A Sacred Space

you could make like a little prayer cove with pillows, candles, rugs, and a canopy. also bring in the cross that devon and his dad made. I think those things would be kinda neat.

A black curtain at the entrance…. would be so nice.. so you walk in and see (like they had a Vintage before the move) a table, some candles, painting or something…
it would also block the stream of light and shadows from people walking in…

There are different ways to feel like we’re participating on Sunday. As an introvert, I don’t have to talk to anyone to participate. For extroverts (the majority of the population by the way), conversation/interaction is key to meaningful participation and connection.

To me, a prayer station, an art desk or a safe comfortable place to quietly think/meditate/journal are all very meaningful ways for me to experience/connect with God and participate in the Journey Sunday experience.

I also like different settings that are not “rows” or facing a “stage,” such as when we were in a circle or set up with “coffee shop” style seats. (When we’re all facing one direction, it feels like I’m at a performance or listening to a lecture, not connecting with God.)

Tanya Reynolds
http://www.tanyamreynolds.com
http://tanyareynolds.blogspot.com

Great question, i was thinking this too yesterday.

Need to make the room feel smaller - you walk in and we look like a puny church, even though we are just as big, we look small in that room.

Idea: rolling “walls” made of PVC pipe and black material that can be positioned to block off a section of the room thus making it smaller. For example, where the sound table is now, you move it toward the middle of the room, then use these walls to block off the back half of the room.

Walls roll and would be light, easy to get on off trailer and do what we want for different set ups.

—————————-stage————————————

                  chairs

               sound table
             /                 \
           /                     \
         /                         \
       /walls                      \
     /                                 \

door ———-back wall——————— door

Our old church did this amazing thing called a prayer wall. Amy might have the pics of it. It was basically a journey down the wall you could take each week to focus on you adn Jesus and laying whatever it is at his feet. It was awesome!

Kelly

“Maybe this world is another planet’s Hell.”- Aldous Huxley

That sounds amazing, and very cool. I like the idea of a prayer wall.

Tanya Reynolds
http://www.tanyamreynolds.com
http://tanyareynolds.blogspot.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robspain/126651162/...

Here’s a link to the pictures of it. It was really amazing. They are dark but you get the gist :D

Kelly

“Maybe this world is another planet’s Hell.”- Aldous Huxley

Here is a link ( http://flickr.com/photos/7944482@N03/show/ ) to my pictures from that and the following is the gist of it:
So essentially we, as a home group, decided we wanted to do something different for our church. We thought about it for a while, and someone brought the idea for a prayer wall to the table, literally! She had a basic plan, and we divided it up. We discussed the themes of each piece and how they would flow into each other and what we would do to connect them visually.
There ended up being five sections: Brokenness, Refinement, Worship/Prayer, Growth and Going Out (ie. Outreach). The first one contained a mirror where one would write a struggle or something of the like on the mirror with a dry erase marker. Then you would wipe it away. From there you were able to move on to refinement. There were dirt, twigs and pieces of Sandpaper attached to the wall from a rough to finer grade. There was also a wooden cross that you could paste a struggle to along with two speakers (one playing garbled sounds and the other playing perfectly). The Midway Point looked like an Agraba tent or something. It had a big comfy chair, cushions, curtains and white Christmas lights. There is where we were to pray and write a letter to God in response to the “A Letter From God” PowerPoint. In Growth we planted seeds and watched as they grew over a week (from Sunday to Sunday). And in Going Out there was a chance to add an idea to a mobile hanging off the wall. To tie each 6-foot long portion together we incorporated a Gold line.
Not only was this a fun thing for us to do, but we got a great response. We also had an art show and incorporated the wall. It was like a Friday night thing, and we had cheese, fruit and wine. It was pretty great actually. A lot of people who do not normally find themselves in a building used for worship came.
I don’t suggest making a carbon copy of this, but I do think that it is a wonderful experience, and it brings a wonderful opportunity to people. Ask a few artistic people (not necessarily people who are on any teams already, because you want diversity) to get together and plan it. It comes out like a potluck, but a good potluck!

Wow… that all sounds so good… the mirror with dry erase markers I have never see before… I’m wondering if a different person could hold the dry erase marker… and then “pronouce” a verse like As far as the East is from the West.. so far He has removed your sins…and then ERASE what ever the person wrote… (kind of “priest-like” but could be cool to hear that pronouncement and then watch it be erased!)

Just saw a commercial for American Express - where their debt problems (dare I say sin?) were writtien on a glass, and because they found American Express - they erased it. Sound familiar? Looked really cool, and I could feel that sense of relief, as it was wiped away.

Love that idea of someone standing in as Priest, but doubt that in the “just a few minutes at a station” type of setting - people would be willing to write their secret sin in front of someone. Maybe you could write the verse on the back of the eraser (too corny?) or on a poster board next to the mirror?, or in large type inserted in a bible?

The mirror actually had a verse along the frame. Check out this pic

http://flickr.com/photos/7944482@N03/1703688228/

“Maybe this world is another planet’s Hell.”- Aldous Huxley