Saturday, June 3rd, 2023Ģż9:00am – 3:00pm at Augsburg UniversityĢż

Co-hosted by Riverside Innovation Hub and MAS Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices

Over the past two years Minneapolis Area Synodā€™s and Augsburg Universityā€™s Riverside Innovation Hub have shared a commitment to accompanying congregations as they discern their call to BE neighbor, rooted in their faith and open to the neighborhood. As the first learning cycle comes to an end and a new one begins, we are coming together to celebrate and learn from this groundswell of people engaged in what it means to be neighbor in the world. Weā€™ll be joined by both congregations and individuals who are doing the work in neighborhoods all over Minnesota.Ģż

On June 3rd, we will gather for a day to hear stories from near and far in a variety of mediums, participate in skill-centered interactive workshops for all types of leaders, and practice deep community building. We will be gathering folks that have a growing heart for their neighbor, are curious about who God is and what God is doing in the world and find themselves around people who are shedding some of their fears about taking risks and not afraid to fail.Ģż

We invite you to join us as we continue to support and learn from each other on how we are called to be the public church in our neighborhoods!Ģż

will open on March 24th and will close on May 5th.

Childcare and Interpretation will be available upon request if indicated on registration form.Ģż

Community Stories

In preparation for our learning summit, we have been gathering stories about this experience from our learning congregations. Below you will hear from two of our learning partners.Ģż

RIH Reflections from Yvette Hewitt at Church of the Epiphany:Ģż

What is something you want to be sure to carry forward when the learning community wraps up?Ģż I want to continue being in dialogue with our neighbors and excited for engaging in future relationships utilizing the four public church art forms. The phase ā€œTrust the processā€ will be very valuable as we begin to implement our learning experience with the greater congregation.Ģż

Discernment was a new concept for me. I plan to implement it more in my decision-making. I cherish the new friendships developed within our team, cohort group, RIH leadership, and other congregations during this learning opportunity.

Why does it matter that you are a part of this learning and experimentation?

Personally, professionally, and as a follower of Christ, this learning experience has changed the way I view and understand who is my neighbor. I want to be more awake and present in my daily interactions.

Where have you seen God at work over the learning communityā€™s time together?

Our team has faced tremendous obstacles but God had another plan for us. The text from Ezekiel 47:1-12 imagines a river full of vitality and fruitfulness. God is replenishing our team with resilience, energy and vision to complete this work.Ģż I have seen areas of desolation beginning to emerge into places of new birth and opportunities to develop authentic relationships within our community.

RIH Reflections by Felecia Schmidt at Diamond Lake Lutheran ChurchĢż

In our fast-paced, goal-oriented culture itā€™s difficult, sometimes nearing impossible, to slow down. To see past our own bubble. To not get caught up in our daily grid and bogged down by the big picture.Ģż The experience with Riverside Innovation Hub (RIH) and this learning community has offered an opportunity to step off that path, pick our heads up and look around at the neighbors around us in a way we hadnā€™t fully realized. To feel the warmth of empathy and the refreshment of listening without an agenda.Ģż

In the beginning, the artforms felt abstract. At times it was a challenge to understand them and how they fit into our lives, our church and the connection with our neighbors. Throughout the learning experience with RIH the artforms were not only understood, but they also became essential tools for deeper understanding of ourselves, our church and its role in our neighborhood. One of the greatest and most surprising outcomes for me was the weaving of the artforms into my personal life. Imagine the ripple effects when it is nurtured and blossoms within our own hearts.Ģż

From this experience I want to carry forth the artforms.Ģż Itā€™s the place Iā€™ve felt God at work the most. Concepts that have always been present but this learning experience has brought clarity and intentionality to them.Ģż Understanding them has meant operating with grace and patience. It has meant taking the time to discern, even when there is a sense of urgency. Itā€™s meant honoring every personā€™s story. It has meant being humbled and facing hard truths and faithful responses.Ģż

With stirred spirits, renewed curiosity and a deeply-realized need to be connected to our neighbors, we step out into our neighborhood with fresh eyes and Godā€™s grace.Ģż

We can’t wait to share more stories with you all at the Groundswell! We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please reach out to Ellen Weber at weber3@augsburg.edu or Kristina FrugĆ© at frugek@augsburg.edu.

