A Few Things.

The Church Lab is grieved and deeply angered by the long line of wrongful deaths in our country which result from racism. We unequivocally condemn racist behaviors, mindsets and conditioning. We repent of the ways in which we are complicit, committed to what we must do to improve when we fall short, such that we can contribute in every way possible to the cause of equity and opportunity for every human being.

We stand with the seas of peaceful protesters across this country who are exercising all of our rights to be substantively heard and seen. They are engaging in efforts which have historically ushered in better chapters in our country’s history, and not without great sacrifice.

We do not support acts which would harm the livelihoods of already-hurting business owners. That said, we recognize that acts of outrage represent deep wounds, about which we have the opportunity to listen deeply, and which offers the possibility of healing over time.

In fact, we recognize that many layers of our societal structure contribute to many of the tragic inequities we have witnessed and encountered in 2020 around race, healthcare, the economy and the list goes on. TCL is committed to exploring these various threads, how they contribute to inequities, and the parts we can play as people of faith to make a difference in these arenas. This also includes lifting up and supporting servants of our communities, including but not limited to police officers. For instance, how can civil servants be enveloped with the care and support they need as they protect and serve, as they chronically encounter trauma and risk each day, such that a well-intended officer does not find themselves on a devolving journey into reprehensible harm or outright hatred?

Turning to the application of religion in this cultural moment, TCL unequivocally condemns the cheap use of sacred religious symbols, sites and spaces for the purposes of harnessing political power to “dominate” citizens. The faith traditions across our community are diverse and all precious to our understanding of purpose. It is paramount that faith not be used, as it has been in destructive periods in global history, to prop up bids for power which are unrelated, if not flat out antithetical, to the purposes of faith and religious pursuits.

TCL is grateful and humbled to offer our dialogical and workshop spaces to be very welcome environments for people compelled by the cause of anti-racism, who are wishing to gain tools toward bridge-building and peacemaking.

We offer ourselves to the cause of healing and unity, that every soul may be given dignity, a voice and the willing ears of neighbors to hear, that we may fully embrace one another.

We cannot offer a perfect path, but we certainly offer a space and community of perseverance.

We are holding the door open for you, the torch of hope for each other.

Prayers from the TCL Dialogue Community for the Age of COVID-19

The Church Lab has gathered these prayers from members of our dialogue community to share with you during the unusual period we find ourselves in as a larger community. We at TCL offer them for your comfort. We continue to keep you and your loved ones’ health and well-being in our prayers.

————————

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for your goodness and love toward us. 

As we continue to experience the effects of the virus throughout the world, may you bring unity among your church and may we be a blessing to our communities. 

May familial relationships be nurtured and may you deepen our relationship with you. 

May we show your love in every interaction and would you encourage those who are discouraged?

Would you provide for those who need provision and would you heal in mighty ways?

You are the God of the heavens and the earth. 

Would you send down your blessings to cover the earth?

Thank you Lord. 

In your name we pray,

Amen

Churches around the world are singing blessings over their cities. These videos have been a great encouragement and blessing to me. 

Here is a beautiful video from Pittsburgh: click here to witness

With love,

Eileen

————————

Everlasting God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
give us, we pray,
a firm foundation
in your truth
as the Holy Spirit
moves in our hearts.

May we practice peace,
in the midst of chaos;
create beauty,
in the midst of darkness;
express gratitude,
in the midst of change;
and guide us ever forward,
through the life and light
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Joanna

————————

Lamentation for a Pandemic

How lonely sits the city that was full of people.

Hear how we groan; there are few to comfort us.

Oh! Our homes have become our prisons,

locked away from those who would give us succor.

We are weary and faint of heart.

The disease has descended upon the earth.

It reaches into the markets and across the tables.

The malady has stretched out its hands over us,

our breath taken away as we burn with fever.

In the house is perpetual death.

 We remember the times of joyful company!

Our arms clasped one another in friendship!

Our hands found meaningful tasks,

we sat at tables and worshiped in your house.

Side by side your people lived together!

 Survivors bear perpetual sorrow, crying out for mercy.

We are desolate in our suffering.

Those left behind weep rivers of tears,

they cannot lay their eyes on their dead.

Our hearts are broken forever.

O Lord, the earth and its people are in tumult.

Our souls cry out for comfort.

Workers are prevented from their labor;

healers carry burdens too heavy to bear,

No relief appears.

