New Ministry - The Well

I see that I haven't posted anything since January 24. That's a long time. Too long. But, the length of my time away doesn't reflect the amount of activity that has had me captured. One might say that the quieter I am here then the more active I am out in the physical world. What has kept me at bay? A new ministry. The Well.

"The Well, a gathering place for conversation" is a new ministry that will take place at Queen Anne United Methodist Church in Seattle. Geared to provide an intimate space for big conversation, "The Well" will bring scholars, teachers, activists, poets, dreamers, and all the rest of us together to delve into those things that touch our souls, minds, bodies, and communities.

Meeting weekly, at its simplest, The Well offers people an opportunity to go deep about issues affecting them, to ask questions about life and faith, and to enter into dialogue about these things. When does The Well meet? That will vary, depending upon the speaker, the topic, and the format. In general, meetings will take place on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 in the church's sanctuary. Sometimes we will head out for a beer or a coffee. Sometimes we will meet on different days altogether. You will have to keep abreast of our calendar (still emerging).

Why The Well? In our highly partisan country, real discourse is becoming all too rare. In our churches, going deep is often difficult to do. The goal of The Well is to offer people who want to genuinely go deep in exploring matters of faith and life the opportunity, frame, and space to do so. The Well seeks to offer clergy a space to come and find community. It seeks to reach people who have left church because they have experienced sentiments that are anti-science, anti-question, anti-love, anti-inclusion. The Well is the opposite of all of those "antis." It is the perfect place to bring questions, loves, dreams, hopes, and concerns.

The Well is always open to the public. No expectation will be placed on anyone coming to The Well other than for them to honor their neighbor in conversation.

This is what we have lined up so far. The calendar will continue to evolve.

Schedule:

• March 1, 8, 15, 22 – 7-9 PM. Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson. Topic:“Coming Out of Empire, Moving into Christ”

March 1: “It was necessary to go through Samaria” (John 4)

March 8: “All I know, is I was blind and now I see” (John 9)
March 15: “Come out!” (John 11)
March 22: “I have given you an example” (John 13-17)
Wes Howard-Brook has an article in the Tikkun Daily that discusses his own Jewish-Christian experience.

• April 18 - Robert V Taylor. Topic: "A New Way to Be Human" Time TBA.
• May 12 – 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Grammy winning Singer/Songwritier Carrie Newcomer. Topic: Afternoon conversation on "Life as Sacred Story." Evening Concert.
• May 26-27 -- John Dominic Crossan. Topic: "The Lord's Prayer."
• June 6. Kathleen Norris. Topic: "Acedia."
• June 10 -- Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Topic: "The Wisdom of Stability in a Mobile World."
• Summer - Jan Richardson.
• October 22 - Alexander McCall Smith.
• March 14, 2013 - Phyllis Tickle.

More to be announced soon. Not every week will be a conference or a structured workshop. Sometimes, we will just gather, pray, and talk. A website is being formed. Keep your eyes open. Send recommendations of topics and facilitators my way! I hope you enjoy this new ministry.