FPNP Reflections by Rachel Carmichael of Salem Evangelical:Ģż

What is something you want to be sure to carry forward when the learning community wraps up?

I want to continue to check in with what we’re doing as a congregation and faith community. I want to be intentional about the work that we’re doing and at the same time I also want to remember the flexibility and openness that the learning community embodied, especially through the leaders of the learning community. I want to continue to check in with other faith communities because I think that support, connection and environment is key.

Why does it matter that you are a part of this learning and experimentation?

This is really important work. Part of my time with this learning community has been spent remembering this. Our work is changing, always, but it is still relevant and vital. Sometimes its hard to name that, amidst the busy-ness, but it’s important to remember the value in work that we’re all doing at whatever level you’re involved. It matters to me to be apart of a big movements of growth. What an incredible program! I’m truly sad it’s coming to an end but hope that this can provide a momentum towards other incredible learning communities. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of this wholesome goodness!

Where have you seen God at work over the learning communityā€™s time together?

This is going to sound really general- but God has been apart of this process the entire time which is how I feel life works. Even in the hardest, most challenging spaces – God is there! God is pushing me to my limits and continually encouraging me to leap towards growth- mostly uncomfortable but absolutely necessary. And that has been happening during my time with this learning community, almost continually. The learning community gave me a space to be intentional about my involvement with my faith community. Selfishly, I really enjoyed finally developing a faith practice routine and I think that was an important way to begin our time together because it provided a strong foundation for the other elements we covered. It helped to remind me that God is present in my personal life- and I started there, so it opened my eyes to see other places God is working.Ģż

FPNP Reflections by Pastor Ali Tranvik of Cross of Glory:Ģż

When we began the Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices journey nearly two years ago, I remember the leaders sharing a lesser-known translation of John 1:14–the verse often cited as “the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” This translation put it in slightly different terms: “the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhoodā€ (MSG). It was shared as a reminder of a truth we’ve had the gift of witnessing more and more deeply over the course of these two years together: Jesus is already alive and at work in our neighborhoods (in Brooklyn Center, in south Minneapolis, in East Bethel, in Crystal, etc.), and is present in the physical, flesh-and-blood bodies of those who live within them. And with that confession came a question: what would it look like for the churches located in these neighborhoods to take part in the work that Jesus is already up to there?Ģż

That question has compelled the FPNP faith communities into a variety of practices (both faith and neighboring–which turns out, are one in the same) these past two years. For us at Cross of Glory, our practices included a new rhythm of shared meals with neighbors old and new, where God has shown up in bread broken and in conversation shared. We look forward to continuing to gather with neighbors at tables–and to encounter the Jesus who lives in our neighborhood at them.Ģż

The post You are invited to Groundswell: A Learning Summit appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

A few years ago we were gathered with a handful of local pastors at a coffee shop discussing this idea of being a public church. My co-worker Amanda and I were describing the posture of this work as one that shifts our attention from an internal one out towards the neighborhood, the larger context our congregations are located in. The rich imagination of the vision Ezekiel describes in ch. 47: 1-12 inspires this orientation. Ezekielā€™s guide in the text points out how the water flows from the sanctuary out into the wilderness, bringing life and flourishing where-ever it goes; as it flows it gets deeper and wider until it is a river that cannot be crossed.Ģż

Water in the bible often connotes a never ending resource of life – Godā€™s mercy flowing in abundance beyond our wildest imaginations. The invitation to become a public church is rooted in this vision as it begs us to take notice of what happens where Godā€™s mercy flows and to get caught up in what God is up to in those places. Godā€™s abundance can be contrasted with what often feels like a scarcity mindset when we are closed off from the outside world, mainly absorbed with our own worries and anxieties. However, Godā€™s call urges us into the larger environment and relationship there. I hear this as good news to those of us in congregations where the temptation of a scarcity mindset is a daunting reality.Ģż

Sitting in that coffee shop years ago, as we dwelled in the vision Ezekiel stoked up in our imaginations for being public churches, one pastor offered a helpful distinction. She pointed out that being a public church is about becoming a vital neighbor within the larger ecosystem of the neighborhood we are a part of. (Shout out to Pr. Brenda at Bethel Lutheran in South Minneapolis for that little gem!) There is lots of talk about vitality and thriving in the church world, but what Godā€™s promises often point to is an understanding of vitality and thriving that is mutual. That flows beyond the sanctuary. That is for all.Ģż

