Transmission

I recently had lunch with my friend Clay Morris, who also happens to be the chief liturgical officer of the Episcopal Church, and he gave me an interesting thought puzzle. How could one do a low budget but meaningful morning prayer for a community of people who work together in the same building, but who don’t necessarily arrive at the same time?

First, it seems that the ritual should allow people to spend as much or as little time as they wish, preferably delivering a significant ritual experience whether someone gives it five minutes or thirty. The most obvious way to do this is with an art installation – unlike a traditional liturgy which has a fixed a beginning, middle, and end, an art installation allows participants to manage their own experience. An installation can also be left up all day if folks would rather experience it during lunch or on their way home.

The ritual installations should be useful both for those who want to participate every day and those who would only participate occasionally. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to do a series in which each day is predicated on the one before it. Further, each day ought to be different enough from the preceding one that it’s worthwhile to come back each day, which means that the installation either needs to be replaced each day, change each day, or have a high repeatability factor.

I think the best way to accomplish this would be focusing on user-generated content, a method that a lot of websites use to bring in traffic. Basically, the website puts up a story, article, or something similar and then allows visitors to the site to either comment on it or alter it. Occasionally visitors to the site just read the articles, but others come back multiple times a day to check on conversations, etc. It started with blogs and webforums but it’s become mainstream – even CNN.com is allowing comments on its stories these days.

Thinking in this way would allow the design team to create weekly installations rather than daily ones, saving time, money, and energy, and it also creates a very emergent atmosphere in which the participants become co-creators.

What would this look line in practice? Here are some ideas:

Simple installations:

• place a pad of yellow stickies on an altar and write a prayer request on the top sticky. When a person comes to the altar, they tear off the sticky and take it with them, promising to pray for that thing throughout the rest of the day. They then write a new prayer request on the next sticky down. This extremely low-budget option allows folks to come back as often as they wish and builds community by getting the entire building praying for each others concerns.
• Buy one of those “make magnetic poetry” kits, the kind in which you can write your own words, and make a magnet for every word in that week’s psalm. Put them up on a white board, along with all the left over blank magnets, and allow folks to write their own psalms with the magnet poetry. You might need several kits for this since some folks will be hesitant to destroy someone else’s creation and replace it with their own. The majority of folks will probably just stop in each morning to read what others have created, but some inspired people will go nuts with this.
• Display a large print out of the week’s gospel reading, along with a poster-sized piece of paper with the word “questions” written at the top. Invite folks to write down the questions they are left with after reading the scripture (and discourage answers). I’ve seen these sorts of question lists become brilliant discussions as each question is influenced by the ones written before it.
• For a penitential season, Build a wooden cross (or more, if you need them). Leave little slips of paper on which participants can write an anonymous confession. Leave a hammer and nails so that they can nail these to the cross. Encourage them to read the other confessions and pray for absolution for those who have come before them.

Complex installations:

• For All Saints Day, create a flickr account and leave instructions for how folks can upload pictures to it. Set up a projector and an internet-connected laptop that projects a slideshow from the flickr account. During the work day, folks can take a five minute break from what they’re doing to look around on google for a picture of someone they consider a saint and upload it for the rest of the community to see. Since the slideshow would be constantly changing, there’s plenty of reason to come back each day.
• Set up a wiki online with pages for the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. In the chapel, set up three projectors, one for each page. Hand out the url for the wiki and encourage people to change the creeds to reflect what they actually believe, including the option of resetting it to the original. This could also be done with a white board and erasers, or it could be done by allowing people to annotate (rather than edit), the text.
• For Advent, borrow ten sets of computer speakers (shouldn’t be hard in an office building) and set them up in a circle around the room. Also set up a recording station (like a confessional) in which participants can record the hopes they have for God’s plan in the world. Send these recordings as separate channels, one to each speaker, so that participants can walk up to individual speakers to hear what they have to say, or stand in the middle and hear it all as one big cacophony. Note that this requires an audio interface with multiple outputs, like a MOTU ultralite, as well as an audio program that can manage multiple channels, like Live or Logic. You could also go low-tech with 10 walkmans.

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It’s that time again! We welcome back Bowie who is freshly arrived from her recent wedding/vacation/pilgrimage to India. She’ll be celebrating her return to Transmission by leading us in our ritual, and she had this to say about it:

the ritual will be planned around St. Thomas, who brought Christianity to India in 52 AD. George and I visited the place where he landed and the Pontifical Shrine and hospital that have been built there. We will also talk about the two main stories about Thomas in the Gospel of John – 14:5-6 and 20:24-29 (the story that got him dubbed “Doubting Thomas”). I like the idea of “doubting, yet doing” and of “not knowing the way”…

Transmission will be Wednesday, 7pm, at Bowie’s place. If you get lost, feel free to call me. I’ll be cooking.

