tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34930418479083257632024-02-18T19:48:56.010-08:00Screen Preaching with Michael BauschIdeas for using screens and visual content in preaching and worship.Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-74262581178270855212023-10-25T12:07:00.000-07:002023-10-25T12:40:40.423-07:00Generative AI and Worship Imagery<p>Many churches and congregational leaders have had plenty of experience finding imagery to put on the various screens used for worship: in the sanctuary, on Zoom, and via streaming platforms like Facebook and YouTube.</p><p>While online searching for imagery has become easier and easier, there is still the issue of getting copyright clearance for using images you find. If you are using the Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia, and are using a particular image in your worship space (e.g. your church sanctuary), you should be legally and ethically good to go. Things get more difficult if you are live-streaming or re-broadcasting the service, and thereby extending your worship outside the confines of a particular worship space. </p><p>Many churches have purchased licenses for live-streaming and this is good. When it comes to imagery, however, depending on your license, you might need to find additional permissions for using art and photography. Ethically you should be finding the original source of an image and request permission to use the image from that artist or photographer. </p><p>Many image searches on various web platforms will locate the particular image or theme you're seeking, and you may be prompted to look at the source. In many cases the source is simply someone else who found and posted the image, who is not the originator of the image. This is where it gets time-consuming, tracking down the original source of a particular image, finding out how to contact that source, and then waiting for their permission. </p><p>There is now a way through this! The way is through image generation courtesy of AI (artificial intelligence) that is just recently widely available to anyone using major platforms like Google (Google slides will find and insert an image you want to use), Microsoft Edge, Canva, and others. Midjourney.io is another source, although this requires a subscription. </p><p>Recently in my preaching I had a story to tell about a snowy drive through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and I wanted to find an image to illustrate the story. Of course I did not have a photograph of this experience, since it was well before digital cameras were available, and I was driving, and alone. I wondered if midjourney.io could help.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBfeeBvHiBX7VRkWi13f5t_naE8g5w7iK1rWx7oRhxEYOxGZ50u5Xz_68k0XFCwHfqvfOMC3x9m1CS3p2oJ8rdd_whl3CKlMFQoJf96MFVALWHnD0NGSmIO3_QJq_Mhx6Pj_8xA_jVFAsQXGgBRMxylCs8hJ__cyjJm2RO6j1E9TZer7kBzIzg4q7VMw/s1024/lydianmyx_view_from_inside_car_driver_side_driving_at_night_in__d9e3f715-1aa0-4caa-8d95-3d3de5c4377c.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBfeeBvHiBX7VRkWi13f5t_naE8g5w7iK1rWx7oRhxEYOxGZ50u5Xz_68k0XFCwHfqvfOMC3x9m1CS3p2oJ8rdd_whl3CKlMFQoJf96MFVALWHnD0NGSmIO3_QJq_Mhx6Pj_8xA_jVFAsQXGgBRMxylCs8hJ__cyjJm2RO6j1E9TZer7kBzIzg4q7VMw/w214-h214/lydianmyx_view_from_inside_car_driver_side_driving_at_night_in__d9e3f715-1aa0-4caa-8d95-3d3de5c4377c.png" width="214" /></a></div><p></p><p>I went to the site and entered in this command: "<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">view from inside car</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, driver side</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, driving at night in snowstorm</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, lots of snow hitting windshield</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, mountain highway completely covered with snow</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, very dark</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, heavy snowfall visible</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, windshield wipers moving on windshield</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, visiblility near zero</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, no light outside" and here is the image I got.</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">An August ruling by a U.S. Court in Washington, D.C. ruled that imagery created by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted. This image that I had the AI generate cannot be copyrighted. You can use it!</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">I have spent some time generating imagery to varous biblical stories and have received amazing results. I may well decide to offer lectionary-based imagery here through this blog. Saving you the time and resources of finding something you can legally, and freely use!</span></p><p><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-56790445498558292372022-01-19T13:05:00.002-08:002022-01-19T13:05:09.690-08:00<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The latest National Congregations study, Congregations in 21st Century America, was released yesterday. Posting survey results since 1998, this study “...contains a wealth of information about multiple aspects of congregational life, including worship, leadership and staffing, ethnic diversity, technology, civic engagement, and much more. On all of these subjects, the report documents what is changing, what is staying the same, and the differences that exist among religious groups.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can find the study with this</span><a href="https://sites.duke.edu/ncsweb/files/2022/01/NCSIV_Report_Web_FINAL.pdf " style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> link</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.<br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I’ve valued the research over the years and have used it in my workshops and courses, as well as in my books, Silver Screen, Sacred Story: Using Multimedia in Worship (2002), and Feeding Imaginations: Worship That Engages (2015).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Since I've advocated using screens and projectors over many years, I'm encouraged by the latest information that 46% of churches are now using them, and that in addition to song lyrics (42%) and sermon outlines, some have used video (18%).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the future it would be interesting to see how many churches also use art, photography, and other imagery on screen, and Mark Chaves, director of the study, has indicated to me that they will consider this.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmt0stHzFWbJlmuHXjwy4pI1cN9K1acFNT8HB7PY8mg48auBKOH65MKAz7wi0ItHXSUPKYOW1ThfeH_CEaWjDK72Qiq8Yf61ub_mhN_B7ossEn6IOMVB32wUYYRuewt1YdQz0Wf14b3296vcfBnMr5akfkQIIiyTB3gM6nnfK9hf2NG8NUzyjNZZoV=s1956" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="1956" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmt0stHzFWbJlmuHXjwy4pI1cN9K1acFNT8HB7PY8mg48auBKOH65MKAz7wi0ItHXSUPKYOW1ThfeH_CEaWjDK72Qiq8Yf61ub_mhN_B7ossEn6IOMVB32wUYYRuewt1YdQz0Wf14b3296vcfBnMr5akfkQIIiyTB3gM6nnfK9hf2NG8NUzyjNZZoV=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Using visuals (more than just words) on screen is still the next level for many churches, but, I fear, most clergy are vaguely suspicious of using visuals (iconoclastic theologies) or just haven't been trained in how to understand, and preach, with visual language. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's been my view that younger generations who know visual language just don't find it in church, partly explaining why worship has little interest for them. As Mark Chaves wrote in his report on the 1998 study, "...producing worship in the United States means getting people together to sing and listen to somebody talk." Has this changed much? The above chart from the NCS shows congregations are adding a bit more than that to worship these days, with projection equipment the biggest change.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zoom worship has opened up new possibilities for sharing imagery and video clips, and it'll be interesting to see post-Covid surveys on use of screens as well as what kinds of visual content, if any, were added.</span></p>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-85202445475655697712022-01-06T13:15:00.001-08:002022-01-06T13:24:00.394-08:00On Epiphany and Insurrection<p><br /></p><p>Today is the day of Epiphany, an early date for the birth of Jesus, which later was observed as the day the magi arrived to visit the infant. It's also the 12th Day of Christmas, a time of celebration in many Latin American, Caribbean, and European countries. In the United States, while noted in churches on the First Sunday of Epiphany on or after January 6th, the date is now associated with the fresh memory of the insurrection of January 6, 2021, when supporters of a defeated president tried to interfere with and stop the U.S. Congress from ratifying the results of the Electoral College. </p><p>Rather than a grand celebration of the angels' Christmas message, "Peace on earth, good will to humans..." the date now reminds us of anything but peace and good will. At least for a while, January 6 will stand as a reminder of divisions within families, communities, states, and the nation as a whole. </p><p>Just as George Lakoff asked, "Whose Freedom?" in his 2006 book about contrasting American viewpoints on the meaning of freedom, we might ask, "Whose January 6th?" </p><p>In a recent <i>Christian Century</i> article (January 6, 2022) "Christian Nationalism Vandalizes The Imagination" professor Lanta Davis noted the many Christian symbols and slogans mixed with placards, signs, red hats, banners, and American flags. </p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #36342f; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">"Christian nationalism offers a powerful imaginative framework. Its mythic origin story depicts America as uniquely blessed by God. But that relationship is under threat and must be defended by strong, protective heroes. Christian nationalism has slogans (God Bless America, MAGA, Take America Back for God); songs (“God Bless the U.S.A.,” etc.); and an assortment of images that often include Jesus’ name, the Bible, or the cross combined with American flags, eagles, and even guns. It is persuasive because its imaginative framework provides a cohesive sense of identity and purpose: I am part of this special place blessed by God and have been tasked to protect that relationship."</span></span></p><p>The problem, she says, is that this comes at a time when American churches continue to overlook the power of symbol and imagery, the origin of which is in the iconoclastic periods throughout history but notably during the Reformation. </p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #36342f; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Lanta asks, "When we whitewashed our church walls, did we unintentionally leave our imaginations open t</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #36342f; font-family: times; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">o other markings, markings that left impressions on our souls?"