This is the arena of our wonderings and work in the Riverside Innovation Hub. Helping churches be vital neighbors is what we are about. It is also the way those of us on staff at RIH have been imagining our role with our neighbors. If you are reading this blog post, you are probably one of our neighbors! Our work and the resources we are able to leverage help us come alongside congregations and ministry leaders chasing after this work of being vital neighbors in our places. And so, as new seasons and new opportunities unfold for our work at RIH, we want to continue to explore how we can be vital neighbors to you – the larger ecosystem of church and ministry leaders doing this work on the ground in your many and varied places.Ģż

This February, we have had a couple key opportunities to listen to our neighbors, paying attention to your joys, your heartaches, your longings, and your curiosities.Ģż

From Feb. 3-6 our team attended the ELCAā€™s annual Youth Ministry Network gathering, The Extravaganza, in Anaheim, CA. Here we spent time with children and youth ministry leaders, pastors and other church ministry folks. We had opportunities to share in several workshops what weā€™ve been learning in our work with congregations in the neighborhoods and with young adults. We had lots of conversations with folks who share our curiosity about what God is up to in this time of transition and upheaval – particularly with how churches have been thrust into a much more unpredictable time. We met some new and reconnected with old trustworthy conversation partners and heard what this time of uncertainty and discernment is looking like in their contexts – in places like Deerfield, Texas; Sioux Falls, SD; Faribault, MN; Orlando, FL; Rocky Mountain Synod; many Twin Cities Metro communities; NW Wisconsin Synod region; ELCA National Deaconess Community; ELCA Young Adult Ministry, and many more. The bad news, you may guess, is that folks are overwhelmed and disheartened by the heaviness they experience and witness in their places. But hereā€™s the good news we heard – folks are sure God is up to something and eager to pay attention to it! Hope, curiosity and creativity are alive and well. And we are not alone.Ģż

We left sunny California and went straight away to Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in our Lilly Hub Gathering with other seminaries and higher ed institutions accompanying congregations and ministry leaders. This collection of lovely leaders and humans is a rich ecumenical experience.Ģż Talking with congregational and community leaders and others who lead similar projects to RIH, we heard some of the doubt that comes with facilitating change work. Our colleagues are wrestling with questions like: Is the bigger impact we hope to have even possible? Can congregations and those of us leading Christian communities navigate the changes of our times to align more faithfully with Godā€™s call to be church in this time and place? We spent a good amount of time with leaders from one particular hub in Waukegan, IL who has cultivated a deep sense of trust between congregations, young adults and the larger Waukegan community. Their work has often inspired us at RIH. They shared their deep laments about the sobering reality that comes with deep relationships in the neighborhood. Congregations and their leaders have been dedicated to becoming vital neighbors, but this doesnā€™t eliminate the fact that hard things continue to happen. Bad news continues to hurt folks, and sometimes the best good news we can offer in hard times is that we donā€™t have to go through it alone.Ģż

And most recently, on Feb. 24-26, our RIH team spent the better part of the weekend with our RIH congregational teams at our Sustainability Retreat at Mount Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington, MN. We spent Friday evening with the team leaders, hearing the moments of desolation and consolation this work has gifted them with. We spent Saturday with congregational teams who sustained a contagious energy for big heart and brain work during the day. They were deeply invested in imagining how they carry what they are learning into the future – into their congregation and into their neighborhoods. These neighbors of ours offered an inspiring reminder that hope and imagination continue to resource this work in their contexts. There also is a healthy dose of worry and doubt about the capacity of teams and their congregations. Will we and our congregational community have the capacity and openness to take some small risks towards the invitation from God emerging? Will we be able to sustain our efforts towards being vital neighbors? We continue to remind one another that this is not a sprint. In fact, it may not even be a marathon. This work of being a vital neighbor does not have a starting line and finish line. It is simply a journey, one that lasts a lifetime, and one we can be grateful to have so many trustworthy companions who join us for different seasons of it.Ģż

Our team is holding many stories, questions and the gift of connection with so many lovely humans we experienced this past month with our neighbors. We hold these interactions closely as we continue to discern our work being a vital neighbor to you and many others chasing after a vision of being a public church. We remain curious about what God is up to in your places – in both the challenges and joys. So consider this post not only an update from us, but an invitation into further conversation with us – your neighbors at RIH!Ģż

Reach out to our staff Kristina FrugƩ or Ellen Weber to share your own stories, questions or to scheme about how we can be in this work together.

