THE CHURCH LAB
ANNUAL REPORT 2017 “Perfect love drives out all fear...” 1 John 4:18 Fear is often in what we don’t understand. It’s often about the people we do not know; those less visible to us. Or sometimes fear comes from not being seen or heard ourselves; feeling invisible.
Welcome to our laboratory! Here, at TCL, we are exploring innovative ways to meet spiritual needs, often the least visible in our midst.
WELCOME
In this divisive era, we pursue biweekly peacemaking dialogue with ever deepening friendships. We consistently learn from each other across our faith traditions. It is a new mode of church. In a world overwhelmed with need, we mobilize to creatively care for less visible souls. WIth increasing disinterest in church, TCL also offers up pastoral care and Christian discipleship away from one’s baggage with institutions. Among less nimble faith institutions dealing with anxiety-producing changes, we offer Christian leaders space to observe and explore, gleaning lessons to take back to their communities. It is only with your help that we are able to faithfully help Church find her future, no holds barred. We are here --practicing again and again-- to love in a way that drives out all fear. TCL celebrated our 4th birthday in October! We have much to share and celebrate with you, because of you!
WE are powered by your generosity exclusively. We run entirely off donations! You can ALWAYS give online at thechurchlab.org. Our most impactful giving is through pledging. To become a monthly or annual partner, fill out our pledge form and email it to carrie@thechurchlab.org. Pledge forms are at the end of this report!
How to connect with us: Website: thechurchlab.org E-mail: carrie@thechurchlab.org Facebook: facebook.com/thechurchlab Instagram or twitter: @thechurchlab
TCL MEDIA
Learn our community's stories! thechurchlab.org/blog American Bible Society (Sept ‘17): How To Remember Alongside Those Who Are Hurting http://blog.bible/bible-engagers-blog/entry/hurricaneharvey-how-to-remember-alongside-those-who-arehurting
Association of Theological Schools (Dec ‘16): Adventures in Innovative Ministry https://www.ats.edu/uploads/resources/ publications-presentations/colloquyonline/adventures-in-innovative-ministry.pdf
UNC Chapel Hill School of Education (Sept ‘17): Spotlight on Lana Minshew with Harvey Recovery: Adopt-A-Class http://soe.unc.edu/news_events/student_news/2017/ 170908-lana-minshew.php
DIALOGUES Every two weeks, a group of 6-10 people gather in a living room. Among us may be mainline Protestant, Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Pagan, Shia Muslim, Ahmadiyya Muslim, Agnostic, LDS/Mormon, non-identifying/seekers and mystic perspectives. Thanks to video chat, we are a hybrid local and national community! We have TCL dialoguers, participants and supporters all over the US! Some of our “regulars” hail from Virginia, New York and Chicago. It is vital for us to have conservative and liberal viewpoints in the room together. At first, dialogues are about education and awareness. As participants see each other again and again, and sincere community becomes possible, our time grows us in rich ways. We acknowledge one another’s dignity of experience, we laugh together, even as we approach issues where disagreement is inevitable. We are challenged in our own spiritual lives to reckon with the mutually exclusive angles of our friends’ beliefs with our own. Our prayer life may change, our perspectives may shift, our ability increases to hold neighbors in love that approach life so differently than us. We discover a more nuanced faith, and a capacity to extend love in a deeply meaningful way in our current political, cultural, social climate.
Martyrs: Hope in the Dark
I love TCL because I believe that we are called by God to be in relationship with people, even our enemies. Dialogue is a place where my “others” become friends, where my walls are broken down. - Sarah W
Goddesses, with Pagan guest of honor Linda Webster Tough Text, Inspiring Text Religion and Humor Gender Identity Creatures, Creation and Us!