We’ll also have four pieces of business to discuss:

• Our beloved Katherine has moved to Chicago to be with her family, which means that we need someone else to step up and replace her as co-facilitator. I think it’s really important to have two people putting Transmission in the front of their brainspace, not only because it’s a lot of work but also because a community shouldn’t become centralized around one person.
• Starlight Ministries, another church-ish group that has a peculiar calling to sex worker ministry, wants to sponsor a program with us this summer called Exotic Dancer, MBA, which basically gives basic business and personal finance education to people in the sex industry. It’s very important work, and I think it’s exactly the sort of thing we should be involved with. You can read about it here: http://starlight-ministries.org/wp_blog_1/
• Mabel and Paul want to organize a trip to the Creation museum in Kentucky in August, which I think could be a great time. Note that this is *not* an endorsement of creationism…
• We’re meeting this Tuesday, 2pm with Intercession to discuss the possibility of inhabiting their currently vacant rectory, which would be a big move for Transmission. Anyway who wants to come and meet them, see the space, and be a part of our initial conversation should totally come, just let me know.

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This week we’ll be having Ash Wednesday at Paul’s – email if you want to come and need directions. Come ready celebrate your own mortality and kick off lent with style! We’ll also be discussing the possibility of collaborating on a
Purim/Maundy Thurday service with Storahtelling (yes, the two really are on the same day this year) and a Good Friday service with our friends at Sanctuary.

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Katherine had to postpone her house blessing due to medical incident (please keep her in your prayers!).

So, we’ll be meeting tonight at Bowie’s place @ 7pm

Please email transmissionchurch@gmail.com if you need further directions.

This evening we’ll be looking at -

* ourselves – owning less, not being owned by our consumption desires
* our city and world – looking at the scandal of domestic poverty in the USA
* and doing something – bring non-perishables that we’ll donate to a food bank

I know this is last minute, but if you are at home before Transmission tonight, look through your cupboards and pull out any non-perishable food that you bought and just haven’t eaten – and bring it tonight. Bowie will transport our offerings to a local food pantry.

There are too many hungry in NYC and the food pantries are running low.

All items to be donated must be:
* In their original, unopened packages
* Within the expiration date on the package
* In plastic jars or containers, not glass

RITUAL PLANNED with a little help from:

* Rev Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
* Sabbath ideas from Wayne Muller
* Jonny Baker’s Worship Tricks
* Christian Churches Together

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Thanks for everyone who came out last night to celebrate Epiphany a few days early. The ritual went well, and I wanted to post it in case any readers wanted to mine it for ideas for this coming Sunday, which is the actual day of Epiphany.

The idea for the ritual came from my experiences riding the subway, watching my fellow riders create privacy for themselves by listening to portable music. Music is recorded with artificial reverb, an effect which makes the music sound as if it is taking place in a large space. Different kinds of reverb create different kinds of “virtual space” for the music so that concertos sound like they’re being played in concert halls, arena rocks sounds like it’s being played in an arena, and folk music sounds like it’s being played in an intimate coffee shop. A subway is a public space and during rush hours people are packed into them as tightly as possible with no room for personal space. At the same time, however, each person listening to music bring a virtual space with them, and any given subway car will probably have at least a dozen personal, virtual spaces packed in to it.

Church is another place in which personal space and public space interact in interesting ways, and I thought it would be interesting to see how portable music would affect ritual. Epiphany, a feast day which celebrates a journey, seemed like the perfect opportunity to ritualize my commuting experience.

I set up five stations along a walking route which wound its way through four rooms. Each participant was told to bring a portable music player (i.e. an iPod, a discman, or something comparable). I created five tracks of voiceover layered on top of music and loaded them on to each person’s player, and we began the ritual. Details below:

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Monday, Dec. 17th – International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

Transmission, PONY, $pread, and friends teamed up this April to plan Easter at Avalon, which celebrated the role of Mary Magdalene in Christian and Sex Worker history. This Monday, we’ve been invited to stand together again.

“December 17th is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Join $pread and SWANK (Sex Worker Action New york) on Monday for a candlelight vigil to honor and mourn the sex workers who have died this year and raise awareness of the violence faced by our community. Current and former sex workers, friends and allies all welcome.”

5-7 pm (Bowie will be there at 5). On the steps of Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, New York, NY. Wear red or bring a red umbrella.

Wednesday, Dec 19th – Transmission: Lessons & Carols

Five days before Christmas, come sing carols and listen to lessons that tell us the story of Advent and Christmas! The service of ‘Lessons and Carols’ has been celebrated since the late 1800′s and we will be sure to include some processing around, incense, and a bidding prayer to add extra cheer.