Curious about our upcoming learning community? Learn more here about our upcoming learning community and application process.Ģż

The post Being A Vital Neighbor appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

A journey of self-discovery and empowerment! In my latest vlog, I delve into the impact of body language and the importance of being true to yourself. This thought-provoking vlog was inspired by MLK Day and will leave you feeling inspired to embrace your power, find your voice, and follow your heart. ā€” Geoffrey Gill

Featuring: Pan African manager- Kezia Burrows, Drummer Spirit Boy, ā€œChange Gonna Comeā€ Traiveon Burrows

(In order of performance)

Poet: Curtis Love

Poet: LeeRayvone Gibson

Keynote speaker – Terrance Kwame-Ross

Thank you Augsburg University

The post “The Unleashed Voice” A Thought-Provoking Vlog by Geoffrey Gill appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Project Overview

RIH will continue helping congregations live into “placed-based vocational discernment in the public square for the common good” through two-year learning communities of twelve congregations. The first learning community runs July 2021 ā€“ July 2023 and the second learning community runs September 2023 ā€“ September 2025.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Opens: January 24th, 2023.
• Application Opens: February 15th, 2023.
• Application Closes: April 20th, 2023.
• Invitations sent out to accepted congregations: Week of May 16th, 2023
• Congregations accept invitations: June 8th, 2023.
• Community starts: September 2023

Congregations who are a part of this learning community will develop and deepen the knowledge, skills, habits, and values to engage in this work of place-based vocational discernment in the public square for the common good through a method we call the Public Church Framework.

The Public Church Framework consists of four movements that guide us into more intentional relationships with our neighbor, scripture, our core beliefs, and Godā€™s spirit as we seek to discern how our faith community is called to be and proclaim good news with and for our neighbors. It combines threads the church has historically kept separate ā€“ discipleship, outreach, relationships, justice, worship, biblical study, theological reflection, and prayer. The common denominator is the neighbor. We do these things for the sake of our neighbors.

Check out our to read more.

You can also go to our website at:ĢżĢżto read more stories about how congregations are exploring their call to be public church in their neighborhoods across the Twin Cities.

CONTACT US:

The post Letter of Intent for Third Learning Community is Open! appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

This blog post is the first of many that will showcase the various ways we see vocation lived out on a daily basis in the lives and work of our Augsburg colleagues and our neighbors in the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods.

By vocation we mean the ways we are compelled, empowered, challenged, freed, and responsible to show up (individually and collectively) in ways that help our neighbors and neighborhoods thrive. We believe every individual and every institution experiences a vocational tug.

Augsburg University ā€“ as an institution – is committed to being an engaged neighbor with the Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips neighborhoods. Many would say this has always been central to Augsburgā€™s mission and identity, but our practices and frameworks for showing up as a compassionate and helpful neighbor have changed over time. This change is a necessity if one is truly committed to working towards the common good with their neighbors.

This is a story about how Augsburg does the work of becoming and being an engaged neighbor.

Steve Peacock joined Augsburg University in 2008 as the Universityā€™s Community Relations Director. Steve had spent the previous 17 years working for the helping people and neighborhoods thrive by creating partnerships to ā€œclose systemic gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity.ā€ Steve feels a strong call to do work that supports people at the neighborhood level. He has formal training in urban planning through the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the University of Minnesota.Ģż

This call, though, was shaped early on as the son of a campus pastor in central Illinois. Steve saw his father consistently working at the intersections of the university, the church, and the neighborhood. He learned first-hand about the positive impact local institutions can have on the lives of the people who share their neighborhood. Steveā€™s own personal call to do this bridging work has helped Augsburg University live more fully into our own call to be an engaged neighbor.

Ģż

Augsburg University president, Paul Pribbenow, claims Augsburgā€™s identity as an anchor institution in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and we now play a key role in convening the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership. ā€œAnchor institutions are enduring organizations that are rooted in their localities. It is difficult for them to leave their surroundings even in the midst of substantial capital flight.ā€ (Marga, Inc).ĢżAugsburg is deeply committed to the location and neighborhood where we find ourselves and we believe we have a responsibility to function in a certain way as an institution so that our neighbors and our neighborhood might thrive. Steveā€™s work puts this commitment into practice.

