mountain masala

How Your Congregation Learns

Tim Shapiro from the Indianapolis Centre for Congregations suggests that congregations who develop new capacities demonstrate seven "learning behaviours". These characteristics are derived from observation by the Centre's staff rather than by formal research.

Congregations that learn well find and use outside resources.

Congregations that learn well live within a worldview of theological coherence.

Congregations that learn well ask open-ended questions and practice active listening.

Congregations learn well when clergy and laity learn together.

Congregations learn well by attending to rites of passage.

Congregations learn well when they slow things down.

Congregations learn well when they say "no" and say "yes" (stop something when they start something new)

Read the full article over at The Alban Institute here.

Some of the above are interesting in relation to my current research regarding congregations as learning communities. What would you add/change about this list?

new music

here's what's cranking out from emusic.com.....

"Dark Shores - Strand of Oaks - I love this! Timothy Showalter makes great folky, sometimes rocky, sometimes broody, sometimes sweet music.

"Rules for Jokers" - Thea Gilmore - British folkie with bite. one of her early albums.

"Tragedy and Geometry" - Steve Hauschildt - electronica - think Jean Michael Jarre on steroids

"Where Are The Arms" - Gabriel Kahane - lovely, melodic pop with a classical edge, lovely

"Georges I. Gurdjieff" - The Gurdjieff Folk Instrument Ensemble & Levon Eskenian -  European folk on authentic instruments...

"Appellation d'Origine Controlee" - La Bottine Souriante - French-Canadian folk-jazz-salsa - foot-stomping greatness

"Alter Ego" - John McAll - Australian jazz muso - nice.

plus...

"The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do" - Fiona Apple  (she does like a long album title...)

"Oh Pioneer" - Duke Special - Peter Green continues his songwriting magic. Perhaps a bit over-produced, but I like it.

world press photos

i just received the 2011 and 2012 World Press Photo award books in the mail. For me, looking at these images and reading the stories behind them is one of the most difficult and important tasks in understanding our world. We don't and won't get to visit these places, and more importantly, we know so little of what happens around the world. There are moments of sheer joy and wonder, but so often an image and a story that stops my world.

Looking through these books is shocking, terrifying and essential. They mean more than many of the books on my shelves, or the images in my computer library. They leave me bereft, forsaken, despairing.

I tried to look through them quickly and I cant. So they will have to become a prayer exercise as I try to work through them over the coming days and weeks.

Lord, have mercy.

 

Alive@5 - Making Music

You Are Mine

I filmed this at the Opening Worship Service of the Uniting Church's National Assembly the other day. Song by David Haas. Organised by Jenni Hughes. Stunning. A high point of a great service.

13th Assembly

I'm recovering from the triennial national Assembly of the Uniting Church which was held here in Adelaide last week. 250+ voting delegates (including me), plus visitors and overseas guests. It's a wonderful, inspiring, challenging and tiring week of dealing with the national business of the church.

Highlights
- the richness of the worship and music - see some video from the Installation Service
- the gentle and wise leadership of our new President, Andrew Dutney (who also sang some tunes, including "Then The Quail Came", an old favourite of mine)
- the opportunity to hear from and offer support to our indigenous brothers and sisters as theyl ive with the injustice of the federal govenment's invervention into aboriginal communities (photo above shows the Assembly holding a prayer vigil on the steps of SA's parliament house)
- receiving a discussion paper about living in friendship with people of other faiths
- agreeing after much debate to talk about our theology of marriage
- catching up with friends from across the country and making new ones
- having a couple of my songs sung
- hosting an 'unofficial' Facebook group that about 40% of Assembly members ended up joining
- seconding the resolution to change the way that we give oversight to ministerial education nationally!
- organising and playing in the band for the final night party
- the Cato lecture by Prof Kirsteen Kim on how the church's thinking about mission has changed in a changed world
- the Reconciliation statement from the National Young Adults Leaders' Conference - video version here
- playing in the worship band for the week
- getting elected to our 18 member national Standing Committee

Yes there was a lot more, including a great address from Richard Dennis from The Australia Institute...

While I'm not always happy with the way that such meetings are run (too little time in table group conversation, not great choices about what issues were discussed in working groups, sometimes too much facilitation of proposals), overall I appreciate being in a church that seeks to make decisions by consensus! And as always quite overwhelmed by the amazing people and the amazing ministry that is undertaken across this country and beyond.