2017 Topics: Civil rights Reflection: Refugee Vigil Idolatry Convo with African partner Bosco Patience and Waiting Walk in My Shoes: Spotlights
Immigration Sexual Orientation Food, Feelings and Religion Pilgrimage Healthcare Police and Religion
SPECIAL EVENTS & FIELD TRIPS We regularly get out of the living room and into our communities, practicing love with our hands and feet, and reflecting together on how that shapes us and our faith lives. Here are our 2017 special events and field trips: Ahmadiyya Muslim Jalsa Salana: an annual convention in Pennsylvania Austin Refugee Vigil Volunteered at Community First! Village, a community to help displaced folks get back on their feet Heard Rev. Porter speak at Austin Seminary regarding Native American experiences in the US. Labyrinth field trip became an interfaith worship experience where everyone could practice their respective faiths simultaneously! Special thanks to Linda Webster for teaching and hosting! Mini-spotlights at dialogues, where participants take turns sharing what it’s like to live out their faith: resulted in extra Pagan extended spotlight! Upcoming end-of-year party and Advent Conspiracy: In December, we talk about the causes that have changed our lives, committing 10% of TCL’s budget to mission. Donations go toward 1 local and/or 1 global cause that moves our hearts at the party. We have a mid-term future goal of securing a team and funds to build a school in Burkina Faso, Africa!
PASTORAL CARE & LEADERSHIP SUPPORT TCL recognizes the 4 pillars of spiritual growth as worship, mission, discipleship and dialogue. TCL currently engages in ongoing dialogue and mission efforts, periodic worship and regular discipleship efforts, for those Christians that want to go deeper in their faith and develop more as leaders.
DISCIPLESHIP Pastor Carrie has been meeting with a couple of Christian dialoguers about twice a month for a couple of years, providing a space for pastoral care and support, for leadership development and a continuous opportunity to deepen their walk with Christ. For those that self-identify as Christian and are involved in TCL, dialogue is an invitation to go deeper in our faith.
PASTORAL CARE Sometimes folks need some TLC with TCL. Pastor Carrie makes herself available to care for and support anyone, with no strings attached. She makes sure to spend time out and about in the city, cultivating relationships where folks know she is there to be a support and listening ear.
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT Christian leaders and other facilitators are also invited to consult with or observe The Church Lab’s practices. Carrie worked with facilitators and students in the last year or so to learn more about “ground rules” and the nuts and bolts of facilitating diverse groups. This help has also become of secular interest, in light of the current political divides in our culture. When away from TCL, Pastor Carrie is also a consulting facilitator for clergy cohorts, and she brings what she is learning in the Lab with her as she walks with pastors of other Christian churches. Carrie is also invited to work with groups or individuals around issues of faith and money, most recently with an Austin theater audience as a TCL representative. Special thanks to Diana Small, who is Salvage Vanguard Theater’s co-producing artistic director.
REACH
This is where our participants and supporters live. CURRICULUM CAMPAIGN This year we held a special fundraiser just for creating a curriculum of sorts. We are developing materials that others can use to build peacebuilding, friendmaking bridges in a variety of contexts! We raised over $4,000 for this special project! We have completed a catalog of over 2 years' worth of bi-weekly dialogue questions, with an index of topics by category. We look to release these resources in 2018, after completing the narrative aspects of this project. Stay tuned! GRANT WORK, BOARD WORK When away from TCL ground efforts, Carrie works with a grant team, “Multi-Faith Matters,� which includes a team of evangelical pastors from across the US that are pursuing a movement for evangelicals to invest in dialogical practices. Carrie serves as a board member for the Center for Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations, which has brought great resonance and support from fellow board members! Carrie also serves on an Advisory Council for Launching Leaders, a multi-faith leadership development organization in Colorado.
HARVEY HELP 100% of Harvey donations went straight to aid. Countless hours were spent with coordinators on the ground and Carrie spent two days visiting loved ones in The Golden Triangle. She listened to stories as an act of comfort, as well as to glean information so TCL’s help would have the biggest impact possible. TCL raised $3,550 to help The Golden Triangle in Southeast Texas with: Wheelbarrows, shovels & other tools for the Cajun Navy Grocery cards for storm survivors Home Depot cards for those rebuilding Cash for those with dire needs Over the last 3 months, The Church Lab brought 9 volunteers to gut 2 homes in Beaumont and Lumberton, and Pastor Carrie was also able to give her car to an old friend with 4 kids.