Ģż

Through this work, Steve convenes the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood Leadership Forum which is a community of business owners and leaders from the neighborhood who meet regularly to learn about one anotherā€™s work, discuss shared hopes and concerns, and create opportunities for collaboration. Steve sees his primary work as convener. These are gifts and committed leaders who donā€™t need Steve or Augsburg to lead for them, but they do need someone who is willing and able to convene other potential stakeholders and partners.

Ģż

Most recently, Steve has been working on a new initiative called Augsburg Local which ā€œis a campaign to leverage Augsburgā€™s purchasing power to support local businesses by connecting locally-owned, Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC)-owned, and Femmes/Trans/Womxn (FTW)-owned businesses to the economic benefits generated by both personal and institutional purchasing by the Augsburg community. It is also working ā€œto shift a portion of Augsburgā€™s investment portfolio to community-minded banks and financial institutions that yield economic benefit to underserved communities.ā€

Ģż

These initiatives grow out of the slow, hard work that Steve has done to build relationships. It takes time and energy to earn peoplesā€™ trust, to get to the place where they will share their deepest hopes and concerns for our neighborhood. Over the years, under Steveā€™s leadership, Augsburg has learned to move from a charity model to a partnership model. Our neighbors do not desire our charity, but they do desire that we accompany them in creating the type of neighborhood where all can thrive.

Ģż

This work of humbly and consistently building relationships with your neighbors across your neighborhood is critical work for all institutions and individuals because . . .ĢżĢż

Ģż

1. Multiple studies are showing us that social isolation was on the rise even before COVID and has only become more pervasive with the pandemic. Some call the rise in social isolation a second pandemic, and we are just starting to learn about the physical impact of isolation on our bodies. It will take intentional work on the part of individuals and institutions to begin addressing this pandemic of isolation.
2. ĢżThe powerful continue to get more and marginalized continue to end up with less. The organizing and innovation needed to address the growing wealth and opportunity gaps can only be done by cohorts of committed neighbors and institutions who collectively care for the wellbeing of their neighborhood and those who live their lives there.
3. ĢżIt makes the institution a better institution that is more innovative, more in touch with its constituents, more connected, and more viable.

The work we do through the Riverside Innovation Hub in the Christensen Center for Vocation is very similar to the work Steve is doing. We are working to teach congregations how to become anchor institutions in their neighborhoods.Ģż

Steve generously shared his tips on how to get started doing this work.

1. Itā€™s relationship based. Do the hard, slow work of developing true relationships with neighbors and other institutions in your neighborhood. Take the time. Be vulnerable.
2. Listen. Truly listen. Try to hear what you arenā€™t expecting to hear. Donā€™t assume you know the details of your neighborsā€™ stories. Be humble.
3. Start small. Start with those you know you will be able to connect with. Start by collaborating on a small, manageable project. This allows for close coordination which creates space for relationships to develop. Get small wins and build a coalition and confidence.
4. Work within your limits. Be intentional about what can and cannot be done and be planful so you stay within those limits.

Engaging our neighbors is not only an essential responsibility we have as institutions, it is also the way we can find more life and joy in the work we do in our locations. Weā€™re grateful to Steve for leading this work on behalf of Augsburg in such a gentle, humble, and consistent way.

The post Steve Peacock is Leading Augsburg into the Public Square for the Sake of our Neighbors appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

In the beginning of October, we gathered together as a learning community to explore the artform of proclamation.Ģż But what is proclamation and why does it matter?Ģż

There is a concept within the philosophy of language called performative utterances. This idea was developed by philosopher John L. Austin in the 1940ā€™s and 1950ā€™s . He was arguing against the notion that all words and statements are only descriptive or evaluative. He uncovered certain phrases and uses of words that are not intended to be descriptive at all, but are rather intended to be performative. A classic example he would use is the utterance, ā€œā€™I name this ship the Queen Elizabethā€™ ā€“ as uttered when smashing the bottle against the stem.ā€ Other examples would include, ā€œI now pronounce you equal partners in marriageā€, or ā€œI forgive you.ā€ These words and phrases are not describing or evaluating anything, rather they are doing things.