</span></p><div>Movements such as Christian Nationalism have successfully created group identities with imagery that supports their ideology and distorted Christian theology. </div><div><br /></div><div>Epiphany is counter-story in the midst of empire. Originally a term for the divine blessing of a ruling emperor, it came to be associated with the birth narrative of <i>Ixthus</i>, Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaivDDwQx7akotYnNtuJucTE6N0ZQ4qTXYdWrixut6V0N5jOZApnt_Ibi7SDkvHBZLaqvn0iaWTb5kIfIicH0HD6ceLA-R-Fmfw7pSh7HN4DHAeyv7c9XqnK4E4WXlW4Mwl8demtGJ_k/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="221" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaivDDwQx7akotYnNtuJucTE6N0ZQ4qTXYdWrixut6V0N5jOZApnt_Ibi7SDkvHBZLaqvn0iaWTb5kIfIicH0HD6ceLA-R-Fmfw7pSh7HN4DHAeyv7c9XqnK4E4WXlW4Mwl8demtGJ_k/w168-h173/image.png" width="168" /></a></div><br />This blog has long advocated using screens and projectors to stimulate and feed imaginations with photographs, art, film clips, icons, and symbols. Screens enhance the visual arts of fabric, stained class, and architecture to tell and retell the stories that build congregations of people empowered to bring peace, love, and joy into a broken world. </div><div><br /></div><div>Icon and symbol point to, and encapsulate, stories and narratives. As theologian Paul Tillich wrote, "The language of faith is the language of symbols." </div><div><br /></div><div>Whose January 6th? Whose Epiphany? Whose imagery and symbols? </div><div><br /></div><div>The Season of Epiphany is a good time to reclaim symbols and imagery with teaching and preaching. The alternative is to cede this language to the marketers, propagandists and ideologues, who have already found effective ways to shape culture, politics, and theology. </div><div><br /></div><div>[The Christian Century article is accessed at: <a href="https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/christian-nationalism-vandalizes-imagination">https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/christian-nationalism-vandalizes-imagination</a>]</div>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-40746427140583099592020-12-07T09:22:00.002-08:002020-12-07T09:22:43.953-08:00Using Sanctified Art<span id="docs-internal-guid-2b6601f1-7fff-b284-bb66-eb325f8505f4"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re looking for ways to make your streaming worship services more engaging and memorable, using visuals is the way to go. Not just putting words on a screen, but adding pictures or visual art that show those words and concepts. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The visual medium of whatever platform you’re using for “distance” worship begs for pictures and visual art. Otherwise, you’re just doing a version of radio, streaming a lot of words. If we’re going to use Zoom or Facebook Live or other platforms well, and if we really want to connect with our people, adding visuals is a must.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most worship leaders have figured out how to do that, but it can be tiring to come up with those visual resources week after week. This is where a group I’ve recently learned about comes in. The women at </span><a href="https://sanctifiedart.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sanctifiedart.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> have figured it out. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s what they, and all of us, know about worship today:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Pastors are overworked and volunteers are exhausted; when push comes to shove, creativity can often go out the door. Faith leaders need the support of artists and creatives to midwife artful, God-breathed ministry.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this is where they come in: their website is full of original art and music that stand alone or illustrate seasonal and theme-based worship services. I’m very impressed with what I see here. Not only are the visuals beautiful and pleasing to the eye, but they also contain messages of inclusivity with a prophetic voicing that addresses the central issues we face as society and people, all rooted in scripture.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="border: none; clear: right; display: inline-block; float: right; height: 188px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 150px;"><img height="188" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/5Yo2NkIHziE-lRWbswQc9Wg2a3ogccupXqn6OpiXRxOj0HnG7POOm0e6BvWehQmfhv-JSpz2C6akc3Pjmoi3l5_EtL7ONfcFcOjWbzMSMptUa2G3_e04NVlpe4qc1dAOpedbP-6J" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="150" /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They provide music and hymn ideas for the season, an image licensing library, </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;">liturgy, poetry, and films, even resources for complete sermon series, all the while </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“...committed to expanding imagination around the divine image and providing resources with inclusive and affirming theology.”</span></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their stated core values are:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The unique creativity of all people. </i></span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Created in the image of the Divine Artist, every person contains the capacity for </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">creativity and imagination.</span></div></i></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">he inherent goodness of all humans, regardless of identity, race, nationality, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">sexuality, status, or gender expression. </span></i></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news of the gospel that calls us to work toward </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">liberation and wholeness<span> </span>for all of creation.</span></i></div><div><div><div><span><p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I find their artistic standards to be right and true:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Expansive language for God and God’s people</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Imaginative images for God and God’s people</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Honesty and authenticity</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Anti-oppression and anti-racism</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s online (and in-person) worship, often reduced to a lot of words, invites, in a visual culture, resources that capture attention, stimulate imaginations, and motivate personal and social change. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://sanctifiedart.org/ourstory" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Sanctified Art</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! is one group you’ll want to explore.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="color: #434343; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></h3><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></li></ul><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-1121214976316081512020-11-16T12:03:00.004-08:002020-11-16T12:05:14.312-08:00Sanctuary Screen Use Quadruples in 20 Years!<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">How things have changed in worship over these last twenty years! Where in 1998, worship in the United States meant “...getting people together to sing and listen to somebody talk…”, twenty years later we see how technology adds enthusiasm and active participation to worship.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dd585157-7fff-211c-e0a3-254932dee7d8"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is from the findings just released in the latest National Congregations Study detailing “Changing Worship Practices in American Congregations.” The 2018-2019 study included looking at worship practices of 1,250 Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other groups.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve followed this study since highlighting it in my 2002 book </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Silver Screen, Sacred Story: Using Multimedia in Worship</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, advocating the use of projection and interesting visuals in worship. Since those early days we now find that the number of congregations using visual technologies in their main sanctuary-based worship service has nearly </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">quadrupled</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, from 12% in 1998 to 46% in 2018. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over twenty years worship has become more informal, enthusiastic, and participatory. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSuiev-uQDC5ZHxP7G76C848IwwFZBpEJtGA2DBdBEFOz4jBTlLrtVUELKYRRX7hGUgCr-zn8evy9yytRJdmFnNruTW7R3oP_AsU1Dof77xYfYPuHvk508foDPC8U-EUmQB9bOE6wWJk/s1296/St.+Luke%2527s.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSuiev-uQDC5ZHxP7G76C848IwwFZBpEJtGA2DBdBEFOz4jBTlLrtVUELKYRRX7hGUgCr-zn8evy9yytRJdmFnNruTW7R3oP_AsU1Dof77xYfYPuHvk508foDPC8U-EUmQB9bOE6wWJk/s320/St.+Luke%2527s.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By “participatory” I mean being engaged with interesting visuals on screens, not only those in the sanctuary but in our hands in the form of smartphones. Indeed, the new study shows 57% of congregations use smartphones by “...inviting people to record some part of the service (29 percent of congregations using smartphones), use social media during the service (16 percent), donate money (15 percent), engage with the sermon in some way, such as by filling in an online listener guide associated with the sermon (13 percent), and engage with the service’s music, such as by following along with the lyrics of songs and hymns on the congregation’s app (5 percent).”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the use of sanctuary screens has increased in congregations, the typical use is to project song lyrics (42% of congregations), while only 18% projected a video. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I continue to maintain that the technology allows us to do more than simply put up words to prayers and songs, but to also add video, yes, but also artworks, photographs, and symbols to capture attention, focus a message, and create more participation through memorable, and beautiful, worship experiences. I continue to encourage this after 3 decades of using screens, projectors and visuals in worship.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To be sure, things have changed when the pandemic moved worship out of sanctuaries and into online platforms. These platforms encourage and allow using visuals in worship, and not just images of the worship leader or the prayers and songs, but also of interesting art, video clips, photography and other illustrative material that transcend words and evoke feeling and insight.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Worship leaders now, more than ever, need to be asking, not “how can I say this” but “how can I show this?” This question,, while preparing and presenting online worship, will continue to be central to transforming worship once we return to using screens in our sanctuaries.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can access the details of the study at the <a href="https://sites.duke.edu/ncsweb/ " target="_blank">National Congregations Study website</a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the results of the </span><a href="https://sites.duke.edu/ncsweb/files/2020/10/Changing-Worship-Practices-in-American-Congregations.pdf" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">worship and technology survey here</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to Mark Chaves at Duke University and his team with the National Congregations Study for sticking with this project over these many years!</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-80854701677808713772020-11-13T11:31:00.004-08:002020-11-16T12:15:31.997-08:00The Screen: Still a Servant of Word and Light<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZxOV7Ul-181raiOCKX-b-T3HVHSV8jRL/view?usp=sharing"></a></span></p><div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technology in many organizations, including churches. Where once churches resisted using screen technology in their sanctuaries, Covid restrictions left them with little choice but to teach and worship using screens in their people’s homes. </span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-5a6cbe8f-7fff-8ea7-83ba-ff96426161ce"><span id="docs-internal-guid-966a1d9e-7fff-6af6-a89d-de0df2e44c75"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this post I want to revisit church use of screens in sanctuaries, and then update how they bring learning, community building, and worship into our homes. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The Power of Film and Faith” was the theme for the Pacific School of Religion’s 101st E.T. Earl Lectures (2002). Hosted annually by the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, California, the conference planners faced a challenge shared by many churches: how to show films and pictures in a sunny, bright sanctuary. They researched projectors bright enough for any condition, and rented one with 5000 lumens. For comparison purposes, my own church at the time, with limited natural light, needed a projector with only 750 lumens. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The large screen (9'x12') was placed in the center of the chancel, partly obscuring the central visual feature in the sanctuary: the organ and its ranks of pipes. High above these was a round stained glass window. The screen was used during the three-day conference to display slides and video in various lecture presentations, and for three worship services. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The screen, with its aluminum frame and black cloth edging, stood awkwardly in a chancel clearly not designed to accommodate such a thing. It was clear to all that it was a temporary intrusion, yet that didn’t matter to the conference registrants who came knowing film and other visuals would be displayed. They were willing to suspend their sensibilities to experience all that the screen could offer. </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1Rv5Z39lXuwMi_jTJG6yit8tr0mx4tIJZo_j_mtDXnHub14wY86tuiOItEvjQ-mHHzkkTCFuKfyc59NINIHvggMKuNPjMjm5WlCjsRE_zKVeopnqWSzUKJwqoy2socjjt40PBsBqgLE/s720/Copy+of+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1Rv5Z39lXuwMi_jTJG6yit8tr0mx4tIJZo_j_mtDXnHub14wY86tuiOItEvjQ-mHHzkkTCFuKfyc59NINIHvggMKuNPjMjm5WlCjsRE_zKVeopnqWSzUKJwqoy2socjjt40PBsBqgLE/w200-h150/Copy+of+4.png" width="200" /></a></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the conference many different images, words, and films were projected on the screen. The screen served as a medium for learning and worship. Lecturers referred to what was shown on the screen and during one of the worship services, a small group provided a short liturgical dance in response to a scene from a movie. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The worship service I led began at noon on a bright sunny day. As it happened, it was the only time of the day when direct light came in contract with the screen, from the round stained glass window high up on the chancel wall. Blue light streamed through the rose window, shining through the top section of the screen, and interfering with the top portion of the words and images we were showing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I saw this as an opportunity rather than a crisis. I thought it important to begin the service by helping the congregation reflect upon the presence of the screen in the sanctuary. Throughout the conference, there was no mention of the screen and its relationship to the architecture and the learning/worship experiences. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since I was leading the final event of the conference, I thought it an opportunity to reflect with the congregation on the role the screen played for the last three days. As I summarized the conference theme and the purpose of our closing worship, I walked into the center aisle and turned my back to the congregation while pointing towards the screen and called attention to all that was arrayed before us in that chancel. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rose window shone its holy light from above. Beneath the window were the ranks of pipes for the beautiful organ that was centered in the chancel. Hanging in front of the pipes was a small cross. The large screen was set in front of this on the stage level, partly obscuring the pipes and cross, and clearly interrupting the visuals that were designed for that space. On either side of the chancel were thin banners, each with a word highlighted with a spotlight. The words were the theme of the conference: "image" on the left side facing the congregation, and "insight" on the right-hand side. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I swept my arm across the imaginary horizontal line created by the words, and spoke of the "plane of theology," the words describing both the conference theme and our theological work. Moving my hand and arm vertically, I drew an imaginary line from the stained glass window at the top of the wall, through the cross(partly obscured by the screen)and down to the screen. I named it the "plane of theophany," the light of God streaming through the red and blue glass ofthe window, coming down all the way to the screen. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The plane of theology and our words about God were crossing the plane of theophany, the light of God, and meeting in the small, fragile cross. All of the color of the window and the words of the theme were anchored in the cross, the symbol of the incarnation of human love and suffering, the courage and giftedness of the human spirit, and the power of God to raise new life out of the chaos of death. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At that moment, the screen, positioned large and central on the floor of the chancel, was bathed in the blue light from the stained glass window high above! I then spoke of how the blue in the window represented the waters of life and the waters of the baptism and how the reds in the window symbolized the power of the Holy Spirit to call the church forward. Then I pointed to the ways that the blue colors now colored the top portion of the screen, “baptizing” the screen and incorporating it into the community of faith.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I named the screen as a servant of the Word and the Light, a means of revelation during our worship, and then proceeded to begin the worship service with the formal Call to Worship and Gathering Prayer. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The screen, as a medium of God's revelation, can help us see and live differently. What can be seen as an architectural intrusion can also be understood as a participant in the holy trinity of word, light, and flesh. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The screen is not a neutral, silent participant in worship. It is a medium for words and imagery. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ga3_s2itTdY6Z1wHotrhzqSRfMOVkCtZiM3F185RxzgVU7ZC8b2OWOt9hOUn0yvGrLRFdyfp8JtZUGRuqxqKaqtdM_PvDLyQNTqmhr0PG2I1xnTKy610FCF6c9vkznlC0rxh5IvYlYQ/s640/photo.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ga3_s2itTdY6Z1wHotrhzqSRfMOVkCtZiM3F185RxzgVU7ZC8b2OWOt9hOUn0yvGrLRFdyfp8JtZUGRuqxqKaqtdM_PvDLyQNTqmhr0PG2I1xnTKy610FCF6c9vkznlC0rxh5IvYlYQ/w200-h149/photo.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is no less true today, as churches all over the country take their educational events, worship services, and community building sessions out of their church buildings and into our homes, where we gather around our personal screens on computers and smartphones. These screens serve Word and Light as effectively as those in our sanctuaries.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sally McFague has written that our task "is to become aware of God's presence. We are called to see differently... and then to live differently” and the screens we bring into our worship spaces, and into our homes, can help us do this work.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Marshall McLuhan has said, “the medium is the message.” </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-72199324547289435392020-05-08T10:11:00.000-07:002020-05-08T10:15:46.277-07:00Online/Remote Worship Is Here to Stay<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we’re already seeing, once Safe At Home orders are rescinded, it doesn’t mean a return to what once was. Restaurants, shops, music venues, theaters, and places of worship will continue to be affected by social distancing measures and limits to the number of people on premise.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This means churches will continue streaming worship services and pre-recorded services to provide for those unable or unwilling to attend physical worship services. It’s possible that some will prefer this new way of “doing church” and welcome being able to watch live or recorded services at their convenience. It seems new habits are being formed. In the world of music, a recent survey found that 74% of music fans plan to continue watching live streams from musicians even as the live-show circuit resumes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How long before sanctuaries open? Many are watching public health guidance for how to handle worship and other congregational gatherings in the next few months. As we are already seeing, federal, state, and local authorities are staging or phasing reopenings based on improving COVID-19 metrics.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Forward-looking worship leaders wanting to plan ahead will want to check their own state’s opening plans, as well as information shared by regional church leadership.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNuWU9ec09O4ms9JwBsXbbpn84Jd0ND4TJYGbF2FLOoAyoGZ4zaUsuOm4d7j3VOj0wYMezNc613xPghSlGgydImHpFLlSuqGltcWwjLOfUeHeCKBm4V7qRWx9xN3Y806uWASeGl8k6Jo/s1600/IMG_8362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNuWU9ec09O4ms9JwBsXbbpn84Jd0ND4TJYGbF2FLOoAyoGZ4zaUsuOm4d7j3VOj0wYMezNc613xPghSlGgydImHpFLlSuqGltcWwjLOfUeHeCKBm4V7qRWx9xN3Y806uWASeGl8k6Jo/s200/IMG_8362.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whether you like it or not, there's no stopping it!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my own region, the Wisconsin Council of Churches has offered specific guidance for the months ahead, drawing from Wisconsin’s reopening guidelines. You can find the Council’s very helpful document, “Returning to Church”<a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/4fc4c9cb001/e81ec024-6730-489c-a41c-b44476a0a9da.pdf" target="_blank"> here</a>:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a nutshell, the Wisconsin Council of Churches recommends to its churches that online worship continues well into the future. Even when public worship can resume, social distancing and attendance limits will keep some people at home. Others may simply prefer online worship, now that they’re used to it, and still other higher risk individuals (defined as people over 60, and those with underlying conditions) will be advised to continue to shelter at home (and experience worship remotely) until an all-clear is sounded.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This means churches will want to plan for online/remote worship for a long time forward. In case you haven’t done this yet, you might consider getting a proper license for streaming worship. There are several companies who offer these licenses, and the streaming video license is often simply added to the music license your church already holds. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Podcast/Streaming license permits both pre-recorded content and live-streamed content to be posted to your website, YouTube, Facebook, Zoom, Vimeo, Instagram, and other similar online platforms. Check with the company whose license you already have for music, or simply search for church streaming licenses. One License and CCLI are examples of two licensing companies who work with churches.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news is that you’re probably getting quite good at screen-based, online worship! If it’s still a struggle, consider these improvements:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--enlist others to help out by reading, submitting photographs, offering live music</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--get people up and moving with physical responses to prayers and songs</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--keep it visually interesting: offer full-screen visuals that keep your theme or main message in front of people</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--don’t forget to promote different ways of giving, and do your usual offering rituals of song/prayer/ and thanksgiving</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--check your denomination’s growing worship resource library for videos/music/imagery</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--make sure you have your proper licenses and display your license number on screen</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--keep the service time short: many are finding they just can’t process so much on-screen information</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-- focus your theme and message: remember something as short (and focused) as a 30-second commercial can be interesting, memorable, stimulating, amusing, and persuasive. </span></div>