 Pam

————————

I'd like to share the last paragraph from Anne Lamott's book "Almost Everything:  Notes on Hope" published in 2018.  She concludes: 

"We have all need to come through.  Against all odds, no matter what we've lost, no matter what messes we've made over time, no matter how dark the night, we offer and are offered kindness, soul, light, and food, which create breath and spaciousness, which create hope, sufficient unto the day."

Even though she wrote these words two years ago, they apply equally today.

Donna

—————————

Here are two short prayers from the Baha'i Prayer Book that are both iconic and comforting:

1)

Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. 

Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. 

Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. 

Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.—Bahá’u’lláh

2)

O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit.

Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. 

I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. 

Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. 

I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. 

O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord. - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Warmest Regards,

Curtis

Burst Your Bubble Vid Series Part 2: Pam!

Pam Jarvis -who btw is pastoral assistant for TCL! - gives us a window into her thoughtful faith world by talking about her progressive Episcopalian perspective on navigating the pandemic. Obviously we had some fun having this chat. No surprise there. :)

TCL's Burst Your Bubble Vid Series Part 1: Dash!

David “Dashifen” Kees is a beloved Pagan dialoguer with TCL’s community. In this video, Carrie asks Dash 10 questions to gain Dash’s perspective on navigating the Corona season. Check it out!

Note: The audio and video in the first 30 seconds are working to catch up with each other but it smooths out beyond that. Thanks for bearing with our prototype experiment!

Where and How to Give: Corona-related Causes

The Church Lab is a small, experimental organization. As such, during a crisis situation, we seek to be nimble and find localized, creative needs that might be invisible otherwise.

Here are some local (to Central Texas), national and international causes that we recommend if you’re able to help with donations even a little. We know right now it might be overwhelming to try to sort out where your donations can make the most meaningful impact; hopefully this helps with that process a bit.

In parallel with our own mission and values, many of these organizations are doing very highly contextualized and creative work, and their services mean the world to those whom they impact. Check these orgs out! Please be generous if you are lucky enough to be able to be generous in this season.

LOCAL:

a) Relational: If you’d like to give to an individual in our TCL community that might be needing some extra help during this time, please email carrie@thechurchlab.org to coordinate that.

*Also know that TCL’s board has a running prayer list and we are praying for anyone and everyone that lets us know how we can be lifting you up! Email carrie@thechurchlab.org to let us know your needs and how you are.

b) Food access: We highly recommend giving to the Central Texas Food Bank, who is feeding a staggering and increasing number of folks in our community.

c) Marginalized communities: Refugees in Austin that are cared for by Casa Marianella are struggling with lost jobs and other steps they usually take to get on their feet. Casa Marianella is trying to help pay rents for immigrants and refugees in sudden hard times. They have a fundraiser specific to this cause, and you can donate to that here.

d) Marginalized communities: Folks experiencing chronic homelessness in Austin often work with Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Donating to this organization is giving a boost to folks advocating for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. They have also asked for specific items, which can be found on the linked website as well.

STATE / NATIONAL:

a) Border Kindness is an organization focused on helping vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers regardless of the season.

b) La Posada Providencia is a refugee shelter run by nuns of the Sisters of Divine Providence in San Benito, Texas. We have volunteered there before and recommend supporting them whenever you are able.

INTERNATIONAL

a) Some of the most vulnerable during this pandemic are folks in refugee camps around the world. We recommend checking out Beirut and Beyond as a highly localized non-profit seeking to help refugees durin this crisis.

LARGER ORGANIZATIONS:

If you’d like to give to larger organizations, we recommend:

a) Doctors Without Borders

A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MENU:

a) Austin’s local NPR station created this more comprehensive list of ways to both help and be helped. Check it out here!

A Special Corona Moment Message from pastor Carrie

At this critical moment in our lives together, Pastor Carrie describes the TCL response to the COVID-19 crisis as we consider how to care for ourselves and our communities.

Please read by clicking here.

Vision for 2020 from Pastor Carrie Graham

For The Church Lab, the year 2020 means experimenting with being a full-time operation. It means continuing to deepen our dialogue community while also walking with other leaders as they learn how to try their own ministry experiments. It means new efforts in asking granting entities to partner with us to reach new experiments we haven't been able to try before. It means 4 new board members, a new chair and a new fundraising chair! 