This idea of performative utterances helps us understand what we mean when we talk about the word of God. Godā€™s words are performative utterances. They do things. In the first chapter of Genesis, God is not describing or evaluating what the cosmos has or will look like. Instead, God is calling the cosmos into being. ā€œThen God said, ā€˜Let there be lightā€™; and there was lightā€ (Genesis 1:3, NRSV). But the performative utterances of God do not only show up as spoken words throughout scripture. In the second creation narrative, God is not speaking a word ā€“ only acting. ā€œIn the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up ā€“ for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground . . . A river flows out of Eden to water the garden . . .ā€ (Genesis 2:4b-6, 10, NRSV). There are times in scripture where Godā€™s creative force is shared with the world through performative utterances, and there are times in scripture where Godā€™s creative force is water.

In the Gospel of John, these two ways of thinking about Godā€™s creative force ā€“ water and word ā€“ become embodied in the person of Jesus. ā€œIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . And the Word became flesh and lived among us . . .ā€ (John 1:1, 14a, NRSV). ā€œJesus said to her, ā€˜Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal lifeā€ (John 4:13-14, NRSV). Jesus is now the embodied performative utterance of God and the embodied living water of God. And in John 14 Jesus promises that this living water of God ā€“ this fluid performative utterance ā€“ that gave life to the cosmos and is embodied in Jesus ā€“ is now also gushing forth within us. This spring of water now gushing within us is Godā€™s creative spirit. ā€œTo each has been given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common goodā€ (1 Corinthians 12:7, NRSV). Godā€™s creative life force that called our cosmos into life, the same one embodied in Jesus, is now made manifest within each of us. For the common good.Ģż

We have become Godā€™s performative utterances. We have become Godā€™s creative force in the world. We have become Godā€™s proclamation. For the common good. We keep finding ourselves going back to two particular theologians at the Riverside Innovation Hub whenever we need clarity on what this common good is and how it is connected to the gospel of Jesus.

We are very fond of how theologian Douglas John Hall describes good news that is for the common good. He says,Ģż

ā€œThe good news is good because it challenges and displaces bad news. The Gospel addresses us at the place where we are overwhelmed by an awareness (as the liberationist, Juan Luis Segundo, has put it) of what is wrong with the world and with ourselves in it. It is good news because it engages, takes on and does battle with the bad news, offering another alternative, another vision of what could be, another way into the future. And the bad news is always changing.ā€ (From, ā€œWhat is Theology?ā€)

Elsa Tamez speaks of jubilee as this good news for the common good. She says,Ģż

ā€œWhen one speaks of the jubilee, it is essential to have before one the concrete situation that one is experiencing: debts, poverty, unemployment, violence, discrimination, exclusion, conflicts, sorrow, dehumanizing consumerism, the lethargy of the churches. For the jubilee is the good news that supposedly puts an end to that reality of suffering and dehumanization. . . If we speak of jubilee in a generic sense, the injustice is hidden, and the jubilee loses its power and ceases to be jubilee.ā€ (From, ā€œDreaming from Exile: A Re-reading of Ezekiel 47:1-12ā€)

Godā€™s performative utterances do things. They bring order out of chaos, life out of nothing. The good news of Jesus challenges and displaces bad news that is always changing. It puts an end to our ā€œreality of suffering and dehumanizationā€, a reality that is unfortunately always changing.Ģż

Our work of proclamation therefore, is not the work of describing or evaluating. Proclamation is performative. It does things. It is the work of uttering the good news in word and/ or deed that displaces bad news, and ends suffering and dehumanization. Before we can even do this work of proclamation, we must do the long, slow, hard, relational work of encountering and accompanying our neighbors. Then we might begin to understand their bad news. Then we might begin to understand the concrete situation they experience ā€“ the ways in which they are suffering and dehumanized. Once weā€™ve done that slow work, then we might have an idea of what the good news might look or sound like. This good news is always Jesus. It is always the performative utterance of God. The word of God made flesh. But because it is performative and because it becomes incarnate, it will always show up in the news ways that bring about life. The manifestation of that spirit has been given to us. Let us become Godā€™s performative utterance ā€“ Godā€™s good news ā€“ for our neighbor, for the common good.