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Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-15257422691866081652020-05-04T09:04:00.000-07:002020-05-08T09:27:24.090-07:00Show and Tell In Worship<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After 7-8 weeks of offering church services online, many churches have settled into routines, typically changing little from their usual in-sanctuary church service. What this means is that people sit and listen (churches are primarily auditory spaces: see my article on this <a href="http://www.screenpreaching.com/uploads/2/2/3/9/22393894/auditory_and_visual_learners_in_the_pew.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>). In a visual culture where people are also used to watching fast-paced images in advertising, films, and television shows, just seeing one person talking isn’t going to grab their full attention. Showing what you're talking about goes a long way towards helping your viewers understand the heart of your messaging.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One great irony of worship in the time of Covid-19 is that churches have now turned to screens to broadcast their services, and yet some have missed the point that a screen is meant to show something more than one or more people talking to a camera. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the screens that people use each day are rich in visual content, we in the church need to pay attention to that, and try to figure out ways to visually enhance your viewers' experience. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finding ways to keep people visually involved can be challenging. Sure, we are seeing one another if we’re using Zoom and other visual tech, and we’re seeing the worship leaders and the backdrop they’ve selected (the worship sanctuary, maybe a home office) but there are ways to add more visuals to worship. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One way, with Zoom, is to Share the Screen and put up a PowerPoint or Google Slides program that not only shows the words to prayers and hymns, but also integrates visual <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHDM159RTZ9RsMtxAGPRETHf33yO7F6bRNkyZow_3Gex44uRZ2dEDMCVbcZ076QY8NweXqCc73NByXTjJR3hxo_S_zdM3D5btdQ11G-jyJA10NoJIoAlRmX9-d0yHJvBKtA8S_-A4d0k/s1600/IMG_8284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1600" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHDM159RTZ9RsMtxAGPRETHf33yO7F6bRNkyZow_3Gex44uRZ2dEDMCVbcZ076QY8NweXqCc73NByXTjJR3hxo_S_zdM3D5btdQ11G-jyJA10NoJIoAlRmX9-d0yHJvBKtA8S_-A4d0k/s200/IMG_8284.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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arts. Some churches are doing a fine job asking church members to submit photographs during the week that can be shown during worship, or asking children to draw pictures that can be uploaded and added to the slides. Other churches are adding original video or online video to the slide set to illustrate messages. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those churches using their sanctuary for video worship, and who already have a screen and projector in place, the leadership could position themselves near those screens and project the imagery and lyrics that would ordinarily be used in their service. Many churches are doing this effectively.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One caution is that while churches may enjoy a worship exemption in US Copyright law around the proper use of copyrighted material, these protections do not automatically extend to your broadcasting these materials over the Internet, radio, or television. Until there is further guidance on this matter, you’re better off using materials that you know are in the public domain, are original to you and your members, or have been already cleared through some of the online sources you may be using.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A key question for worship leaders planning to upload their services to visual platforms is this: how can we SHOW what we're talking about? Sometimes this means we set aside our natural bias to TALK about something in church, and instead find a picture, a video, a film clip, or a drawing to show the point you want to get across.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This will increase your viewers' comprehension of your message, enhance their memory of what you're doing, and stimulate their response. </span></div>
Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-62489398803190833872020-05-03T10:48:00.000-07:002020-05-03T10:48:16.215-07:00Couch Potato Church in the Zoom Era<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back in the 1970’s someone (maybe a cartoonist) used the phrase “couch potato” to refer to those watching long hours of television while sitting on couches or easy chairs, maybe eating potato chips, and possibly turning their bodies into a potato shape for the lack of exercise! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The phrase came to me again on a recent Sunday as I sat on my couch and watched a Zoom-based worship service. Since I could also see other participants sitting on couches and chairs, I realized, I’m a couch potato in a couch potato church service!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like many who have been “safer at home” for these past 50 days, I have done a lot of sitting. I also know I need to get up and move around more frequently. After participating in several recent Zoom-based worship services, one thing I’ve come to notice is I can’t just sit on my couch for more than 20-30 minutes without needing to stand up. Sure, there is lots of sitting in a typical in-sanctuary service, but even then those who are able are invited to stand for singing, praying, and greeting each other. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With sympathy to all those who are scrambling to adapt their church services and ministries to these days of Covid-19, I’d gently suggest worship leaders ask people to stand during the livestream (or recorded) service, even in the comfort of their own home. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stand to pray together, stand to sing a hymn or song, stand to do some sort of unison action (maybe an echo pantomime where the leader calls out a phrase and demonstrates an action, which then the rest say and do). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, with video church seen at home, the participants have the freedom to get up or not, but I think worship leaders could find ways to keep people more physically involved in worship. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s just a small detail that has been overlooked in the effort to provide worship experiences in this strange time. I hope worship leaders will find a way to bring standing/sitting/even kneeling back into at-home screen-based worship.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post Script: I shared my thoughts about "couch potato church" with the pastor of the church I've been attending, and in this morning's service he invited us to stand four times during the one hour service: during a short prayer/doxology at the start of the service, for a short song he taught with hand motions, as a stretch time before the sermon/message, and at the end of the service to repeat the short song and hand motions learned earlier. These were simple ways to get the Zoom congregation up and moving and to be more physically engaged.</span></div>
Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-87497475941913741772020-04-30T08:13:00.000-07:002020-04-30T08:17:36.869-07:00Screen Preaching: Everybody’s Doing It<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I Google “screen preaching” the first thing that comes up is an article from 2013, “Why I Object to Screen Preaching.” Curious about why someone so strongly opposed projecting hymn lyrics, prayers and theme-related imagery on a screen in a sanctuary, I had to read further. What the writer was objecting to is a practice where a church that doesn’t have a preaching pastor puts on-screen a live or taped video feed of a preacher speaking from another location. The writer prefers preaching that comes from a live person who is physically present. He left open the possibility that a live preacher might use a screen to boost participation and understanding during a worship service.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There have been other objections to using screens in worship, but all of that has faded in the face of Covid-19 with stay-at-home orders to flatten and crush infection rates. Now, most preaching is done via screens. Even churches who once adamantly refused to use screens </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in worship are now making their services available on all the screens available to them: computer screens, smartphone screens, tablet screens. For now and the immediate future, screen preaching is the primary vehicle for congregational worship.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Clergy and churches have had to scramble to adapt to this unique situation. Some have turned to platforms like Zoom, Facebook Live, Skype, and YouTube to broadcast their worship services. For many congregations, worship means setting up a camera in a sanctuary and live streaming/recording a typical Sunday morning worship service. For others, the recording is done via computer or smartphone from the comfort of a pastor’s study or home office.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A quick survey of YouTube videos of Sunday services shows clergy in full clerical garb preaching in their worship sanctuaries, often with some live or recorded music to accompany hymn singing. Some have added slides with the words to prayers and hymns to the video. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of these churches include other socially-distanced worship leaders in the sanctuary (depending on their state’s policies) or later edit them into the recording.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some clergy, rather than live-streaming or recording from the sanctuary setting, are presenting services from their homes or offices, using visual foregrounds and backgrounds including lit candles, colorful flowers, fabrics, sacred objects and symbols to provide an attractive and visually rich environment. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As worship leaders know, there are immediate technical challenges everyone has faced in the quick transition to screen-based worship. Once these are overcome, and this is still an ongoing process, a next objective would be to steadily increase the quality of worship by tightening thematic focus, adding visual interest and opening up more participation of others. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the unexpected benefits of all of these adjustments, is that if you are sharing your religious services via social media platforms, they are now accessible for the whole world to see, and your outreach, and potential support network, has increased in ways you might never have dreamed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While at first the focus for many was to show members the familiar backdrop of their worship sanctuary, it became clear that with online sharing of the service, people from all over the country and world are tuning in online at their convenience. What once was a local worship experience now is reaching a global audience! This means wider participation in your message and ministry and might also result in the expansion of your support base with online giving opportunities. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Having a wider audience might spur you to consider how to make your services more visually interesting and thereby memorable, and it might mean you’ll plan to continue your new online worship presence as a way to keep reaching new “members” of your worshiping congregation.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With every indication that Covid-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future, at this writing most federal and state health guidelines anticipate a gradual and phased reopening of public spaces. Even with this phasing, older church members, those 60 years of age and more, will likely need to stay away from public gatherings for a longer time, perhaps until a vaccine is widely available. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">This likely means you’ll be keeping your screen preaching ministries for some time. You will continue to provide for the needs of those who must still minimize their public exposure, and it will continue to open your churches to a national audience. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over twenty years ago, when I started demonstrating to clergy groups across the country </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">the many ways to effectively use screens in worship, one participant at one of my workshops asked me, “is this just a flash in the pan, or will this be around a while?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I said it then and I say it now: screen preaching is here to stay.</span></div>
Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-60081319257330700322020-03-18T09:22:00.001-07:002020-03-18T09:26:21.072-07:00Streaming Worship With Imagery<br />
In the months before the Virus became news and affected church activities and worship services, I'd noticed a few things about church use of screens, projectors and the display of content. It seemed there were four kinds of churches: those who did not use screens at all, and who continued to provide worship that at times felt to me the way it was done back in the 1960's (lots of music and sermons without visual illustration); churches who had installed screens but weren't using them; churches who were using visuals in worship to project hymn lyrics and words to prayers; and churches displaying lyrics and liturgies, as well as adding photography and art as a visual enhancement to sermons.<br />
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A few months ago I attended a university-sponsored program that featured four professors, each of whom took full advantage of a projector and a large screen to provide ample visual illustration of their content. Not only did they provide readable summaries of their main points, but they provided pictures, logos, graphs and symbols that helped move their presentations along.<br />
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What I thought would be a long hour and a half of verbal presentations became a fast-moving, content-filled evening. The speakers were able to capture the audience's attention and help us comprehend their material quickly, through the use of colorful, engaging, and informative visuals. <br />
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The presentations were informative, persuasive, visually pleasurable, and memorable. I wished clergy had been present to see the possibilities for how they too could use projector and screen to enhance their messages.<br />
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This was before the Virus hit. Now we're in a completely different situation. Churches are closing their doors to protect members from a spreading virus. Worship services have been cancelled, and some congregations are moving services to video streaming platforms like Facebook, and recorded video to platforms like YouTube.<br />
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Ironically, all those churches are now using screens, the screens of our computers and mobile devices, to share their messages. Yet the content is presented in a usual way: we watch a lone pastor present a verbal message against the visual backdrop of a worship sanctuary. If the church has a screen behind the pastor, it's blank.<br />
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It'd be nice if the pastor could add some visuals to that screen, but now there is a problem: the legal protections in place for materials shown during a service of worship are not extended to a broadcast, live or recorded, without permission from the owners of the material.<br />
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My suggestion is that those clergy who wish to add visual interest to their streaming and/or video recordings of a worship service do so by projecting their own original material, and/or that created by church members who have given their permission for such use. Original prayers you have written, and imagery you own (for example, photographs taken to illustrate the content of a message) may be displayed on the screen during a broadcast.<br />
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Adding imagery to worship does take a little extra time, but it can be as simple as taking your own pictures or even drawing 3-5 images to help lead your message along. Enlist others in the congregation to do this for you, and you'll continue to engage members of your congregation as you co-create worship materials while in isolation.<br />
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I wish you well as you plan and provide worship, while meeting the challenges of designing streaming/recorded worship that captures attention while being visually interesting, easily understood, persuasive, and memorable.<br />
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Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-20661210216527297722017-08-27T10:56:00.000-07:002017-09-04T12:02:35.237-07:00New Book Available!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good art draws us in – to linger, to question, to discuss, to simply enjoy. It’s also true the artist has “drawn” into an artwork a lifetime of study, practice, reading, and a world of stories and themes.<br />
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This book discusses some of what I've learned about art, architecture, and film after years of study and taking small groups to world-class art museums in Italy, Spain, France, England, the Netherlands, and Greece.<br />
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The story I tell begins with differences I find between "looking" at and "seeing" art, and then moves into descriptions and reflections about selected works in Florence (Michelangelo's <i>David</i>), Bonifacio's <i>Slaughter of the Innocents</i> in Venice, and Bernini's <i>Cathedra Petri</i> in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.<br />
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Following that we take a look at the fascinating stories behind the large obelisk in the middle St. Peter's Square and the course of its long history as a bit of monumental architecture.<br />
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I close out the book with a few short poems from Sicily, and then a look at what's been "drawn in" Fernando Botero's "Abu Ghraib" and James Cameron's film <i>Avatar</i>. While these are clearly not classical Italian art, I wanted to show how what I learned in my studies of the Italian pieces can be applied to a more modern art exhibit (Botero) and even to a film like <i>Avatar</i>.<br />
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The book is now available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Dramatic-Encounters-Michael-Bausch/dp/0986440736/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504530041&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>, in a color or black and white paperback. While the color version is a bit more expensive, those who already enjoy art will benefit from the color imagery.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Dramatic-Encounters-Michael-Bausch/dp/0986440736/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504530041&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Drawn In: Dramatic Encounters With Art </a></i>by Michael G. Bausch.Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-6493346158038405332017-07-12T05:24:00.000-07:002017-07-12T05:24:34.200-07:00What's in the Sanctuary: Summer Sunday Ideas<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">My last post suggested “preaching your sanctuary” as a way to help people see the richness going on in architecture, furnishings, and fabrics. Read on for specific suggestions on how to do this:</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e9336461-36b7-ca9d-9ad1-f522ec92f79a" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Ask children, youth, and adults what they notice in the worship sanctuary. “What do you see that you've often wondered about?” What is it? Why is if there? What does it have to do with our worship, or this congregation? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Call attention to any symbols in the sanctuary: look around to notice and explain any Latin and Greek words or initials found on crosses, woodwork, banners, or windows (INRI, IHS, XP(</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chi Rho</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), AO (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alpha-Omega</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). What shape of crosses are there, and to what do these refer? What other symbols do you see (doves/Noah's ark or Holy Spirit, flames/Pentecost, etc.) </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Notice numbers of things: how many windows are there? How many light fixtures? What else seems to appear in numbered groups? Note possible religious symbolism or references of numbers:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1=beginning, God </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3=divine completeness, Holy Trinity </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4=Creation, four directions </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5=Five Books of Moses (Torah, teaching) </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6=The created world (six days) </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7=Completeness, perfection, seventh day or Sabbath rest </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8=The first day of the new week, New beginning, new creation </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10=10 commandments, responsibility </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12-perfection, governance: tribes, disciples </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Notice colors in the room and in windows, and note possible meanings:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yellow - "warm," "exciting" holiness, halo, light</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Green - "peace, stillness" growth, life; Church Season: Common Time </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blue - peaceful, deep, "typical heavenly color"; water, sky</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Red-glowing, alive, joy,energy, Holy Spirit;Church Season: Pentecost, Reformation </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">White- "Harmony of silence" purity, clean, new, Church Season: Christmas, Easter </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Violet-"sad," repentance, passion; Church Season: Advent, Lent </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Notice any shapes in woodwork, panels, walls, windows and possible meanings:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Triangles (3 sides=reference to Trinity) </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Circles (no beginning or end=eternity) </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rectangles (foundations=strength) </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Squares (4 equal sides=balance)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Organic shapes: found in nature, like grape clusters, leaves, vines, flowers</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other Teaching and Preaching Possibilities</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice opportunities for developing a series of sermons, children's sermons, or confirmation lessons about:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 2.2325581395348837pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Symbols, shapes, colors, and numbers in the sanctuary, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their origin, history, and meaning today </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 2.2325581395348837pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Fabrics in the Sanctuary:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Flags: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If there are flags, what’s their story/history/colors/symbolisms; what do they represent, why are they located where they are, how are they connected to worship life? What questions do they raise, and what might be learned from them?