Most importantly is what remains the same for The Church Lab this year:

God's guidance comes first in our experiments, which seek to help folks spiritually grow. 

Shrewd stewardship and resourceful strategy are points of pride in our operational culture.

Yet the filter for our decisions - stewardship, programmatic and otherwise- is the heart of our mission, and we seek to faithfully go wherever this mission takes us. Sometimes this means risk or sacrifice. Sometimes it means those of us serving The Church Lab doing our own spiritual work to be prepared for the uncertainties involved in non-traditional ministry.

The most central aspect of this experiment is the hypothesis that we are guided by God who is Love itself, that we are being directed toward wisdom and into the places and spaces which makes our world more fully alive, one relationship at a time.

I am grateful to all who are a part of TCL's community, and I am excited to see where God guides each and all of us this year!

The key words I'm excited to be using for faithful discernment processes this year are:

*Whole-hearted
*Mission-centric
*Action-oriented
*Creative!
*Spirit-led

With gratitude,

Rev. Carrie Graham

Dialogues Pave the Way to a Better World

Over the last half year, it has been a joy to regularly participate in The Church Lab’s ‘Dialogue’ group. As someone who endeavors to live a life of faith and service, balanced with an ongoing search for truth, the dialogue group’s mission of bringing together people from many faith (or no faith), cultural, philosophical, and political backgrounds holds very strong appeal. I love that each meeting’s different topic provides for a broad range of deep conversations.

Introducing myself, I am a Bahá’í, which is a Faith I learned of a number of years ago, while a student at The University of Texas, here in Austin. I grew up mainly Methodist, and in the Midwest. From a young age, faith has been important to me though, from around age 12, I’ve experienced some not-uncommon questions and dilemmas about certain ideas taught in church. In short, I wondered how a loving God could send good people of different faiths, especially those born into a different faith, to an afterlife of eternal punishment.

For me, it is the Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, discovered as a sophomore in college, that bring resolution for this dilemma. The Bahá’í concept of progressive revelation teaches that the founders of the world’s major religions are sent from the same loving God, kindling a process of divine education which spans human history. While initially this concept raised more questions for me, further investigation yielded answers which I found resonated with the God of the “still, small voice”, affirming that, while the "Kingdom of God" can be found within each person, God's Kingdom is also furthered as love and cooperation increase among all people. As more awaken to this truth, more of us become able and willing to work toward a bright future of justice and peace for all of God's children.

The Church Lab’s ‘Dialogue’ group, infused with spiritual growth via discussion and fellowship, is a tremendous example of the path to this inspirited future. Of discussions attended so far, the most powerful for me personally have been “When Faith Kept Me Afloat”, “Violence & Pacifism”, and “Grace & Forgiveness”. In each of these meetings I witnessed growth in attendees as they shared thoughts connected with the topics, and I am  grateful to be pursuing growth here also. On a further personal note, in recent years I have spent time reflecting upon my father’s drafted combatant service in the Vietnam War. Dad passed in 2013 due to war-related health complications, and his final years were, sadly, difficult ones for himself and those close to him. TCL’s ‘Dialogues’ group is one venue that has provided me perspective on these life events. In the “When Faith Kept Me Afloat” conversation, I shared about connecting with, then later meeting, some men from my father’s infantry company, just over a year ago. My faith in a brighter future led me to these connections, which have brought context and healing for the pain of Dad’s final years, and early passing. During the “Violence & Pacifism” meeting, TCL Dialoguers shared a broad range of views about war, spanning from “necessary and inevitable”, to “we must end it”. I found remembrance that my own strong belief in peace is best-lived by viewing non-violence as an active endeavor, fueled by the conviction (as taught in Bahá’í Scripture) that cooperation and harmony are far better means of problem-solving than warfare and violence. Finally, I was moved by the “Grace & Forgiveness” conversation, where the group elucidated that Grace comes from God. While we humans only catch glimpses, we can reflect this divine attribute in the practice of forgiveness, a vital part of the spiritually-attuned life.

As conversations and lessons like these enlighten and transform hearts, I know that TCL’s Dialogue group is an integral part of creating a better world, and a group of which I am grateful to have become a small part.