The post PROCLAMATION AS PERFORMING JUBILEE by Jeremy Myers appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Here are some of our favorite quotes from the talk:

• “It’s not a journey from point A to point B, where you have to leave this place to go to that place. Instead I want to invite you into a journey that’s really more about becoming rooted deeply in the place where we already find ourselves.”
• “Vocation is ultimately not about you it’s about the space that exists between you and your neighbor.”
• It is “the quest of inquiry to figure out who our neighbor is and what it is our neighbor needs from us to thrive. It’s not a journey where you need to go on a quest to find some vocation that’s hidden out there in the future from you. It’s an invitation into the right here and the right now. That vocation is something that saves us from the nowhere plants us firmly right here with one another in this moment of time to do this good work that we’ve been given to do today. and we get to do that together and I think that’s pretty great.”

The post The Christensen Symposium Was a Success! appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

What If?Ģż

What happens in the neighborhoods where children are overshadowed by the decay and they no longer laugh or play the way they used to,Ģż

A place where young boys choose to follow figures who had no father figures who become casualties for a war for their drug king before their adolescence.Ģż

Becoming murals to be forgotten and only to be remembered by their laugh lines, pictures, and eventually chalk lines and yellow tape,Ģż

A young tragedy like Romeo and Juliet except the streets is the Juliet where young Romeos become the prey and become entangled in this dangerous love affair and drink the poison that results them to become misguided lights and lead them to extinction.Ģż

A place where young girls have to grow up mentailly before their bodies do , Be mothers before their bodies do, they become mothers first to their brothers and sisters because momma has to work 2 jobs to support the family due to their absent father,Ģż

They become young mothers before they become women and deal with the harsh realities of becoming single mothers and not graduating high school, Leaving behind a string of dreams on the pavement and giving their lives up for their child.Ģż

A place where there are undone recreational floors and winter splinters, no nets with hoops finding their joy on a half done basketball court dreaming big with their jersey and shorts of being basketball players and preparing their life for the courts, big dreams and wanting more,Ģż

What if there were enough programs for every urban community for kids to become who they want to be doctors, lawyers, scientist,Ģż

What if black boys were getting the same education like suburban kids they would learn math in the classroom instead of learning math on the streets to whip drugs.Ģż

What if black girls had the same opportunities and access to free programs like ballet and jazz instead of being video girls where they go in filthy game and put their bodies and morals up show,

What if she was taught to love herself, fear no one, demand respect and demonstrate respect when she walk in the door?Ģż

What if she was on the tv and saw herself on primetime hour instead of the video girl, what if?Ģż

By Shae. Cunningham ( Team Messiah)

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Jeremy Myers, PhD,ĢżBernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, Augsburg University

Join us for this year’s Christensen Symposium where we will dig deeper into the topics of vocation and public church.

Thursday, September 22
11 a.m. ā€“ 12 p.m.
Foss Center, Hoversten Chapel

The pandemic, rampant racism, unfettered injustices, environmental degradation, inflation ā€“ these are a few sources of the overwhelming sense of despair in our lives. We are anxious about our future. We desperately seek meaning, purpose, justice, and the common good but they seem to be nowhere in sight. Nowhere. But there is hope and potential for change if we can focus on the here and now. All we are promised is the hereĢżand now, and it is where we are called to live our lives. Now. Here.

Jeremy Myers is the Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation and the Executive Director of the Christensen Center for Vocation at Augsburg University.ĢżMyers earned his bachelorā€™s degree at the University of Minnesota and his masterā€™s and PhD from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He researches, writes, teaches, and organizes around the topics of vocation and public church. In addition to many articles and chapters, he is the author ofĢżLiberating Youth from AdolescenceĢżpublished by Fortress Press and is also a sought-after speaker. He has secured millions of dollars in grants to support the work of the Christensen Center for Vocation at Augsburg.

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Throughout this summer as we have gathered folks together around our work, the text from Ezekiel 47 continues to be a way to ground us before we begin. As our work shifts, taking time to remember these words re-grounds us in why public church matters through Ezekiel’s vision of God’s abundance.

Ezekielā€™s Vision (Ezekiel 47:1ā€“12, NRSV)

¹ĢżThen he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple towards the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.Ģż²ĢżThen he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate that faces towards the east;Ģżand the water was coming out on the south side.