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Banners</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Notice the colors, symbols, themes, and placement. Who made them, and why? Are they seasonal, or regularly there? What is the connection to worship?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration-line: underline; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vestments and Clothing</span><span style="font-family: Arial; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: who wears what? Do clergy and choirs wear something that sets them apart, and why? Are there any dress codes for your congregation? Are there any unspoken expectations, or spoken ones? What is welcomed and what isn't, and why? The Bible speaks about clothing, so examine some of those passages: Deut. 22:5, Zephaniah 1:8, Ezekiel 44:15-18, Mark 12:38-40, Luke 6:19, Matthew 6:28-33, James 2:2-7, Ephesians 6:14-17, Colossians 3: 12-15.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Furnishings in the Sanctuary:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many churches have a lectern and a pulpit, while others have a single podium which serves both functions. What are the functions, and how are they different? What's the history behind this furniture, and what significance does it hold for us today? Where are they placed in the sanctuary, and why? What is their contribution to worship?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most churches have an altar or a communion table, and some have both. What is the difference between them, and are there any rules or customs for what is placed on them (fabrics, candles, Communion elements, offering plates, plants, flowers, etc.) and why? Are any of these given as memorial gifts to the church, and who gave them, and why?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-The Windows</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many are there and why? Are there stories in the windows? What are the colors, shapes, and symbols, and what do they say to and about the worshipping community? Are any of these given as memorials, and who gave them, and why? With 6-8 windows you have that many sermons or lessons to give! People will tell you how they never heard these stories or explanations before and how they so appreciate what you've helped them see and understand about their sanctuary.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--Building Features</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice the interior “sections” to your sanctuary and learn about these terms: narthex or foyer, the nave, and the chancel. What different functions do they serve? Can you see a shape to the nave and chancel: square, rectangular, circular, octogonal? What does this shape say about this congregation? Is there a cruciform floor plan-Latin Cross or Greek cross? What does the ceiling look like? Does it evoke something “upward” or heavenly, or more sheltering or, ark-like? Does the exterior have a unique shape?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--Artworks:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What artworks, as in paintings or sculptures, are in the church facilities? You might help your people really “see” them by bringing them into the sanctuary on an easel, or by projecting a larger image on a screen, and helping them understand the history, artistic vision, story and message of that particular work of art. For example, many churches have Sallman's "Head of Christ" or Leonardo's "Last Supper." Much can be drawn out of these particular works of art, as well as from others in your church.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for reading this far!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The above material is meant to get you started with experiencing your worship facilities in new and engaging ways, and communicating this with congregations as early as this summer. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information on preaching with visuals and with your architecture, go here to find my book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Imaginations-Worship-That-Engages/dp/0986440701/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499861552&sr=8-2&keywords=feeding+imaginations" target="_blank">Feeding Imaginations: Worship That Engages</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You can also order my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://rowman.com/" target="_blank">Silver Screen, Sacred Story. Using Multimedia in Worship</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there or at the publisher, rowmonittlefield.com.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 1.6744186046511629pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check my website for other updates at <a href="http://screenpreaching.com/">screenpreaching.com</a> and thank you so much!!</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-74245804600993006232017-06-08T12:39:00.000-07:002017-06-08T12:41:50.075-07:00It's Summer: Do Something Different!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It's summer, and a perfect time to try something different with your congregation when people are in summer mode, when the core of your congregation is still attending, when visitors tend to come by, and when you want to refresh yourself and try something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><span style="font-size: 16px;">With our increasingly visual culture, and screens everywhere, people are used to looking at things for their content. Why not help them look at the sanctuary in which they are sitting, and see things in a fresh way?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond";">As Shakespeare noted, </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; text-align: justify; text-indent: 24px;">the world around us is full of sermons waiting to be preached: </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;">"...tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
sermons in stones, good in everything... "</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;"> Why not in your worship space?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; text-align: justify; text-indent: 24px;">Remember how Joshua told the people crossing over the Jordan River to put up a tower of stones to capture the children’s attention (</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";">Joshua 4:6-7)</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 24px;">. Seeing the stones, the children would ask why the stones were there, and the children’s parents could then tell the story of the significance of that place.</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 24px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtmvMkLYXVXlkdxe8fGCY-q9xh4AjHP_tyVtpRGS2vGzt0aip8F6qWU07l0tnOJznIHRSsCRplmbUONcA6OLiBqMeithfMbfVnpHzUh4yM75ciWYidAyCN71hsVOnkisJLV4bsMBUXsw/s1600/sjucc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtmvMkLYXVXlkdxe8fGCY-q9xh4AjHP_tyVtpRGS2vGzt0aip8F6qWU07l0tnOJznIHRSsCRplmbUONcA6OLiBqMeithfMbfVnpHzUh4yM75ciWYidAyCN71hsVOnkisJLV4bsMBUXsw/s200/sjucc2.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Our worship spaces are similar monuments to memory, full of
stories of the congregation and its reasons for being, as well as of the people
who gave their time, energy, and donations to build and sustain the space.</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Each sanctuary has stories to tell with mysterious symbols to
describe, and, in a world where people ask few questions for fear of appearing
ignorant, who better to ask those questions than a preacher on a summer's day?</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">A wonderful starting point for beginning a process of
preaching architecture is to ask the children or youth what they notice in a
sanctuary and to invite them to ask their questions about things the children
or youth have seen. The young are curious, and, as visually oriented as they
are, have noticed things that caught their attention.</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">A couple of summer children’s messages inviting these questions
about the sanctuary can then lead into a series of sermons about the
architectural forms (layout, windows, furnishings, fabrics, symbols) and the
stories behind the forms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">I’ve practiced this process with four congregations I have
served. Each time I’ve received comments from people who say they have
worshipped their whole lives in that sanctuary and never heard a sermon telling
about the connections with the sanctuary and windows to biblical stories or
have never heard anyone talk about the symbols the people have noticed on the
sanctuary walls, woodwork, baptismal founts, pulpits, lecterns, and altars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Worship leaders mistakenly presume people know the "language"
of their worship spaces. What an opportunity it is to be able to help people
look at what’s right in front of them – and to see it fresh and new! The
windows are telling stories, as is the altar or communion table. The position
of the pulpit tells a story; the light fixtures just might contain hidden
messages; and certainly where you have or have not placed the baptismal fount
says something about the congregation's relationship with the sacrament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Much may be gained from preaching architecture. It can:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">Capture the attention of those in the congregation who are curious, who have an
interest and aptitude for buildings and architecture, and who have a personal
investment in the building and upkeep of the space.</span></li>
<li>Provide a valuable multisensory learning experience as the congregation focuses
their visual attention on common elements of the church while listening to the
preacher's observations and insights.</li>
<li>Acknowledge those who have sat through worship services and focused their
attention on some of the visual details in the sanctuary while listening to
sermons, music, and prayers.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">Affirm the long history of a congregation as you speak of the origins of its
church and the history of the building(s).</span></li>
<li>Recall and affirm the positive memories long-term members have for their
church.</li>
<li>Develop a sense of unity and boost a sense of congregational identity as the
congregation’s relationship to the space is named and nurtured in new ways.</li>
<li>Enrich the worship experience for those eager to learn more about the church
they’ve chosen for worship.</li>
<li>Heighten awareness of the particulars of a sacred space and stimulate
reflection on what makes a space holy.</li>