Jay Braden, member of the Austin Bahá’í Community, has a Visual Arts Studies degree from The University of Texas at Austin. A free-lance artist and designer, he reads voraciously and loves to joke about being a “self-guided Grad. student in 5 or 6 different subjects”

TCL's Border Trip Pt 3

In October, The Church Lab sent a small contingent to explore and build relationships along the Mexico-Texas border in order to address the immigration crisis occurring there. Sara Burbank, one of TCL’s board members, flew in from out of state to make the journey. She shares her story here.

Click HERE to read

Waiting at the Border: A First Hand Account of Conditions in Tent Cities

Sara Burback served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan, and received her MA in International Human Rights at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies. She is on the Board of The Church Lab and recently completed a contract with UNRWA USA, where she organized its first Relay Run for Refugees. She is currently studying at the Spanish Language Institute in Puebla, Mexico.

2019 Annual Report

The Church Lab experienced a fruitful year in 2019! Please take a moment to peruse this year’s Annual Report for comprehensive view of our mission, milestones, and future plans.

Please download from this link: TCL 2019 Annual Report

TCL's Border Trip, part 2

Terra McDaniel traveled with TCL to the Texas-Mexico border last month to serve the migrants waiting there and as a witness to their treatment and resilience. She reflects this month upon her experience in a recent blog.

Click HERE to read:

I Spent a Week at the Texas-Mexico Border

Terra is a spiritual director, pastor, teacher, and writer who loves making space for people of all ages to tune into their own souls. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and at terramcdaniel.com.

TCL's Border Trip, Part I

TCL friend and colleague Rev. Matt Gaventa took a trip to the border with Texas Impact’s Courts and Ports just before TCL did so in early October. He wrote the following article for The Christian Century about his experience in the precise areas where we spent time, and his reflection so resonates with ours, we wanted to share this first. More stories to come from our experiences. We hope Matt’s reflections will be a great start to gaining awareness and being empowered to take the next faithful step to help.

Click HERE to read:

VISITING A TENT CITY IN MEXICO…

Rev. Matt Gaventa is the senior pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. His favorite prophet is Charlie Brown.

Yearly Board Meeting and Retreat!

"I know the plans I have for you..." Jeremiah 29:11

Our staff and Board of Directors met together in August to strategize, recap, imagine and inspire. We got to know each other better, bonded in common mission, and established roles and responsibilities for the coming year! We set and prioritized strategic goals for the Board members and assigned committees, approved the budget for 2020, engaged in a workshop under the care of Megan Carvajal from Mission Capital, voted on policies, and gained clarity on fundraising. We had naps and hikes and cooking together. We met our incoming first ever TCL intern Marianne Garvey. We told our stories and listened intently, learning to love and appreciate our histories and paths. We wound up our weekend by praying together in worship and communion led by Carrie.

We are also excited to announce our 2 local incoming board members and their roles:

Rev. Trey Haddon has accepted the role of Board Chair.
Andrea Ballard Carroll has accepted the role of Fundraising Chair.

We wish to extend a warm welcome to these new team members!

As we wrapped up our work, Carrie invited everyone present to prayerfully reflect on key questions. Here are some responses!

What are your prayers and hopes for our board team?
"more and more possibilities; a slingshot of momentum;
cohesion and drive; a tangible togetherness;
seek and recognize God's provision; ownership & agency"

Where are you with your role in TCL?
"Inspired, encouraged; energized;
joyful and excited; confident and hopeful"

How is God moving through TCL?
"Building bridges across social divides; finding meaning and understanding in our differences; meaningfulness and connection is being created and discovered;
pioneering, innovative + healing spaces for discipleship"

The BOD participated with the TCL dialoguers in a discussion on the topic of "Violence and Pacifism" prior to the retreat, joining long-time, online, and brand new attendees!


The Church Lab is strong and growing. We look forward to amazing work in the coming year!

"And you shall be called repairers of the breach..."
Isaiah 58:12b

Community and D&D

This month The Church Lab welcomes aspiring pastor Erica Nelson.
We invited Erica to ponder the ways she finds community outside of the church, and what the church could learn from such groups. Welcome, Erica!

Erica Nelson is a Presbyterian candidate for ministry who graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She works at Texas Impact, an interfaith advocacy organization that helps people of faith connect their faith with public policy.

Growing up, my parents played a game called Dungeons and Dragons. This game, nicknamed D&D, is a role-playing game where the success of decisions is determined by dice rolling. You create a fantasy character alongside several other people, and you all play a storyline put together by the Game Master. Within this storyline, you will work through combat situations, puzzles, and social interactions using skills, spells, and equipment that your character possesses, which are determined by a carefully cultivated set of rules.

