I spent a couple of days in one of my favourite places in the world, St Andrews, this week with a small group of youth workers discovering a bit about myself.  That’s not the kind of thing I’m usually that keen on but I’m really glad that rather than spending the two days of ‘Integrate’ listening people telling us about youth work Dorothy Neilson helped us to listen to ourselves and to God.

Dorothy led us through the Enneagram, a tool which helps you discover your ‘personality type’.  I’m a bit of a cynic when it comes to these kind of things but I have to say I liked the Enneagram.  It made sense to me.  It has given me lots to think about and lots to work on.

I’m sure a lot of that had to do with both Dorothy’s open and relaxed style and with the other people in the group being prepared to be open and give it a go.

So, what did I discover?  Well, I’m a FIVE.

If you want to know what that means then for starters you could have a look at this free e-book by Mark McGuinness which introduces the enneagram or get in touch with Dorothy and have her come talk to you or your team.

In the meantime… have a look the enneagram and see if you can discover some stuff about you.

thePROJECT:2, ‘In The Flesh’, Saturday 20th June, Edinburgh.

The first section of thePROJECT:2 runs 12.00 – 7.00pm @ The Lot, 4-6 Grassmarket, and St Columba By the Castle, 14 Johnston Terrace

12.00 – 4.30pm @ The Lot, 4-6 Grassmarket

12.00: Gathering, and creative activities for the young and young-at-heart, to dip in and out of (continuing from 12-4)

* The Big Knit: Bone combs, and personal possession of nits unnecessary… bring yer fingers to add yer own knit, purl and stitch action to the burgeoning tea cosy/ balaclava/ windcheater/ jersey/ sock (delete as appropriate)… a big woolie thing we’ll make together! (continuous activity)

* Gentle City Walking: Experience the urban curiosities of Embro; hear sounds you’ve never heard; see things you’d not have noticed; explore your sensations, feelings and thoughts on a magically mundane mystery tour… (continuous activity)

* Body Partying: a collaborative, additive artwork, where we’ll add pictures of bits of bodies together to create a huge picture (eventually) of thePROJECT Body! (continuous activity)

* Videovoxpopping: Smile, scowl, pull a face, crack a joke, what you feel on film. Let yer soul be captured and your opinions be articulated in cinematic style… (continuous activity)

* Kissing Booth: a chance to kiss SCOTT PAGET and selected members of thePROJECT steering group – ok, that’ll be optional – and to bend their ears with your ideas, hear what they’ve got to say. An opportunity to chat about what thePROJECT is, wasn’t and mibbe could be. (continuous activity)

* The Scratch Mary Poppins: Join PHIL WHITE in recreating what has become an incisive parable for our credit-crunch times… supercalifragalistication assured! (Rehearsals at St Columba, 1-3, performance 4.00).

12.45 – 1.45:

CoMusika with JANE BENTLEY: A corporately created, improvisational, invitational musical event where there is no audience, only players on a journey of increasing mutuality, communication, and communion, creating ‘music in the moment’. Jane will be harnessing your creative talents to make this happen.

2.00 – 2.30:

Non-Cabbage & Ambulances? with ROB MACKENZIE and ANDREW PHILIP: two of Scotland’s finest poets share their insightful, powerful and witty words. 2.45-3.45: Fischy Goings-On with, oh yes… FISCHY MUSIC: join SUZANNE ADAM, SANDY BUTLER and JED MILROY for a musical bonanza, chock-full of fun, emotions, sprituality and craziness!

4.00-4.15:

The Scratch Mary Poppins – The Performance: PHIL WHITE and thePROJECT SCRATCH COMPANY (that’s all of youz!) perform the perfect parable!

12.00 – 7.00pm @ St Columba-By-the-Castle, 14 Johnston Terrace

12.00: Gathering, free tea & coffee available in Columba Hall (all day). And hinging-oot on the Terrace.

12.15 – 12.45: Welcome & Introduction

1.00 – 2.15: ‘Alternative Futures – How Art Can Capture The Imagination‘: with BEKI BATESON. Columba Hall.

1.00 – 2.15: ‘A Seed… Or A Weed?‘: with STEWART CUTLER and JULIE WILSON. Columba Sanctuary.

2.30 – 3.45: ‘Copenhagen 2009 – crucifixion of Mother Earth or resurrection of the Cosmic Christ?’: with ROSS LOVERIDGE. Columba Hall.

2.30 – 3.45: ‘Mosh Pit’ – art, faith and culture in Scotland’: with DOUG GAY & others. Columba Sanctuary.

4.00 – 5.00: ‘1o Things They Never Told Me About Jesus’: with JOHN L. BELL. Columba Hall.

5.00 – 7.00: Eating Together: bring your own food, eat together with fellow PROJECTiles.

6.00 – 7.00: ‘Between Silence & Light’: an experiental time and space for worship & reflection, with STEVE BUTLER & friends.