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Do you want more ideas? Check out ways to "preach your sanctuary" with my book, at Amazon: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipKtBzVxIJamKCp1kQ7VUjfpJGpOaj172efO-dXM5uFxrZxVhu4RbskFDKkLfN8SptSoIMfEpE-TMAojTHZ7t_0ZA5iJiiiWwkjvHKt_TkRNuiSb-qRP_bDAKX45tVzW4DEd4aFaWkk4/s1600/Feeding_Imaginations_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipKtBzVxIJamKCp1kQ7VUjfpJGpOaj172efO-dXM5uFxrZxVhu4RbskFDKkLfN8SptSoIMfEpE-TMAojTHZ7t_0ZA5iJiiiWwkjvHKt_TkRNuiSb-qRP_bDAKX45tVzW4DEd4aFaWkk4/s200/Feeding_Imaginations_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-3953376516490170102017-01-22T11:54:00.003-08:002017-01-22T13:58:10.802-08:00New Multimedia Lectionary Resource<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently I came across the website</span><a href="http://gospelfeelings.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gospelfeelings.com</span></a><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a lectionary-based resource with multi-media examples connected to the scriptural texts of the week. You have a choice of different views of the materials (by date, text, or imagery) and can click anywhere in the lectionary cycle.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c2aee966-c82a-1d07-40da-13e71ceaca16" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu6dDN8w5GkNaXdDp1xCo69sBkinAmCioPhMTPx8xsU6prIhwwAItoE4vxw7roQ2Yh2_VRaeVlxerxxF5bhQqhzgcZzsJDSXjC1F8kittvg1gRluQ4ULo2hWeopUVGZFaVFObHtudJ-s/s1600/gospelfeelings+%25E2%2580%2593+lectionary+reflections.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu6dDN8w5GkNaXdDp1xCo69sBkinAmCioPhMTPx8xsU6prIhwwAItoE4vxw7roQ2Yh2_VRaeVlxerxxF5bhQqhzgcZzsJDSXjC1F8kittvg1gRluQ4ULo2hWeopUVGZFaVFObHtudJ-s/s320/gospelfeelings+%25E2%2580%2593+lectionary+reflections.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from homepage</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a wonderful site. You can hear song selections, view artworks and other visual imagery, and read prayers and poems related to the passages. The weekly program is designed for personal reflection, or for sharing with others in a worship setting. A Tumblr version shows the most recent week's texts on the front page. There is also a Facebook version of the site.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is refreshing about the site is a commitment to provide music, imagery and other creative liturgical resources without advertising and other efforts at monetizing. Someone is doing this because they love to do it, and are contributing out of the goodness of their heart. It is a wonderful creative gift for those looking for imagery, music, and prayer/poetry resources relating to the weekly texts.</span></div>
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Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-19627035163826438052016-06-05T11:58:00.000-07:002016-06-05T11:58:58.219-07:00Visual Preaching in the Summer<br />
Summer is a great time to add visual content to preaching. The relaxed nature of the season offers opportunities to try new things for a week or two, and even build some attendance when people know there will be something different and visually interesting to hold their attention.<br />
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Here is an idea that could work on July 10 for lectionary preachers with Luke 10:25-28 and the Great Commandment (best by referencing Mark 12:29 and the Shema). For those not using lectionary, this idea can work on any Sunday, or save it for next Valentine's Day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg9W1OjzRoeBIRM8hYLj7-6ba670mvOvWeqOTnRpKkXAu6XBpqNPSbUp-G1BsVW4KeFyhjDFdfvWHmJDgQaKWApBPnXyMH4cGEm8PK-uaWgI9unBvuHyk37usSjrCGo2LAQnyW7kwJnA/s1600/Slide04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg9W1OjzRoeBIRM8hYLj7-6ba670mvOvWeqOTnRpKkXAu6XBpqNPSbUp-G1BsVW4KeFyhjDFdfvWHmJDgQaKWApBPnXyMH4cGEm8PK-uaWgI9unBvuHyk37usSjrCGo2LAQnyW7kwJnA/s200/Slide04.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrfem7og3qxVQSDdNPEQvz_7nQztEG_ACrT3OC995XS0w37RJzhDinjR4lX-awjF_KBV937da5MShqdoCdl3MPYzufPu_Eoxzh_ym58j5Z6qpUxbBi8egZWsJjTNcYoHHo_TRW60-UPM/s1600/Slide01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrfem7og3qxVQSDdNPEQvz_7nQztEG_ACrT3OC995XS0w37RJzhDinjR4lX-awjF_KBV937da5MShqdoCdl3MPYzufPu_Eoxzh_ym58j5Z6qpUxbBi8egZWsJjTNcYoHHo_TRW60-UPM/s200/Slide01.jpg" width="200" /></a>While visiting the Vatican Museum in Rome, I noticed the stylized heart from an old sarcophagus with the heart serving as the "O" in the DOM, the abbreviation for "to God most good and great." <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczNeCOhfIlahG7-eU4pcE7MF2gKI3ZqrBp4csSuFlaA8X9K0mKu7g3rRqcIDYRv-9KChZdXP4D5-A2MWgrxY4AZegbjS_lsJlbSwwAsZNb9Fn8vaBrVMEghyphenhyphen0VOI_3nGSMC9TAdLgjBs/s1600/Slide05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczNeCOhfIlahG7-eU4pcE7MF2gKI3ZqrBp4csSuFlaA8X9K0mKu7g3rRqcIDYRv-9KChZdXP4D5-A2MWgrxY4AZegbjS_lsJlbSwwAsZNb9Fn8vaBrVMEghyphenhyphen0VOI_3nGSMC9TAdLgjBs/s200/Slide05.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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What struck me was how this heart is not like the usual imagery of the hearts we see!<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Some time later, while holding my young granddaughter in my arms, I noticed that her ear seemed to keep the shape of this heart! This seems to be common with most infants and toddlers until the ear develops into a more adult (less heart-like!) shape.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIqd-Il6Nuh_OACVniDuAuFOkbgSHOJaApqDryljnlrXBxPE2rYFAV9KlhL7sDhns8PI7eQnepFSkLDSmq9M5dwZ-s7OwegL-QfBbPq7tggLrlV72h9jF8pNUTO9MZmttsp_GjLqokeo/s1600/Slide08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIqd-Il6Nuh_OACVniDuAuFOkbgSHOJaApqDryljnlrXBxPE2rYFAV9KlhL7sDhns8PI7eQnepFSkLDSmq9M5dwZ-s7OwegL-QfBbPq7tggLrlV72h9jF8pNUTO9MZmttsp_GjLqokeo/s200/Slide08.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHYlO6Pa-MQ7SEtM4x9EC6XlpAtRKT9MD2yEdGWmmTLWDzOmmWndj5nzRiEUOHDW53vfHCiNYsbKNO1829gNalm5KM7KYkzQyz-SJMZf3N0ZgJgm_kIu1EDHkcuEEETUj0rZTfUYieh8/s1600/Slide12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHYlO6Pa-MQ7SEtM4x9EC6XlpAtRKT9MD2yEdGWmmTLWDzOmmWndj5nzRiEUOHDW53vfHCiNYsbKNO1829gNalm5KM7KYkzQyz-SJMZf3N0ZgJgm_kIu1EDHkcuEEETUj0rZTfUYieh8/s200/Slide12.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="text-align: center;">Combining these images of hearts with the shape of toddler ears and various scriptures can offer some effective visual anchors to your theme, as with Proverbs 2:2, or the Shema in Deut. 6:4-9, and with the Great Commandment particularly in Matthew 22:36-40, or Mark 12: 28-31.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt01AK76uQ4XkFZ13vJeVoLMNy6eHNVNC3x8AgkwrYoyF0JSaUHnBFn4Zg2fLbplgHmoT-8TfS2IofbjNWWRjNbjChvtbKVgXNXxmpDFCHt0bZrVF-zTGuAfPIJ2NaGfAQrDaqp5eEiCs/s1600/Slide09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt01AK76uQ4XkFZ13vJeVoLMNy6eHNVNC3x8AgkwrYoyF0JSaUHnBFn4Zg2fLbplgHmoT-8TfS2IofbjNWWRjNbjChvtbKVgXNXxmpDFCHt0bZrVF-zTGuAfPIJ2NaGfAQrDaqp5eEiCs/s200/Slide09.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Amazingly we find a connection with ear and heart from the Rule of St. Benedict, "Attend to the Master's instruction with the ear of your heart." We may also realize our heart of love grows out of response to God: "We love because God first loved us." (I Jn 4:19)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVcNeMfsGE-0phUzqFY3D6jgpA322O2HURrRRIzbMjhpWas6pyPcpWsi-eHkBtWiaFcdFjNYqmt5tg56ybP8Tcdi9pqUctPpZRBgHEayYPQqLs11InSe-SW5NH3JkqhcYTHQH34wfesE/s1600/Slide15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVcNeMfsGE-0phUzqFY3D6jgpA322O2HURrRRIzbMjhpWas6pyPcpWsi-eHkBtWiaFcdFjNYqmt5tg56ybP8Tcdi9pqUctPpZRBgHEayYPQqLs11InSe-SW5NH3JkqhcYTHQH34wfesE/s200/Slide15.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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As our bodies, minds, and hearts grow and change over time, we gain love's wisdom and continue to be called into a life of compassion, generosity, and loving kindness! <br />
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<br />Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-65431443079287404762016-02-08T13:04:00.000-08:002016-02-08T13:07:04.491-08:00Preaching St. Valentine's Day 2016A few years back I posted in this blog a St. Valentine's Day sermon possibility for those not using the lectionary. You can click 2010 in the Blog Archive, or you can find it linked <a href="http://screenpreaching.blogspot.com/2010/02/preaching-st-valentines-day.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<a href="http://screenpreaching.blogspot.com/2010/02/preaching-st-valentines-day.html" target="_blank"></a>Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-79326069940998608052016-02-04T11:42:00.000-08:002016-02-04T11:50:42.748-08:00Art As Public Collaboration<br />
What is worship if not art? For me, worship is at its best when it is art. Worship and art involve beauty, mystery, inspiration, revelation, challenge, collaboration, creativity, meaning-making, and impassioned purpose.<br />
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These thoughts were stimulated by a presentation I heard yesterday from <a href="https://artsinstitute.wisc.edu/iarp/amyfranceschini/">Amy Franceschini</a>, an artist and designer of Future Farmers. I invite you to browse information about a course she is teaching at UW-Madison this semester to learn about her work, and then to visit <a href="http://www.futurefarmers.com/#about">FutureFarmers</a> to see samples from the collaborative community projects this group creates.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPtSKp-NEppxDPZxyeejifhkmwG0caqMRgJR8rkBVuQqegTIRY0Lz_GswmxV1ki9J6wfyBPQ119omuK0YfnEg51YgzMUbVrpfyk_gFzdj-kTSONRUG3mvBgdGik1r9HHV3Z2BGYp_e5c/s1600/flatbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPtSKp-NEppxDPZxyeejifhkmwG0caqMRgJR8rkBVuQqegTIRY0Lz_GswmxV1ki9J6wfyBPQ119omuK0YfnEg51YgzMUbVrpfyk_gFzdj-kTSONRUG3mvBgdGik1r9HHV3Z2BGYp_e5c/s320/flatbread.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of particular interest to me is the <a href="http://flatbreadsociety.net/">Flatbread Society</a> involving farmers, bakers, oven builders, artists, activists, soil scientists, and city officials, and the <a href="http://futurefarmers.com/reverseark/">"Reverse Ark"</a> project involving a collaboration with an environmental scientist, the Los Angeles Mayor's Office, the Department of Water, a priest, and a computer scientist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtp2DNXoVF5cGiDCXDQyL5L8SoYcg-5bjNwj4RdeBIrdwldOZNn2rUqy8dhpkwhyRczddOCDNjZvgyo9BnnQfmtcQVKDMyTDa-F6uQREjFMwB6Ay9mAdNd76qA3YFqiRDls5ak07Qt7RU/s1600/seedmast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtp2DNXoVF5cGiDCXDQyL5L8SoYcg-5bjNwj4RdeBIrdwldOZNn2rUqy8dhpkwhyRczddOCDNjZvgyo9BnnQfmtcQVKDMyTDa-F6uQREjFMwB6Ay9mAdNd76qA3YFqiRDls5ak07Qt7RU/s320/seedmast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://www.futurefarmers.com/#projects/seedmast">Flatbread Society Seed Journey</a> is another project designed to transport ancient seeds found in Norway to Jordan, where they originated. The "seed mast" pictured above is filled with ancient grains grown by members of the Flatbread Society in Oslo, Norway.<br />
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These projects, and the others listed at their website, are examples of a rich and deep multi-disciplinary approach to the art of shared living in an interconnected world. <br />
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As I listened to Amy's lecture in the context of an Art Colloquium, I was challenged to connect what I was seeing and hearing to "art." Such is the FutureFarmers method: to broaden perspectives through participatory projects, playfully, so "participants gain insight into deeper fields of inquiry-not only to imagine, but to participate in and initiate change in the places we live."<br />
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What I draw from this is a reminder that in church settings, beautiful worship that connects to a church's central mission and purpose will involve engaging the skills and gifts of a variety of people in a participatory and collaborative process that welcomes innovation and creativity, while nurturing spaces that open one another to inspiration and revelation.Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-20034580079920089422016-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:002016-02-02T13:04:31.783-08:00The Nevica ProjectThe UW Ceramics Program welcomed Jayson Lawfer as a lecturer at the Chazen Art Colloquium January 27. As a potter, Jayson has grown his own business showing, appraising, and selling ceramics, sculptures, and photography, as well as managing collections, through his Nevica Project.<br />
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His website ( <a href="http://www.thenevicaproject.com/">http://www.thenevicaproject.com/</a>) offers a look at beautiful objects produced by contemporary artists from all over the world, both for sale and for on-screen visual enjoyment. Of particular value is the Artists page on the site, with a list of those engaged in pottery, sculpture, photography, and prints, including a short biography and samples of their work.<br />