There are nine lessons and nine carols. Please email bowie at epiphany.ny@gmail.com if you would like to read a lesson, re-write a lesson (or do some other creative rendition thereof), accompany a carol, or do a performance of one!

Cookies, treats, dinner items, beverages, plus your friends & loved ones are most welcome! Location TBA

BAZAAR – looking for Christmas gifts? Buy a subscription to $pread Magazine: Illuminating the Sex Industry. Or check out Thistle Farms. Thistle Farms products are made with the most natural products available whenever possible. Magdalene is a recovery community for women with a criminal history of prostitution and addiction. Thistle Farms is a non-profit business. All proceeds go directly to the program and the women.

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Practically speaking, I love how appropriate it is to the season of the year. A festival of light and dark in a time of death and expectation. A pregnant time of awaiting the birth and coming of Christ as the days dwindle and another year draws to an end.

What do we know of the baby-boy Jesus, the “reason for the season”? That he was humbly born in occupied Israel two thousand years ago. That he is with us still today and that each year we yearn anew for his return and reign of love and peace.

O come, thou Dayspring from on high, and cheers us by they drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

This is also a time of going out into the world, of reaching out to loved ones and going visiting! I have spoken to family members this week on the phone, visited sick friends, and had my house church community over for dinner.

This week’s Transmission ritual that involved lots of arts and crafts. I’ve included two of our Advent calendars here. Other people made wreaths of fresh cut branches and crocheted string, chain-link calendars, and other inspired works with their hands.

Best of all, we gathered once again into a community, as we do week after week, year after year, believing that when two or three of us gather in your name, you are there. Jesus, our Christ, we are glad to travel with you through the year and to prepare for your return.

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This Wednesday, Dec 5, from 7-9 pm, come to Bowie’s place for Advent Transmission. 

* Advent “Arts & Crafts” Stations.  Make Wreaths!  Calendars!  Collage!  And More.    
* Read a part in jSnodgrass’ short skit – “Nativity Mystery: The Elephant in Question”
* Come Sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel” (beautiful, ancient, haunting hymn…)

Please email if you need directions to Bowie’s apartment. 
Cookies, drinks, dinner side dishes, and RSVPs welcome!

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As the holy-days draw near again, here’s our calendar for the next five weeks. Advent, the season of expectation leading up to Christmas, is one of our favorite liturgical times of year. We’d love to see you at any or all events. Blessings, Bowie

THIS WEEK – from Katherine Lee -

Hi there,

So I’m thinking of doing a ritual Wednesday based around the themes of gratitude and thankfulness, but instead of being thankful for exterior things, which are all very well and good (e.g. family, friends), I’m coming up with a ritual that will hopefully turn our gratitude inwards. It’s not often that we give thanks for our own gifts, and I think taking stock in what we are good at in the context of serving others can be a transformative experience.

Let’s say 7:30-ish at my place? Please email me for directions (kcl232@gmail.com), and I’ll make a main dish. BYOB or sides/dessert welcome.

K

UPCOMING CALENDAR

Thurs, Nov 29th – Bible Study at Floridita’s, 3219 Broadway at 125th Street

Wed, Dec 5th – Advent Transmission, theme and location TBA

Thurs, Dec 13th – Bible Study in Union Square, led by Renata

Wed, Dec 19th – Advent Transmission, theme and location TBA

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October and November are busy months and some of us are feeling frayed – so this Wednesday, November 7 from 7-9pm, join us for refueling!  Bowie likes to cook and clean when she needs centering, so come over to her place to share a home-cooked meal and good company.   

Please also think about sharing one of the ways you get back in touch with God and your center.  George, who is a conductor, plays piano or opens a score (including some that he returns to time and again).  Some of you, who are dancers or do yoga, may have stretches you could share with us.  Others may have a book of the Bible or a collection of poetry that sits by your bed or favorite chair…

Please bring an activity, anecdote, or meditation that you can share in a few minutes. Where do you find stillness, inspiration, or Sabbath moments? 

We will also allocate some portion of the evening – 5 to 20 minutes – to sit together in silence.  And, as always, we’ll have time to socialize with each other, pray, and eat! 

Please email back if you can bring food or drink to share – or need directions to Bowie’s apartment. 

Blessings!  Transmission

PS On Wed, Nov 21, we’ll be doing a ritual on “Exorcisms and Invocations.”  Bowie, Isaac, and George shared this ritual with an emerging group called CityLights on Oct 27th (you can see what they had to say about it below). Please plan to join us!  Location TBA.

‚ÄúWe had a pleasure to welcome Transmission and Forum people last week and together to take part in the worship that Bowie and Isac prepared. Thank you for introducing to us and leading us through your creative and original ritual. It asked us to be personal and trusting and stimulated us to confront our fears. We do hope that we will worship together many more times.” – CityLights

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