for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
December 21, 2011
VIDEO: Violence Against Sex Workers : MyFoxNY.com
Transmission was a Co-Sponsor of the NYC service for the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Here is the benediction I offered at the end. ~ Bowie Snodgrass
O Creator, Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Spirit, God -
We pray -
For all who are abused,
For the wounds, hurt and anger that can take years and decades to heal.
For all victims of violence – verbal, physical, and fatal.
For all who have died, named and un-named today,
And for all who mourn:
Friends, co-workers, lovers, family, parents, and children.
May we never forget.
May the world hear our cry
And may God be with us.
We pray for healing – body, soul, and spirit.
For justice.
For safety.
For the strength to forgive.
We pray that in 2012 not one more person is a victim of abuse, violence, or murder.
Send us out in peace, shalom, salaam, today and always.
Amen.
GODSPELL Back in My Life after 20 years & on Broadway after 40
October 24, 2011
by Bowie Snodgrass
Like the kids in Glee, being part of a musical theater group in middle and high school helped me find a place where I fit in. And growing up a priest’s daughter, being in Godspell at age 14 made me feel like Jesus could be fun and cool.
Godspell shaped my teenage theology. There are still passages of Matthew that I hear and think of the corresponding Godspell scene, joke, or song; lyrics I see in the Episcopal hymnal and my mind clicks over to the Stephen Schwarz melody.
Godspell is an ensemble piece about Jesus’ love for his people, their love for him, and how Jesus teaches them to love each other (above money, hypocrisy, grievances, etc). “Come sing about Love! That made us first to be. Come sing about Love! That made the stone and tree. Come sing about Love! That draws us lovingly.” “So thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his love.” “Day by day, Three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, Follow thee more nearly, Day by day.” It’s sincere and simple (very little modern-day irony or Broadway glitz).
I really did love the rest of my troupe in the Olean Theater Workshop when I was 14 and twenty years later, we’re still friends, many now parents, some in ministry, spread-out and in touch via Facebook.
The show was already twenty years old when I was in it in the 90s. I used to listen to my parent’s copy of the original Broadway soundtrack on vinyl.
I knew the new production would need to improve upon the thousands of high school, college, and community theater productions out there for it to be worthy of a Broadway revival. And it was. Amazing. It kept most of the beloved original material, yet felt completely fresh with up-to-date cultural references and dance moves.
In last night’s production, lines struck me with new power. Lyrics resonated deeper. I cried, laughed, and clapped (in that order).
A few people I went with commented that Jesus was blond and John the Baptist/Judas was black, but I was struck by the diversity of the rest of the young cast: Latino, Asian, African American, Jewish, gay, straight, thick and thin. They looked like NYC and America. And it felt like they really loved each other.
In a Playbill interview about Godspell, composer and lyricist Stephen Schwarz says, “there’s a joy that comes from the story and also from the theatrical experience… actors and energy and words and music and the exhilaration that the theatre provides.”
I pray this production runs a long, long time, so that a new generation can be exhilarated by a fun, cool Jesus musical. And I want to go back once or twice more!
Seven Transmissioners (plus babies) are meeting up in North Carolina for the first Wild Goose Festival this weekend. This is a big moment since Transmission launched five years ago at Greenbelt. We’d love to meet you there!
Sacred Space presents…
Transmission, an emergent house church from New York City, blends interactive games, improv theater, and liturgy to explore scripture, sacrament, and community. Come prepared to participate and interact!
Saturday
12 pm
Storytelling and Performance Tent
Ash Wednesday with Faith House
April 26, 2011
DUST IN THE WIND: Ash Wednesday
At FAITH HOUSE, March 9, 2011
PROGRAM (90 minutes)
Opening – When The Night Becomes Dark – Taizé (5 min)
When the night becomes dark, your love, O Lord, is a fire;
Your love, O Lord, is a fire.