Watching my parents play, I was always fascinated by the storytelling, the fantasy, the ingenuity, and the fun that my parents and their friends experienced. So, when I came to Austin Seminary to pursue theological education and found out there was a student led D&D group, I was eager to join. We met for two of the three years I attended seminary and out of this group, I formed some of my best friends, friends I still have even though we have almost all graduated. I also enjoyed D&D itself so much that I went out and found other groups to join.

There is a sort of magic that comes out of the community formed between people who laugh together, solve problems together, write a story together. There is power in exploring new ideas or ways of being by embodying a character who may be completely alike or different from yourself. There is growth in the experience of team building, learning to adapt to new situations both real and imaginary, and exploring different ways of problem solving.

For me, that community was formed out of shared interests and fun. But more importantly, that community was formed in learning that we are not alone. For this reason, that community lasted because we found that those of us who came together, despite our vast differences and walks of life, had more in common than anything else.

As a member of the Christian community, I know that D&D has a lot of stigma for being ‘satanic’ or ‘blasphemous’. Some of the people I play with were surprised when I told them I was going to seminary to become a Christian minister. But I do not view this as something that is opposite of my faith. I view this as an expression of my God given gifts, a way to use the imagination, the critical thinking skills, and the curiosity that God imparted to me.

Ultimately, what I get out of this type of community that I could not get in the Church is a form of self-expression that encourages ways of being that are outside of ordinary. Many of my friends, and I myself, have used our characters as a way of exploring alternative gender expressions, sexualities, manners of speaking, behaviors or quirks that might otherwise be shunned or mocked in more conventional settings. The Church could learn to encourage this kind of exploration, this kind of self-expression. But most importantly, the Church could learn to encourage this kind of fun and storytelling.

Strategies for Successful Dialogue, No Matter the Setting

After the 2016 election, TCL’s pastor Carrie Graham shared some thoughts on building community in successful dialogue. In a charged cultural setting growing more divided each day, TCL revisits some strategies gleaned within our community that not only keep us healthy and productive, but that may be carried out to the community at large.

• Expand Proximity! Sometimes we mistake being “open-minded” for being around like-minded people. Take note that embracing diversity and trying to understand people you don’t already understand are at times different things. We have good work to do. To do it, it takes intentionally placing ourselves in less comfortable, less like-minded environments. It may not be comfortable, but it is fruitful over time!

• Note the Narrative! Strongly held within us are narratives that we subconsciously affirm and perpetuate. When we have new experiences, what stands out to us are the pieces that endorse already-held beliefs. We follow a script that is hard to change, and it is bewildering when we encounter someone that doesn’t follow a script very similar to our own. Necessary in dialogue is humility. Specifically needed is a willingness to change, question our own biases, and to take a step back and wonder what else might be at play when we are tempted to make the world simpler by blithely dismissing others’ convictions.

• Gauge Readiness! There is such a thing as someone who has been talked into a dialogue, attends, and is not ready. For instance, I often say if someone “needs to win,” they are not ready for the dialogue and would do better to wait to attend until a different season of life. There is also such a thing as a dialoguer being well-meaning and not ready for certain topics within a particular dialogue. A dialogue’s success depends in part on the honesty and vulnerability of its participants. We validate and invite, which allows for participation at the level each participant is prepared for.

• Watch for Undercutting! When someone asserts something about their own convictions, feelings or reasons for actions, and another dialoguer contradicts that person's lived experiences, the dialogue is dismantled. If one person is permitted to undercut someone’s feelings or convictions, then we lose the vital dialogical commitment of seeking to understand before being understood. Here, we must pause, back up, and work toward collectively to re-committing to the legitimacy of each dialoguer’s experiences.

• Self-Awareness is a Work in Progress! Sometimes we may encounter a feeling or response to something someone shares that we simply didn’t expect, or that we do not understand. This is an opportunity to grow, to reflect beyond the dialogue, and perhaps to seek pastoral care or the care of your worshipping community. We expect difficult moments when we risk vulnerability around sensitive topics! We ask for grace and compassion for ourselves and others when caught off guard.

We at TCL invite you to employ some of these considerations as you engage in any number of settings with others who are different from you. If you are curious to engage in TCL’s dialogue community or have any questions about successful dialogue strategies, please visit our contact page!