7.00pm – 1.00am @ The Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance

7.30: ROB MACKENZIE & ANDREW PHILIP: more worsmithery from the masters. More info (Rob)… More info (Andrew)…

8.15: JAKE TATTON: beautiful punky banshee ballistics.

9.00: WE SEE LIGHTS: quirky indie pop perfection.

10.00: IAIN ARCHER: Norn Irelan’s finest, Ivor Novello winning songer-singwriter.

12.00: Solstice marking: a short celebration of midsummer with STEVE BUTLER.

The new episode of the Something Beautiful Podcast features an interview with Lawrence Moore, director of the URC’s Windermere Centre and author of Disclosing New Worlds, a fabulous lectionary blog.  It’s his story of his journey from Zimbabwe  where he served as a police officer in special branch through the civil war to a realisation of what he’d been involved in and a changed life and understanding of who God is.  Well worth a listen!

thePROJECT:2, ‘In The Flesh’, Saturday 20th June, Edinburgh.

12.00 – 4.30pm @ The Lot, 4-6 Grassmarket

• FISCHY MUSIC (music)/ ROB McKENZIE & ANDREW PHILIP (poetry)/ ‘Mosh Pit: Art, Culture & Faith’ (forum discussion with DOUG GAY & others)/ Videovoxpopping/ Kissing Booth/ Body Parts/ Gentle City Walks/ The Big Knit/ Scratch Mary Poppins (with PHIL WHITE).

1.00 – 7.00pm @ St Columba’s by the Castle, 14 Johnston Terrace

• ‘Art & Justice’ (workshop with BEKI BATESON & others)/ ‘Emerging Church (workshop with STEWART CUTLER & JULIE WILSON & others)/ ‘Copenhagen 2009 – crucifixion of Mother Earth or resurrection of the Cosmic Christ’ (workshop with ROSS LOVERIDGE)/ ‘Concentric circles & words of faith’ (worship with STEVE BUTLER & friends)/ Bring-yer-own-food and eat together/ free tea & coffee

7.00pm – 1.00am @ Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance

• ROB McKENZIE & ANDREW PHILIP (poetry)/ JAKE TATTON (punky banshee pop)/ WE SEE LIGHTS (indie quirky delights)/ IAIN ARCHER (Ivor Novello winning singer-songwriting)/ Solstice marking (liturgical action)

Tickets can be booked NOW!!!

TICKET PRICES

Salaried

• 12 – 7pm only (Lot & St Columba’s): £6.50*
• 7pm – 1am (Pleasance only): £16.50*
• ALL DAY (Lot, St Columba’s & Pleasance): £21.50*

Unsalaried

• 12 – 7pm only (Lot & St Columba’s): £5.00*
• 7pm – 1am (Pleasance only): £9.50*
• ALL DAY (Lot, St Columba’s & Pleasance): £13.50*

Family

• ALL DAY Family (2 adults, 2 under-18’s): £56.00*

Don’t hing aboot! Book your ticket online now, as venue capacities are limited!

*Ticket prices above are inclusive of booking fee & credit card charges. Children under 5 free.

thePROJECT:2 In The Flesh Ticket Sales (will open in new window)

thePROJECT is an interim process of small, viral, organic events during 2009 & 2010, building to the possibility of a larger festival of arts, culture & faith (inspired by, but not exactly imitating Greenbelt and other similar events)  in 2011.

Any such any future large festival event has no clear or predetermined shape or consensus about its form, length, breadth, geography or season.  Whatever we end up, will arise from this series of small gatherings (each very different in form and content) during 2009 & 2010, and was inspired initially by the spirit of Greenbelt, but also would learn from other Scottish & European models such as Street Level, Carberry Festival, Kirchentag, Edinburgh Festival, The Mod and Celtic Connections. We’re magpies at heart!

The ‘interfaces of engagement’ will be primarily those mapped out by the likes of the above events and others:
arts – faith – theology – ecology – politics –philosophy – spirituality – justice
…or basically celebration, inspiration, irreverence, profundity, laughter, tears, questions, argument, friendship, shivers up the spine – add your own noun to the list.

Who might like it?
thePROJECT is for those interested in a deliberate exploration of the arts, culture and faith.  We hope to make it a comfortable place for insiders, outsiders and maybe especially those at the margins of the church.

thePROJECT will be primarily be adult (young and not so young), but importantly,  there will be an inclusive provision for children and families, to the extent resources allow.

I was invited to lead a workshop at Holy City in Glasgow last night.  I mentioned before that I was delighted to be asked but now terrified…

Well, it wasn’t that scary!  In fact, I liked it a lot.

I’ve known about Holy City for ages and it’s been on my ‘I’d quite like to go to that’ list but I’ve never got round to going.  I’m so glad I did, even if it took an invite to get me there (perhaps a lesson in that?).

People gather from 7pm for a chat and around 7.20pm new songs are taught for the worship later in the evening and the workshops are plugged.  Then at 7.30pm people choose their workshop and go there for an hour.

There was a great variety of workshops last night, all around the idea of ‘telling’.