A book of worship resources (text and music) was produced for the Assembly and if you contact MediaCom asap you might pick up one of the leftover copies. Some excellent stuff.

Check out the 13th Assembly website for more info.

Installation of the new UCA President

Here's a very brief overview of the installation service of Andrew Dutney as President of the Uniting Church last Sunday evening. [I filmed some of these clips and might do my own compilation as well. Editing and most of the filming by Don Dowling.]

Installation of the President, UCA Assembly July 2012 from UCA Assembly on Vimeo.

Affirming the Spirit's presence

This week is the Uniting Church's triennial national Assembly, being held here in Adelaide with about 250 elected delegates from across the country (including me), plus a significant number of overseas guests and visitors. I've been to 7 or 8... some as a delegate and some as a staff worker. It's an enriching, inspiring, sometimes challenging but rarely dull week. Our College Principal, Andrew Dutney was installed as President at the opening worship service last night. A bunch of friends were involved in planning and leading a wonderful event, rich with multicultural participation, great music and imagery, and a timely sermon about being a church of reconciliation and inclusivity.

My small contribution was to invite photographers from around the country to contribute images to an audio-visual to accompany an affirmation of faith based on the new Preamble that our church added to our national constitution.

[Photo by Dean Whittaker]

We say God created the universe,
and the world we live in,
and every living thing on this earth.

We believe the Creation shows us the power and presence of God,
and makes us want to praise and give thanks to God,
and take good care of the earth God has made.

We are full of joy that across the world
different peoples have their own culture and language,
and that in God we are all united together as one.

We say God is Spirit,
breath of life,
who is always working to bring people to life in God.

We believe the Spirit has been alive and active
in every race and culture,
getting hearts and minds ready for good news:
the good news of God’s love and grace that Jesus Christ revealed.

We are full of joy that from the beginning
the Spirit was alive and active,
revealing God through the law, custom, and ceremony
of the First Peoples of this ancient land.

We say Jesus is Saviour and Lord,
and that he began the church,
and prayed that the church might be together as one.

We believe that in the risen Jesus
we are all brothers and sisters in the one great family of God,
and that God calls us to live in faith, hope, and love
for the sake of the Kingdom of God here on earth.

We are full of joy that we can learn,
grow and serve together
 as a pilgrim people
in the name of Christ.

I am grateful to Ian Ferguson, Darren Wright, Michelle Cook, Dean Whittaker, Megan Thomson, Alan Mathews, Denise Savage, Robin Yang, Tom Kerr, Mike Emmett, Joh Knijnenburg, David MacGregor - and to Jenny Tymms who consulted with a bunch of indigenous people in the writing of the affirmation.

I also want to acknowledge that it was Steve Taylor whose questions some time ago encouraged our national worship working group to begin work on worship resources related to the Preamble. The group will be making a bunch of images available along with the worship resources for use in congregations.

Salmon and Vegetable Quiche

This is my second ever attempt to make shortcrust pastry and quiche. This time in single-serve flan trays. Several difficulties along the way but in the end it looked and tasted fine. I really need to work on my pastry skills, as they are almost non-existent.

A lot of fillings - smoked salmon, asparagus, mushroom, eschallot, corn, and two cheeses.

The accompaniment was cherry tomatoes cooked with some white wine, sherry vinegar, chopped chilli and sugar.

 

Mexican Baked Chicken

So I adapted the Bill Granger Coq Au Vin recipe tonight for a meal with friends from interstate ...

We often buy 2 smallish free range chickens for $10 locally. I quartered them and then marinated them overnight in paprika, ancho chilli powder, chopped coriander roots, chopped garlic, lime juice, olive oil, slt and pepper.

I put them in a baking tray with 2 brown onions unskinned but cut into 8 pieces, about 10 unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 pieces of smoked bacon cut into 4 cm lengths, more paprika, pepper and salt, more lime juice, 1/2 a large, mild red chilli, chopped finely (one guest has a low tolerance to chillies), and more olive oil.

Roast for 20-25 mins at 210-220 C. I put quartered potatoes in their skins (wedges) in the oven at the same time.