Dialogue Encounters Difference

One person describes her mini-internal-roadmap when encountering

significant difference during dialogue.

Pam Jarvis attends dialogue and assists in the running of TCL. She raises her high school freshman daughter, enjoys watching The Office with her cat, and likes to have people over for dinner. She graduated just last spring with an MDiv from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is currently discerning her place in ministry and mainline religious denominations.

Having gone to a Christian seminary and spending four years thinking about my faith, I felt pretty good coming into dialogue for the first time. I figured I could easily describe what I believe and why. Which did, in fact, turn out to be true! But my participation in dialogue pushes up against other areas that turn out to be challenging. In fact, I suspect that these are the very areas dialogue is supposed to push up against, and the ones that perhaps provide challenge for many people who participate. Specifically, I want to share about my experiences in those moments when I encounter difference. Especially difference that contradicts what I believe.

We talk each gathering about a specific topic, some more sensitive than others. That sensitivity touches on me to varying degrees, sometimes in surprising ways. I knew the week we were scheduled to talk about death would be hard and anticipated that the joy conversation would be fairly easy! Both of those turned out to be true. I find it difficult to predict which other topics will push emotional buttons for me overall. In some cases, the conversations simply disclose information that adds to my overall technical understanding about other belief systems. Nevertheless, I can guarantee that each discussion will include one of my fellow participants saying something about their beliefs that runs up against what I believe.

When this initially happens, I feel a flush through my body, like heat. Sometimes it almost feels like my breath is taken away - I stop breathing for a second! At these moments my initial reaction is to come back with a counter-statement, the way I might with one of my friends over lunch or on facebook. So I have to intentionally stop myself. I keep myself from saying anything out loud. That’s the first step, and a big one for someone who occupies a position of privilege in our culture. I’m used to offering my opinion and getting my voice heard. So, I remember the rule we have set for our gathering: seek to understand before being understood.

The next thing I do is breathe. I take a breath and bring my attention back to the conversation, which has continued in my internal absence! And I listen. I continue to listen. Then, most importantly, I let go of whatever it was that popped in my head to counter with. I just let it go and try to hear what the person is saying in real time across from me. When I do that, I have created space to actually hear their experience instead of sitting in my own. I recognize that I can’t just paper over another’s beliefs or dismiss them, relativizing or replacing them with my own narrative. I start to wonder and want to know more. And at that point, questions arise rather than statements. I find myself in a relationship rather than an argument.

What makes this so hard is that my faith is not just something I believe. My Christian identity is just that: a very part of what makes me who I am. I deeply value my faith system and my own faith path within it. Someone expressing their path can sometimes feel in the moment like a threat to my very being. I recognize that it might feel this way for others as well. And in our culture, Christianity is dominant. I understand better now that it is my responsibility to internally make a space and leave room for those practicing non-dominant faith traditions and for variety within my own. This seems like a small thing, but for me, I realize now that I benefit when I try. Things stay complex and have grey areas and don’t get nailed down into a neat package. The real people I am talking with take on dimensions having nothing to do with me. And what I have gained is a group of people I’ve come to value and care deeply about, regardless of our differences or similarities. Within dialogue, my challenge has become my blessing.

Where Did Church Go?

The Church Lab’s pep talk to those of us on the winding religious road in America.

Rev. Carrie Graham, founding pastor of The Church Lab

Church these days can often be a “butts in the seats” kind of game. There is not just competition from other worshipping communities of a multitude of faith traditions, but also at yoga centers, co-working spaces, coffeeshops, meetups and podcasts that pipe wisdom into the ears of joggers and drivers alike. The latter options provide community and connection in a way that the Protestant church could exclusively offer just decades ago in the United States. None of these options create stressful experiences around when to stand or kneel, what outfit to wear early on a weekend morning, or whose names one can remember when folks likely only see each other a couple of times a month at best. So, what is the point of church, and what is it for in 2019 and beyond?

Worshipping communities of many traditions do offer distinctive experiences, but you won’t find our culture encouraging such experiences in commercials or on billboards or even in your spam filter. Worshipping communities offer spiritual maturity - an ongoing growing opportunity that both provides an uplifting sanctuary for our souls - alongside a continuous sharpener of the wisdom our traditions each offer, literally to the infinite degree. There is no limit to the depths that a lifetime of spiritual engagement can offer when it comes to encountering a wholehearted life experience. Worshipping communities representing traditions that have wrestled with these questions and practices for thousands of years are here amongst us, ready to offer specific approaches that bring limitless depth for any generation, throughout any lifestage, period.