PART I “Remember You Are Dust”
First Reading – Genesis 3:1-24 “for dust you are and to dust you will return” (5 min)
First Speaker – Share a personal anecdote, provide context for dust/creation/sin, instructions for next activity (5 min – ULA)
First Activity – Write confession on paper, burn in aluminum bowl (10 min)
PART II “And to Dust You Shall Return”
Second Reading - Ecclesiastes 3 “all come from dust, and to dust all return” (3 min – Caleb)
Second Speaker – Personal anecdote, provide context for mortality and Ash Wednesday, instructions for stations (5 min –SARAH)
Second Activity – Stations –pour soap and ashes into tin foil molds, Savasana, imposition of ashes, read Obituaries in the NYTimes, recorded music TBD (15 min)
PART III “Lent, a Season of Preparation”
Third Reading – Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 (3 min – Elaine)
Third Speaker – Personal anecdote, provide context for season of lent/practices/giving things up, instructions for small groups (5 min – DAN)
Third Activity – get into groups of three, each person names something they can give up, something they can do regularly for charity, or a new prayer regiment they can practice regularly (10 minutes)
CLOSING – O Lord Hear My Prayer
Prayer w/ Taizé as opening, closing and antiphon between petitions (10 min – Bowie lead)
O Lord, hear my prayer O Lord, hear my prayer When I call answer me
O Lord, hear my prayer O Lord, hear my prayer Come and listen to me
Acknowledgements & Announcements – Bowie (5 min)
This is the Day that the Lord Has Made! Psalm 118
June 26, 2009
Hey Transmission, I’m planning the ritual for July 15 and would love your input. We will have a special guest with us, Pastor Becky, who is visiting Transmission from Florida as part of her summer-long sabbatical, which includes visiting Emerging Churches across the country. You see her Sabbatical Plan and what she’s been up to on her blog, "Karpos Kalos".
Here’s what I’m thinking right now: "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it", Psalm 118:24
Opening music: Psalm 118 from Isaac’s Emerging Psalter
Remembering: Read text of the psalm together
Thinking: Reflect on historic events related to July 15
Activity: Write yourself a letter for a future July 15th. Seal it and date it. Then, final sharing and pray together…
Closing: The upbeat gospel song based on this verse
Please send your comments and suggestions, what you notice and what you imagine, to epiphany.ny@gmail.com
May 15 Roof Garden Ritual, Draft 1
May 3, 2009
Dear friends, Paul and I are planning a ritual around Jesus’ story of the sower, the seeds, and the good soil. Please see draft 1.0 below and post a comment… what do you notice? Email bowie@faithhousemanhattan.org for directions if you’d like to come on Friday, May 15th at 7 PM.
Opening
Paul awakens our wonder with a “fool’s mass” of garden items
Remembering
Someone reads Gospel story about sower, seeds and soil
Second Reading Genesis 1
Thinking
Group discussion
Doing
Bowie helps people put together bags of seeds and soil, offers ideas on sowing.
Departing
Group prayers and blessings on our bags
Spiral Series Event 2/26 (Th) on Community at Ciao Stella
February 22, 2009
February 26, Thu 7:00pm – 10:00pm, The Spiral Series
Community: The Mystery of Unfolding Synergy
The Spiral Series brings together a panel of speakers from the worlds of science, spirituality, business, and creativity. They examine each topic from these four vantage points in the spirit of cultivating a more holistic worldview. We follow the speaker panel with a single generative conversation among everyone present.
The vision of the group: Our monthly events become the basis for the emergence of a collaborative community which gives birth to new partnerships, ventures, volunteer opportunities, initiatives and businesses. We support each other as we take action aligned with our values and life goals and in the process create a virtuous spiral of cooperation, synergy and possibility.
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Ciao Stella, 206 Sullivan St (b/w Bleecker & 3rd St), New York, NY 10012
RSVP HERE
Suggested donation $5.00
TOPIC DESCRIPTION
________________________
It is in finding community that we are abundantly nourished, revitalized and empowered individually and collectively. We can choose to direct that energy and guide our shared future by applying the range of capacities present in community purposefully and deliberately. Collaboration, synergy and conscious communication are essential pathways to working together towards a common end.
We have another panel of remarkable, trail-blazing individuals! Each of our speakers has built a thriving community around inspired vision and will share their story and the wisdom they have gained along the way. And by sharing, inquiring, listening and working together we’ll start building the community we’ve been waiting for.