Mine was called ‘Telling Signs?’ and I tried to encourage people to talk about what signs of new life they were seeing outside the church and to ask what the church’s response to those should be.  I think it was a good discussion but in many ways the ‘Emerging Church’ is so nebulous that it’s difficult for people to grasp which part we are talking about… or to want to categorise these communities at all.

Worship was the most subversive act I’ve seen in a church for a long time.  We thought about telling… and those who because of a decission by the General Assembly are not allowed to tell and the issue they are not allowed to tell of… sexuality.

Deep words, beautiful music, conversation and actions in an amazing space with great people.

I’ll be back… next term.  And if you find yourself in Glasgow on the last Sunday of the month then you could do much worse than spend some time at Holy City.

Dear PROJECTiles,                                  [release 1 distrib 280509]

Details are slowly leaking out for thePROJECT – In The Flesh which will happen somewhere in Edinburgh on June 20th.

You’ve been most patient, and that’s both much appreciated and deserves rewarding. So here’s the first of several updates on P:2 for yer info and delektashin.

Confirmed to date….A veritable cornocupia of wonders, including:

Musicality… IAIN ARCHER, WE SEE LIGHTS, JAKE TATTON.

Wordsmithery… ROB McKENZIE

Workshops… DOUG GAY, BEKI BATESON, STEWART CUTLER, ROSS LOVERIDGE… on art, faith, culture, emerging church, climate change challenges.

Creativity: Gentle City Walks, Videovoxpop, Scratch Mary Poppins, mibbe even a Big Knit

Worship: with Steve Butler & friends.

This is just for starters… so watch this space for more details… (and check yer emails!). Registration and ticketing details imminently.

the PROJECT (Scotland)
… a Scottish festival of arts, culture & faith

Questionnaire: thePROJECTquestionnaire
Web: theprojectscotland
Facebook: www.facebook.com/group
Bebo: www.bebo.com/theprojectscotland
Twitter: http://twitter.com/theprojectscot

I’ve been invited to lead one of the workshops at Holy City in Glasgow this Sunday evening.  The stop this month in the journey to discover the demands, delights and dilemmas of discipleship is ‘Speaker’s Corner’.

The blurb for my bit says…

‘Telling signs?’
‘Emerging Church’ is one (of many) tags given to odd, quirky, marginal forms of being church that exist in or outside of the mainstream? What and where are they? What do they mean? And do they matter? A man who has his finger on the pulse of such things is STEWART CUTLER. He is Children and Youth Development Officer for the URC in Scotland.

Like all these kinds of invitations I’m delighted to be asked then gripped by fear about what to do!  I might talk about that.  It seems kind of apt…  After all, it is Pentecost.

Come and join us at 7pm in Renfield St Stephens, Bath Street, Glasgow.

Bishop Graham Cray’s excellent address on Fresh Expressions to the evening session of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly is now available to watch on the Church of Scotland website.  Well worth a look, listen, copious notes and lots of thought.

You can now watch Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s inspirational address to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from this morning.

As I sat at my desk yesterday afternoon another spectacle unfolded before my very eyes.  The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland webstream was on my desk top and the Council of Mission And Discipleship were presenting their excellent report on Singleness, asking that it be disseminated for study.

What followed was simply remarkable.  Speaker after speaker condemned the report and one went as far as to move that the report should be received but not sent out.  Why? What could the controversy be?  Well,  the report says that some people have sex outside marriage.  I know.  I was shocked by this revelation.  Who knew???

This is the body that only the day before had said that it wants to have an open and frank discussion about sexuality and was now chastising Peter MacDonald for having the nerve to a) admit to pre-marital sex with his wife of 26 years and b) be funnier than them.

There is a serious underlying issue at play in all of this though, and the proposal to supress this report is just a symptom of it.  Over the course of the past week the Church of Scotland has, in my opinion, trampled all over the human rights of all of its office bearers.

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 states that

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

On Monday the General Assembly banned anyone subject to its courts (all ministers and office bearers) from making public statements about the ordination of gay ministers. (UPDATE: the final wording of the motion was: Instruct all Courts, Councils and Committees of the Church not to issue press statements or otherwise talk to the media or to make decisions in relation to the contentious matter of himan sexuality, with respect to the Ordination and Induction to the Ministry of the Church of Scotland, until 31 May 2001.)

Article 30 states that

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

So, congratulations to the Church of Scotland.  You must be very proud.  Contravening at least two articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in one day and that’s before we even get started on the employment rights of gay ministers which were curtailed by the moratorium on them moving charge for 2 years.

What on earth do you think you are doing?

Do you think that avoiding the debate, the fight, the argument, the falling out is the best way?  At any cost?

Or is their another way?  Is it not possible just to agree to disagree?  To give congregations the right to call who they want to be their minister?  If they want to call a minister who is gay, let them.  If you don’t want that then don’t call a gay minister.

Would that be so hard?  To agree to disagree?  To be grown up about it?  To recognise a genuine difference of opinion which will NEVER be resolved no matter how may Special Commissions and gagging orders you issue.