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Jayson used the word "passion" quite a bit in his talk, and it is clear to me that visiting his web page and the worlds he introduces is a way to invigorate one's own artistic imagination.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud0mFr5I2_9wJfPycl42MXCkbpBc-0dr1MAgiilhPNzQ_riUemHvjPPDrkmrTAHNYXXeS2hYdcUAUO6yIoIyU_Rg1SsFQCPfuqL6hf-aY53DyQI1Alk7exfPjU8aGvGfB7ouJh0P0TbA/s1600/Virginia+Scotchie+2013.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud0mFr5I2_9wJfPycl42MXCkbpBc-0dr1MAgiilhPNzQ_riUemHvjPPDrkmrTAHNYXXeS2hYdcUAUO6yIoIyU_Rg1SsFQCPfuqL6hf-aY53DyQI1Alk7exfPjU8aGvGfB7ouJh0P0TbA/s320/Virginia+Scotchie+2013.jpeg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Scotchie, <i>Untitled 3</i>, 2013<br />
clay and glaze<br />
From home page The Nevica Project</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-69716609749488863782016-02-01T05:30:00.000-08:002016-02-02T13:03:43.636-08:00Dakota Mace PhotographyThose of us who work with visual arts in teaching and worship need to continue to nourish our creativity by experiencing what others are doing. During this spring semester, I am attending a weekly Art Colloquium at the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRbhbIogr6SwRYX8Nw3GQZewT-yTeghQOcn_NRwShNMdBxoYQmMuFzq1R7HSoM172UO7FCKtgZfuMEyeejg0EH5eI0KKt5tGzi14okYoHgds7tvAWqk6vyJCa2zubSBD5FA6JJQ1VtNc/s1600/dmace-navajotextileproject-4-of-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRbhbIogr6SwRYX8Nw3GQZewT-yTeghQOcn_NRwShNMdBxoYQmMuFzq1R7HSoM172UO7FCKtgZfuMEyeejg0EH5eI0KKt5tGzi14okYoHgds7tvAWqk6vyJCa2zubSBD5FA6JJQ1VtNc/s320/dmace-navajotextileproject-4-of-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The first session featured a lecture by Dakota Mace, a UW grad student and photographer seeking to share and preserve aspects of her native New Mexico Navajo culture. With an eye towards Navajo arts like beading, weaving, and basketry, she also studies media stereotypes of native women, preserves images of mothers in a matrilineal society, and offers insight into the history of cultural appropriation.<br />
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A visit to her website ( <a href="http://dakotamace.com/">http://dakotamace.com/</a>) will offer a glimpse of complexly designed art forms that are sure to expand horizons and nurture visual imagination while offering an introduction to a rich and lively artistic heritage.Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-11912518003018599532016-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:002016-02-02T13:01:49.800-08:00Handmade MidrashSome years ago I attended the first, and what was the only, International Conference on the Visual Arts at the Pacific School of Religion, in Berkeley, California. Along with meeting many incredible artists working in academics and the church, I attended some amazing lectures. One lecturer, Jo Milgrom, continues to have a great influence on my own teaching as I introduce art projects into church educational settings, or introductory Bible courses I teach at a state university.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPUSKueOKwZwut1oucluRBhf86W2jTaxpiPX4TCU3q4CfmJ5g3zYySfA4fRrX9jOylZB2JvpRtTzBjmTF81oeWroOPMLzY6DR6mKYzkl5sdPefgaRFDuYIgip-iCtRAzJphsmjdOtcks/s1600/Milgrom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPUSKueOKwZwut1oucluRBhf86W2jTaxpiPX4TCU3q4CfmJ5g3zYySfA4fRrX9jOylZB2JvpRtTzBjmTF81oeWroOPMLzY6DR6mKYzkl5sdPefgaRFDuYIgip-iCtRAzJphsmjdOtcks/s320/Milgrom1.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
In her book published in 1992 by the Jewish Publication Society (and available used at reasonable prices at amazon.com) Jo Milgrom offers a number of easy art projects that help unskilled/untrained/amateur artists (like me!) to enjoy making art that connects to biblical texts, theological themes, and liturgical forms.<br />
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One method I have used with middle high students, college students, and seasoned church members simply involves colored construction paper and glue. I usually buy a package of large sheets of 12"x18" construction paper and another package of 8 1/2"x11" construction paper, and enough glue sticks for the expected number of participants to share.<br />
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Select a theme to illustrate: it could be a scripture passage a group is studying. It could be something from worship, like "make a picture of a baptism" or "make a Communion picture." It could be to illustrate a hymn verse. Assign the project to an individual, a pair, or a triad. They would select their "canvas" of one of the large pieces of construction paper, their materials of several pieces of the smaller paper, and a glue stick. They are instructed to make a picture by tearing pieces of the colored paper and glueing it on the larger piece of paper (no cutting, no crayons, no pencils, no pens).<br />
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Two university students made the picture below, illustrating I Samuel 8 and early Israel's debate over whether to make a king to govern them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fB2zOINQOgXaHf52ddNpDzEe28MtgjpeDORp3V0cDxch1ZNhiitqjaky8ZmgxWgeQgu46Qhixrb6umsYeI_pucdU8aqL0jzIANbmYhCIE2bjWm4Zm6Jju7W3hagn93X4Nk-L6zBekjw/s1600/ch6x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fB2zOINQOgXaHf52ddNpDzEe28MtgjpeDORp3V0cDxch1ZNhiitqjaky8ZmgxWgeQgu46Qhixrb6umsYeI_pucdU8aqL0jzIANbmYhCIE2bjWm4Zm6Jju7W3hagn93X4Nk-L6zBekjw/s320/ch6x.jpg" width="320" /></a>Their explanation of their picture: the crown at left with the red X through it shows the "no king for us" view, and the crown below it without the X, depicts the view of the pro-king faction. The right panel shows the resolution, with a crowned heart in a cloud (which the students said represented God) who appoints a human king (yellow arrow over middle person).<br />
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The students read the story, decided what they would show from the story, selected colors of paper, tore the paper, and glued it on to the base. They then explained it the rest of the class.<br />
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Not only is this a simple and fun project in the classroom, but this kind of artwork could be displayed around the classroom, or your church, for others to see. It could also be photographed and inserted into presentation technology (like PowerPoint) and used as a visual illustration during a worship presentation. </div>
Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-44818345057653513632016-01-28T12:10:00.004-08:002016-01-28T12:10:42.843-08:00Screen Use Early 2016During Advent-Christmas 2015 and the first couple of weeks of 2016, I visited two United Methodist Churches, one ELCA Lutheran Church, and one Presbyterian Church for worship. Each church used a projector and screen for the entire worship service. The visuals mostly included words for prayers, hymns/songs, and scripture lessons. The congregations seemed engaged with these words. One church added youth ministry activity announcements with recorded music and interesting visuals just prior to the start of worship. Another church used a visual "anchor" which was a photographic image of the worship bulletin cover. This image was projected throughout the worship as a symbolic connection to the worship theme. <br />
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While it is good to see visual technology in use, that use was primarily to show words on the screen. Adding more visuals to the worship service, even to show the main sermon points in 3-4 pictures or diagrams, would increase the visual interest and begin to harness the fuller potential of the linkage between computer, screen, and projector. <br />
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I was surprised and pleased to see these congregations comfortable with the use of the screen and projector, and was impressed with how they have integrated these nicely into their architecture and liturgy. There are plenty of creative options available to them if they want to increase visual interest by showing more imagery/art to make worship themes and messages vivid and memorable. Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-44007434723637268372015-01-28T23:05:00.002-08:002015-01-28T23:05:28.127-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rxPhWS2ogCnDFC5PK439dqn30-rMiNWoUKZYUToZ7T7wzD_kzXesA1oe4JJQmUF55qlWsdhE4bPuYq2ML_-QK-bqOalHSdo_eFxRJsHi1DxUJyarz3Ojw-01HC8HhPEPZiHDEOaJSE0/s1600/Feeding_Imaginations_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rxPhWS2ogCnDFC5PK439dqn30-rMiNWoUKZYUToZ7T7wzD_kzXesA1oe4JJQmUF55qlWsdhE4bPuYq2ML_-QK-bqOalHSdo_eFxRJsHi1DxUJyarz3Ojw-01HC8HhPEPZiHDEOaJSE0/s1600/Feeding_Imaginations_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Published January, 2015</td></tr>
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I am pleased to announce the publication of my newest book, <i>Feeding Imaginations: Worship That Engages. </i>Print and Kindle versions are available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Imaginations-Worship-That-Engages/dp/0986440701/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422511575&sr=1-1&keywords=Feeding+Imaginations">here</a> at Amazon.com.<br />
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The book shows preachers and congregational leaders how to bring more visual arts into worship, not only through the use of projected imagery, but through developing awareness of the architecture of the holy space in which they gather.<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
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On January 30 I am leading a workshop at the 2015 Earl Lectures and Conference Series at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, "Preaching With Your Sanctuary Architecture." Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-64974614704204095752013-11-25T13:45:00.000-08:002013-11-25T13:52:31.337-08:00Promoting Media Worship In a Newsletter Article<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Pastor Bill Teng of the Heritage Presbyterian Church of Alexandria,
Virginia wrote a fine newsletter article last February reporting his worship
committee’s interest in developing five worship experiences using multimedia. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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His newsletter introduction to the topic is a
fine example of how to explain a worship “experiment” to a congregation. I’m
glad he used <u>Silver Screen, Sacred Story</u> for guidance and inspiration!
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You can find his article <a href="http://heritagechurchva.org/horizons/Feb13Newsletter.pdf">here</a>.</div>
Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493041847908325763.post-7720298829473565472013-08-05T20:10:00.003-07:002013-08-05T20:10:48.282-07:00Steadfast LoveSunday's lectionary readings included a familiar verse from Psalm 107:1, God's "steadfast love endures forever." How do you communicate the meaning of "steadfast love" in a children's message? I thought it'd be a good idea to find three pictures that might represent "steadfast love" and then put them into a PowerPoint to project on the screen during the message. <br />
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My three thoughts: 1)a mother goose at a nest of eggs 2) a bird tending to its injured mate and 3) a grandparent with a grandchild. I went to Google images and searched for each of these, and quickly found appropriate pictures. I uploaded them into a PowerPoint, and had a three-slide children's message all set up.<br />
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On Sunday morning I had the children gather in the first pew so they could see the pictures, as could the congregation. I noted the "steadfast love" passage in the Psalm, and then showed the pictures one at a time to ask if they showed "steadfast love" and why. The answers were obvious and the children knew it. I added a few more sentences of how these examples are like God's steadfast love for us, and the message was complete.<br />
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The next day, one of our active worship attenders commented on how effective the children's message was, and how meaningful----and memorable---it was to her.<br />
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Three simple pictures, showing a complex concept, accomplished quickly. This is the power of visuals in worship, linked to a biblical message, tastefully presented, and memorable!Michael Bauschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17806798447823727561noreply@blogger.com0