Embracing the Spirit: Renewal at Cowan Heights United, The Curiosity Sessions—Words and Music, and more! 🎶

Renewal at Cowan Heights United Church, St. John’s, NL     Cowan Heights United Church in St. John’s, NL, faced the same challenges coming out of the pandemic back into in-person services as other mid-sized communities of faith. But minister Oliver Dingwell heard a message loud and clear from a congregation tired of being unable to sing together, or even pray in unison: “We want to be able to do something together." A new curiosity around faith, and why faith causes people to do the things they do, prompted the community of faith to take on a spiritual practice not common in the tradition of The United Church of Canada: celebrating Communion every Sunday. The act of sharing a simple meal of bread and grape juice during Sunday worship took on what Dingwell calls a “surprising and wonderful life." Within a short time of making the celebrating the Sacrament a weekly Sunday spiritual practice, things changed noticeably at Cowan Heights United Church: Christian Education programming (Bible study, book study, and small group ministry programming) saw attendance spike from five or six members weekly to over 20, consistently. A push happened for more community outreach. People wanted to help United Church-incorporated ministries such as Stella’s Circle social enterprise and the Bridges to Hope food bank. The congregation partnered with other ministries to cater meals for a senior’s lunch ministry. The young adults group collected 50 bags of hygiene projects for the Safe Harbour Outreach Project, which ministers to sex workers and women on the street. As the city opened more after the lockdowns, they set up community gardens and built a bus shelter on the church property. They became more high-profile in their support for the LGBTQ+ community. Dingwell keeps coming back to weekly communion as a catalyst for a revitalization. "Not that all this change was easy," he says. “It wasn’t straightforward," he says of the process that got them to where they are today. But he calls the act of eating together as a congregation, “a tangible act that sends us forward revitalized to do God’s work in the world," a way to claim faith in many different spaces. Incorporating this spiritual practice has had other unexpected outcomes. Dingwell credits coming together at the Communion table with helping the congregation to “unpack some of our ministries of inclusion." There’s beauty in the idea of a community of faith made up of members from diverse backgrounds, with diverse life experiences, coming together as equals to share a meal. He says it’s also an opportunity for people to explore notions of identity, and of being a sanctuary community that shows that God-centred space can be safe, inclusive, and welcoming to all. Making the Communion table welcome to everyone, embracing the idea of radical hospitality, has created a worship environment to which visitors tend to want to return. “Welcoming everyone who comes to worship makes a difference," says Dingwell. He identifies “conversation and learning and openness to the spirit” as the keys to making this work. “The openness and willingness to try was an amazing quality here which has expanded into all areas of our congregational life." [Image credit: Cowan Heights United Church] Curiosity Sessions: Words and Music   “The material, musical and spoken, moves easily from the grounded and familiar to the speculative and unexpected, each track is a meditation on the curious life." In April, we profiled “The Curiosity Sessions: Live at MacKay," a series of innovative music videos on the theme of curiosity and creativity. The short films are constructed around a weekly jazz improvisation led by the Rev. Peter Woods, an accomplished saxophone player and minister at MacKay United Church in Ottawa, punctuated by thoughtful dialogue exploring how curiosity and creativity are the doorway to a deeper spiritual life. The meditative music and deep takes on universal themes made the videos a hit on YouTube and social media. But that’s not the end of The Curiosity Sessions story. Peter Woods, musician from his band The Kindness of Jazz, and the six members of the EDGE network who spoke so movingly in the video series also had their contributions to the project captured on audio track during 2022’s recording sessions and interviews, and that collection is now available as “The Curiosity Sessions: Words and Music.” Familiar voices from the EDGE Team now on other journeys (Zoë Chaytors in Alberta and Rob Dalgleish, now retired from The United Church of Canada) join our friends Adam Cresswell, Adam Hanley, and Amber Mattingly (Texas) against the sweet backdrop of improvised musical reflection done in mobile and solo recordings done across Ontario. They share their thoughts about curiosity, compassion, and community, and other things that are important to them: Confronting racial issues in Sarnia Sacred yoga in Texas Youth at risk in Toronto  Social/spiritual engagement mediated through nature This project works so well precisely because curiosity is powerful, so powerful that EDGE runs two separate cohorts several times a years to help communities of faith learn how to cultivate it and use it. Curiosity keeps us asking questions, without needing to know "the" answers; helps us to relinquish control as we follow the spirit, listening for guidance and discerning next steps; enables us to take leaps of faith and be courageous as we experiment. “The Curiosity Sessions: Words and Music” uses music and reflection pieces together to take listeners on a deep, compelling journey into these themes, inviting us to ask, “How does curiosity feel?” You can listen to “The Curiosity Sessions: Words and Music” two ways: “The Curiosity Sessions: Words and Music” on Apple “The Curiosity Sessions: Words and Music” on Spotify  And please view “The Curiosity Sessions: Live at McKay” on YouTube! Visit EDGE on CHURCHx for more information about Curiosity Cohort and Curiosity Cohort: Rural Focus [Image credit: Pete Woods and the Kindness of Jazz: The Curiosity Sessions Words and Music] Heading into Summer at EDGE We here at EDGE know that Summer is a busy time for everyone! That’s why Idea Days and the Rural Ministry Town Hall are going on hiatus for July and August. But you still have a chance to join the June sessions of these online community events: Idea Day Webinar   Monday, June 26, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EDT Change makers with innovative ideas for their communities of faith are welcome to join the EDGE team online on the last Monday of every month (hiatus in July and August) for Idea Day - an opportunity to talk about ideas and get feedback from others about them, and to provide feedback to others about their ideas. Idea Days are a perfect way to practice talking to others about your idea and to get assistance working through any barriers you may be encountering. Register once to attend all remaining Idea Days in 2023.   Rural Ministry Town Hall Webinar Monday, June 26, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. EDT Calling all those in rural ministry! Join your colleagues on the last Monday of each month on Zoom for an energizing discussion of the joys and challenges of being in rural ministry, thoughtful consideration of current needs, and exploration of how to meet them most effectively. Register once to attend all remaining Rural Ministry Town Halls in 2023. If you’ve already registered for either or both of these courses, you just need to sign into your CHURCHx account at CHURCHx.ca to access them. Please email help@tucc.ca if you can’t remember your username and/or password. See you on June 26th! [Image credit: CHURCHx] Embracing the Spirit supports innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter. If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! We're happy to consult with communities of faith about the supports available to help them develop their new ideas. Share Tweet Forward to a friend Sign up for the Embracing the Spirit newsletter! Facebook Twitter Website Email Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Donate to The United Church of Canada and help fund life changing work around the world!

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