SPEAKER PANEL
____________________
Louis Alloro, M.Ed., MAPP is a change-agent who consults with individuals and systems, particularly school districts and communities, interested in truly flourishing. He will speak of the Social-Emotional Leadership framework he has developed and will share his experience working with communities in schools and colleges around the country.
Bowie Snodgrass is the Christian Co-Leader of Faith House, an emerging interfaith community in Manhattan. She will introduce us to the mission of Faith House and will speak of building spiritual community and meeting a deep-seated yearning for interfaith dialogue.
Gary Tuerack is President of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) and an internationally known author and speaker. He presents at approximately 100 colleges, businesses, and associations each year. Through NSLS, Gary has created “a community where likeminded success oriented individuals come together and help one another succeed.” Gary will share his story of building empowered community.
Phil Robinson, a lifelong artist and musician, has spent the last few years building a strong real-world community of kindred creative spirits, now under the banner of ‘Roomful of Sky’. With clear vision and unwavering commitment, Phil has built thriving, inspired communities around his passions for mythology, music and cultural expression and will speak of being on a path of following his bliss and enabling others to do the same.
Phil is also our musical guest for the night and will treat us to several of his deeply personal story-songs which reflect an authentic and ongoing personal search.
For FULL SPEAKER AND MUSICAL GUEST BIOS please see HERE
RSVP HERE
Advent Transmission on waiting…
December 2, 2008
This Wednesday, December 3, is the first Transmission of Advent.¬† We’re meeting at Isaac’s place (email for directions), Sarah is cooking, and Bowie is leading the ritual:
A quiet, meditative evening to reflect on waiting… in silence and darkness, and waiting… for a miracle to come. ¬†We will read Luke Chapter 1 and selections from the Prophet Isaiah, interspersed with songs, silence, sharing, and activities.¬† Music ranging from O Come O Come Emmanuel to Coldplay.
THIS FRIDAY! “The Church Basement Roadshow: A Rollin’ Gospel Revival” is coming to town
Featuring Emergent Church leaders Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt and Mark Scandrette
When: Friday, August 1 at 7:00pm
Where: Marble Collegiate Church, 5th Ave between 29th and 30th
Bowie is going and would love to see you there!
FACEBOOK Event – sign up and invite your friends!
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 15 May, 2008 — A biodiesel-fueled RV loaded with three of the most outspoken emergent church leaders and authors will crisscross the country this summer in “The Church Basement Roadshow: A Rollin’ Gospel Revival.“ The tour featuring Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt and Mark Scandrette will hit thirty-two cities across the U.S., with a message that combines old time revival flair with a 21st century gospel. They’ll preach, sing and sell healing balm in church basements from San Diego to New York.
Jones, author of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier; Pagitt, author of A Christianity Worth Believing; and Scandrette, author of Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus, are part of the emergent movement, a decade-old phenomenon of pastors, missionaries, artists, theologians, authors and “regular people” who are rethinking church and Christianity for a globalized world. Controversial for their “nothing is too sacred to be questioned” doctrine, Jones, Pagitt, and Scandrette have acquired many fans and critics based on their writings.
“This summer will be a defining time,” says Pagitt, “As we take our invitation of hope and good news to people around the country. We’re preaching a fresh way of life and faith – one that is in rhythm with the life of God.”
Taking a page out of the Billy Sunday playbook, the authors will spread the emergent message of a generous, hope-filled Christian faith in the style and cadence of the tent revival preachers of a hundred years ago. They plan to have fun with it, wearing frock suits and selling “healing balm,” but the goal is, as in the revivals of yore, to preach the good news.
“This will be unlike any book tour people have seen,” said Jones. “We’ll be barnstorming the country, shaking the rafters with our ancient-future message of hope.”
“People will laugh and sing,” Scandrette added, “But they’ll also be challenged to join the Jesus Revolution.”
[text above from an Emergent Village newsletter, Emergent/C]
YouTube Videos for a Hot Summer’s Day
July 8, 2008
Two Jesus Mash-Up
A video response to: Where the Hell is Matt?
2) “Jesus” by the Velvet Underground
With footage from the Passion Movie