³ĢżGoing on eastwards with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep.Ģż⁴ĢżAgain he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist.Ģż⁵ĢżAgain he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed.Ģż⁶ĢżHe said to me, ā€˜Mortal, have you seen this?ā€™

Then he led me back along the bank of the river.Ģż⁷ĢżAs I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on one side and on the other.Ģż⁸ĢżHe said to me, ā€˜This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh.Ģż⁹ĢżWherever the river goes,Ģżevery living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes.Ģż¹⁰ĢżPeople will stand fishing beside the seaĢżfrom En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.Ģż¹¹ĢżBut its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt.Ģż¹²ĢżOn the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.ā€™

Ezekielā€™s vision becomes an invitation to follow Godā€™s jubilee as it flows into the world and and makes everything live where it flows. The Public Church Framework (below) provides faith communities with a way to do this, to become blessings for the entire land on which they are rooted rather than existing to serve their own purpose. We are Ezekiel, following the enigmatic divine tour guide along the river as we learn to see the breadth and depth of Godā€™s love flowing away from the temple and into the world.

1. Accompaniment: Mortal, Have You Seen This? (vs. 1ā€“6a)Ģżā€” The river flows out from the temple and towards the desolate places. We are called out of our temples and our comfort zones to follow this river and to stop and notice how wide and deep it becomes. As we hear our neighborsā€™ stories, we become aware of how Godā€™s deep and wide love and mercy are at work in their lives. We learn to hear and see so that when we are asked this question ā€“ Mortal, have you seen this? ā€“ we can answer with a yes. Accompaniment is the practice of learning to see and hear Godā€™s love bringing life to our world.
2. Interpretation: The Water Will Become Fresh (vs. 6bā€“8)Ģżā€” As the jubilee river flows it brings fresh water into salt water. This fresh water desalinates the salt water and makes it fresh. The jubilee water dwells in, with, and under the salt water and makes it able to support and create life. The same happens to us as the stream of Godā€™s story flows into the streams of our stories and our neighborsā€™ stories. Godā€™s story begins to dwell in, with, and under our stories and our realities. This brings hope to stories that were at one time hopeless. Interpretation is the practice of learning how Godā€™s promises (the fresh water) change the way we look at suffering in our world (salt water) and how those sufferings change the way we look at Godā€™s promises.
3. Discernment: Fishing and Spreading Nets (v. 9ā€“11)ā€”ĢżThe living water brings about diversity and abundance. The fishing is good along this riverside. We have now seen the fullness of this river and we now have some choices to make. Is it time to fish? Is it time to dry our nets? Is this a place to fish? Is this a place to gather salt? There is work to be done along this riverside and we are invited and equipped to do it. Discernment is the practice of learning to hear Godā€™s call and to know when, where, how and why to act on that call.
4. Proclamation: Fruit for Food, Leaves for Healing (v. 12)Ģżā€”ĢżEzekiel walks the riverside and notices the trees on both sides of the river and the harvest they produce. The trees are growing fruit for food and leaves for healing. The gifts of these trees create a future for Godā€™s people. These trees do not only produce seeds that ensure the future of the trees themselves, they produce leaves and fruit for the world. Proclamation is the practice of producing and presenting our world with our gifts for the sake of the world, not for the sake of our own propagation. Christian faith communities re-engage their neighborhoods with fruit for food and leaves for healing ā€” gifts to be given away that create a future for Godā€™s people.

Godā€™s creative, life-giving, jubilee river flows out from the temple and into the world. Our call is not to dam up the river and keep it in the temple. Our call is not to expect our neighbors to come to the temple to experience the life giving water of the river. Our call is to follow the river as it deepens and widens and makes all things live. As we learn to do this ā€” to see, to fish, to spread nets, to grow and harvest fruit for food and leaves for healing ā€” we find ourselves in the midst of innovation. Of co-creating a future for Godā€™s world with God and our neighbor along the riverside. People are not looking for the temple, but they surely are seeking what they can find at the riverside. They are looking for others who are eager to bring the fruit for food and the leaves for healing to their neighbors.

What would it look like for you to follow the river of Godā€™s living water out into the neighborhood?Who are the guides that might accompany you on that journey?What might happen?Come join us and find out.

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