 What a beautiful opportunity! Wow!

But where are all the crowds filing in for such fulfillment? There are a couple of massive obstacles in the way of this beautiful opportunity. The communities and their leaders are the first. You are the other one.

Worshipping Communities and Their Leaders

Let’s use Protestant churches as a very live example of this obstacle. Congregations and their leaders become their own obstacles for growth because the very framework we’ve come to depend on often threatens to take the place of God and the richness of life we experience when seeking God. This framework says we have services that must be in certain types of rooms, with certain types of furniture in certain arangements, led by certain types of rhythms, and fully funded by a devoted community that focuses on resourcing the church above any other commitment. However, the gears that run these frameworks have turned against each other in recent years, creating a well-meaning but inevitably discombobulated system.

Our society is no longer unified about which religion to engage with, if any religion at all. This can be scary to those who have been inside the church walls all this time. For instance, when congregants demand that the leadership provide them with the comfort of their historic rhythms, movements and songs, regardless of theological integrity, they may be making a dangerous trade. Perhaps they could instead trade their own comfort for the accessibility newcomers need. People coming in are looking for a place they feel at home enough to encounter both connection and spiritual depth. Some church leaders or congregants may yearn to create this accessibility by shifting old patterns. But they are often kept hostage by tithers who say, “You better make the decision we want or we’ll leave.” Decisions of integrity become difficult, as the systems that once helped the mission of church now work against its own health. Stewardship is just one example of something that can become twisted into power plays that shut down new ideas with the stroke of a pen.

The Church Lab is, in large part, an experiment in how to align the workings of a ministry with its mission in our shifting religious landscape. How can the community, the leaders, the funding, the environment, the communication channels, the very operations, all align themselves with the mission? How can The Church Lab also come alongside leaders and systems to say, “What vital things need to be shaken loose which are bound out of habit - ultimately keeping communities from fostering meaningful growth in their spiritual lives?” What needs to be sacrificed so that, out of the ashes, a new expression of a timelessly meaningful core can be offered to communities? This is an exciting question worth pursuing. It often takes leadership finding help and support. The Church Lab seeks to be that for other communities going through “integrity growth spurts,” if you will.

Of course, the only way it can be pursued is if we first commit to get out of our own way.

HEY YOU. AND ME.

It’s true, admittedly, and probably not a surprise to you. We are often our own problem. We like to talk about change as long as it doesn’t need to be difficult or internal, even though that’s often how the very world is ultimately changed. We like to talk about depth, as long as it doesn’t ever hurt to reach for it. For instance, we often talk about the country desperately needing to build bridges. However, we don’t rush out in great numbers to make friends with folks with whom we vehemently disagree so we can listen deeply to understand them, and not try to convince them of anything. We talk about the need to welcome folks into our communities, but it is hard to grieve the death of the tools we have used for so long to connect with God and others. It is hard to take the netless leap of faith that there are tools to be shared, tools others can invent, perspectives not yet heard that can delight and grow us closer to God and maintain the timeless pieces of our traditions that could never go extinct. What the church and other worshipping communities offer are depth. They offer growth in wisdom offered in the crossroads of ancient communities and our world today. There is mystery that we often opt to oversimplify, for comfort’s sake. There are questions that would grow us, but we often don’t believe God is big enough to tend to them, or we ourselves choose to ignore them. This is extremely hard work. It is not quickly “sold” on anyone. There are no shortcuts. It is not easy.

Rarely do humans volunteer for change, and almost never do we dedicate ourselves week in and week out to not just a service, but a lifestyle that involves great commitment with few metrics. Not so marketable when put that way, eh? This lifestyle won’t make us money. It won’t make us look glamorous. To the contrary, such work will likely confuse people. They might judge you, lest you fulfill the religious stereotype of judging them first. This lifestyle will not numb difficulty. However, it will bring riches that cannot be conceived outside of dedication to depth, plied with a specific direction.

