october reflections

the well went quite well this month and we had a much bigger turnout than at previous gatherings. thanks to all who participated in the gathering.

our theme this month was "finding GOD in the desert" and the family life center was turned into a desert landscape with around 700 pounds of sand. rather than a traditional sermon, pastor ken edwards facilitated a conversation in which all of us contributed. We also worshipped through song and hymns, creed, interactive prayer stations, communion and even shared refreshments throughout the service.

we will post more reflections with pictures sometime this week.

the well october - this thursday

it's been a while since the last blog!

our next gathering is THIS THURSDAY at 7 pm. our theme is "finding GOD in the desert".

we will fill much of the family life center with sand as we focus on the good and bad about desert times in our lives. ken edwards and david teel will facilitate a conversation with the congregation. we will have six or seven worship stations including the art station.

join us at 7 pm as we all contribute and create worship through discussion, music, liturgy, interactive prayer stations, food, and a whole lot of sand.

we will set up in two shifts:
1. wednesday night at 7:45
2. thursday starting at 2:00

items needed for the well

we still the following items (you can have your personal items back after the well) for october's well gathering:

• baby food jars
  
• small pool / baby pool
  
• portable personal cd player
  
• large bags of sand (beach sand)
• large cacti (that would be the plural of cactus)
  
  

things we need at each well gathering:

• large persian rugs (for future well gatherings)
• candles
• candle holders
• canvas drop cloths

leave a comment if you think of something else we need or would like to donate something or email me at ecoomer at comcast.net. (spelled it that way to avoid spam).

finding GOD in the desert

this sunday at noon we will meet to talk about october's well gathering. everyone and anyone is welcome to come and discuss our next gathering over food and drinks in the special studies classroom in the adult wing of grace umc.

our theme this month is "finding GOD in the desert" and we will be discussing the desert times in our lives. we touched on this in july but we will focus on it this month. our conversation will be centered around finding GOD in the desert times.

between now and then think about the following and bring your ideas:

• scriptures
  
• liturgy
• visual aids
  
• video & movie clips (feel free to bring a dvd or video)
  
• artwork (print it out if it comes from the internet)
  
• songs (from the church and from the world) & hymns
  
• prayer stations
• other ideas

let's get the ball rolling. leave a comment here with ideas.

here's how to comment:

1. click "comments" below this blog.
   
2. write what you want.
3. click "other"
4. type your name in the name box and (if you have one) your website in the website box
5. in the "word verification" box type the squiggly word that is above that box. it will be something non-sensical like "lymonf".
6. Click "publish your post".
   

desert detours

i was looking through kim miller's handbook for multisensory worship vol ii today and saw that there was a gathering where they actually laid out a tarp and dumped about fifty pounds of sand on the stage.

the meadow (green meadow umc in alcoa, tenn) filled the entire sanctuary with sand during lent this year.

we filled our sanctuary with hay for vacation bible school a couple weeks ago. what i'm saying is...let your imaginations run wild. we are quick to say, "the kids will love this," when it comes to planning vbs. the truth is: we love it too.

i'm not neccesarily suggesting the sand thing (i'm not discounting it either), but i am saying that it's time for us to get excited about the possibilities at the well. let your imaginations run wild.