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Reprise Surprise!

I remembered soon after posting the Finale last night that I had taken some notes in the Orders for the Services of Liturgy booklet that Karen had put together for our "Seizing the Episcopal Moment" Clergy Conference.

Before sharing those notes and other elements from the Booklet, I'd like to revisit my 4th post on Liturgy in this series. I men… Continue

For this last post on our Clergy Conference, we look at some of the spiritual underpinnings of cota's community.

Like many other Emerging Churches and Fresh Expressions, cota has developed its own unique Rule of Life. (Moot also uses the term Rhythm of Life, and you can read about it here.)

COTA Rule of Life:

1.Love God and love neighbors

2. Give invitations and provide welcome

"Invitation… Continue

Karen described a number of liturgical approaches at Church of the Apostles, including

1. The use of an anthem as an organizing musical theme to frame the service, including the playing of background music during the Eucharistic Prayer.

Her trinity of musicians put that idea to practice during our conference liturgies. I overheard one older priest who said she didn't care for it, but I and many others appreciated the way it supported and enhanced the spoken prayer.

2. The formation of a Litur… Continue

Karen shared a few glimpses of life at Church of the Apostles (cota), beginning with her community's desire to "Engage the big questions":

1. Who is God and why does God matter?

2. Who are we and why do we matter?

3. What is our community and why does it matter?

4. What is the world and why does it matter?

For Confirmation Classes the Baptismal Covenant is written on t-shirts with "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" printed on the back.

Another idea for a t-shirt: "I'm religious, not spiri… Continue

At our first session on Monday morning, Karen asked us to gather in groups of three or four to consider three questions:

1. What do you consider some of the challenges facing the Episcopal Church?

2. What do you consider some of the opportunities for the Episcopal Church?

3. Do you recognize any Episcopal Moments?

My small group included two clergy with institutional ministries. Among the challenges, we noted first that people who are already tmembers of the Episcopal Church really love it,… Continue