The Church Lab just completed its 5th year of ministry. We are experimenting, day by day, with what faithfulness looks like when it is sustainably offered in this changing religious landscape. Here, we are continuously striving to remove the obstacles that we, our communities, and our leaders may toss in our own way. Even as we strive to deep dive into spiritual maturity, forsaking religiosity for its own vanity’s sake, we trip up. We sure can benefit from any blueprints in the making.

The Church Lab is in the blueprint making business. We seek to foster care, commitment, depth and service through dialogue over sustained periods of time in a diverse micro-community. At times we also do so via worship and outreach and intentional discipleship (depth development). We are learning how this shapes and deepens folks’ spiritual lives, within the specific depths of their chosen tradition(s). As mentioned above, The Church Lab also experiments with its own operational alignment so that it can also walk alongside other traditional and nontraditional systems and leaders, caring and supporting them through risky but worthwhile operational discernment into the next exciting, faithful chapter of religious life.

No matter the numbers, let’s grab some tools and join hands as we follow this road together, wherever it may go. There are many blueprints to record as we are led on new paths, many lessons from our adventures to share with those depth-seekers to come.

Who’s in?

Email carrie@thechurchlab.org for more info.

How Dialogue Speaks to Core Convictions: Partners in Enlightenment

Gene Goldfeder

This year, Gene Goldfeder retired from the Borough of Catasauqua after serving 40 years as Borough Manager. He still serves the Borough part time as Zoning Officer. Now retired, he enjoys spending more time traveling, visiting family and friends, reading and cooking, all with his wife Donna.

Gene earned an MS in Architecture with a focus in Urban Planning from Penn State University and a BA from Lehigh University. In 1989 he received a Certificate in Management from the International City/County Management Association Training Institute.

Gene was brought up Jewish by parents who were born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. While he lived his entire life in eastern Pennsylvania, the New York influence plays a major role in his food (deli style) and cultural (Broadway theater) preferences.

As a person who considers himself to have a scientific viewpoint in most matters, I found the Dialogue discussion on Science and Religion extremely interesting and enlightening. I try to understand and explain everything. For that reason, I’ve never fully accepted the concept of creating the heavens and earth and everything on earth in seven days, at least as we now measure days. Dialogue gave me the opportunity to explore this apparent conflict between religion and science with the group and find a way to reconcile it in my mind.

Recently, I was reading a book by Stephen Hawking. He stated that all of our theories of physics work only as far back as the Big Bang. Prior to that (if there is a prior to that) time and the theories don’t follow the established rules. To accept the Big Bang, one might also accept that something “created” it and that before the Big Bang time might have been indeterminate. We have no way of knowing what occurred before earth’s creation, since we have no way of looking back farther than the Big Bang. This could explain how seven days for the creation might be millennia as we now measure time. For me this concept helps reconcile science and the biblical story.

I found it extremely interesting to discuss and discover how many rules, dictates and laws in the Bible have in modern times been shown by science to have medical value. Before partaking of the Passover meal we ceremoniously wash our hands; after Sabbath service as we enjoy the Kiddush (social gathering), we also wash our hands. This cleanliness, while a religious ritual, has obvious health considerations. In the Torah there is a list of those foods which are “unclean” and are not to be eaten. Many of them, like pork and shellfish, are scavenger animals. In Biblical times there was no medical or scientific reason for these prohibitions, yet today we know of the illness potential from improper storage and preparation of them, as well as the general health related reasons to at least limit their intake, such as fat and cholesterol and their relation to heart disease and other medical concerns.

Prior to Dialogue, I never had a reason to consider the number of times things that are discussed and “taken on faith” in the Bible, today have a scientific explanation. Those that still seem to be miraculous may be true miracles – I am not discounting that possibility – but they may also be something that we don’t understand yet. Dialogue has fostered the more in depth thinking to explore where and how science and religion are not antagonists but partners in enlightenment. They are coming at the issue of life and growth from different perspectives, but in the final analysis both have the goal of making our lives better.

The Church Lab's Harvey recovery work featured on The Texas Standard

We are thrilled to share that the Texas Standard highlighted some of The Church Lab’s Harvey recovery work with photographers supplying new family portrats to folks that lost photos to the hurricane last year. We are so thankful that stories from The Golden Triangle, and the beauty of the families there, has been shared on a statewide basis. Thanks to all who were involved with our efforts!!!

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TCL's 2018 Annual Report!

We are thrilled to share with you our 2018 Annual Report, which among many things, celebrates our 5th birthday!

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Click here to see a format with larger text.