HARVEY HELP continued Adopt-A-Class With the partnership of the wonderful Lana Minshew, TCL launched the Southeast Texas AdoptA-Class Project, matching over 70 classrooms with groups that can support them tangibly and relationally for the entire academic year. We are not finished yet! If you are interested in adopting, we have students still waiting with needs. E-mail harveyhelp@thechurchlab.org to get involved!
HARVEY HELP continued Free Family Portraits On Thanksgiving weekend, Pastor Carrie met with 5 golden-hearted Austinite professional photographers in The Golden Triangle to offer free family portraits to those that needed to make new memories after Harvey. While there, one photojournalist documented goings-on with the families, and another interviewed families and city officials for a statewide public radio program. The Golden Triangle’s stories will be more visible because of the time, energy and creativity from the photographers and this project!
2018 PREVIEW Helping Church find her future, one experiment at a time... We will continue: Bi-weekly dialogues Searching for opportunities to serve our local and global communities Digging into discipleship and offering pastoral care Taking field trips and/or have movie nights and potlucks to build even deeper community among our bridge builders Meeting Harvey recovery needs. And we will ask ourselves what other less visible needs we might be able to apply our help toward in creative, resourceful ways Curriculum project to be released, launching a whole new angle in which to help others Community blog Looking for the right moment to recruit and fund a school building in Burkina Faso, Africa, which we hope to fund by 2020 Discerning the best next experiment for the future of Church, both for personal spiritual maturity as well as how that outpours into helping neighbors in need
New items for 2018: Taking podcast research and “playing” we’ve done this year and translating it into some trial podcast runs for TCL Raising funds for an assistant to help free up our pastoral efforts to engage in a facilitators’ training, a possible worship offering, more intentionally structured discipleship efforts among Christians, “experiment workshops,” and additional assistance for religious leaders looking to explore the future of Church New board officers with more active roles, and exploring the possibility of rotating on local board members as well as the formation of an interfaith advisory council
FINANCIAL REPORT & NEEDS
FINANCIAL REPORT & NEEDS continued
Give today! See the end of this report for our pledge form, or give instantly at thechurchlab.org.
TCL 2017 Shout Outs! TCL has to be an all-hands-on-deck affair for it to work at all! As such, there are many teams whose paths intersect to make this community a Venn diagram of beautiful people. We weave in and out of one another’s paths, each contributing to the TCL mission and vision: ALL TCL DONORS, PARTICIPANTS, VOLUNTEERS!!! YOU make this happen directly. You are the fuel running this adventure in the tough practice of love in an era of change. We are so grateful. PEOPLE THAT WALK WITH TCL CONTINUOUSLY: Jenny Karr, editor and fundraising coach extraordinaire! Nelly D’Alessandro, web designer, cheerleader, prayer warrior, 2018 board chair! Diana Small, TCL blogger, writer and editor Stacey Schwenker: amazing friend, 2018 board secretary! Aaron Karr: leadership reflection buddy since 2001, 2018 board treasurer! Gary Graham, Jr: interim treasurer Jen Rosner, Justin Fung, David Kludt, Sabrina Chan: 2017 board members, esteemed colleagues and friends! Jessica Beck: friend who has my back, and who’s quick to repeat her belief in TCL Miranda Finley Hunt: local gifted listener and friend, originator of our namesake Carrie’s parents and Mopie! Such big support! SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Qamar Zafar, Touba Khurshid: gracious hosts of the Jalsa Salana 2017 in PA Linda Webster, labyrinth expert and gracious host of Pagan dialogue and Labyrinth lesson and field trip Jana and Rob Sarnowski and family: best people on earth and co-adventurers at the Jalsa Salana TCL 2017 bloggers: Cindy Haag, Stephen Cinti, Mac Morrison, Qamar Zafar, Dash Kees, Diana Small HARVEY. Lana Minshew, partner in crime for Southeast TX Adopt-A-Class Alex Owen, coordinating helper for Fam Photo Frenzy Kate Sadler Lovett: Carrie’s very first interfaith dialogue friend, and first to ask about adopting a class ON-THE-GROUND HARVEY INSIGHTS, DONATION DISPERSALS & HOSPITALITY: Marlene and Eldridge Ravey Jennifer Ravey Caleb Fontenot Ok, the whole Ravey family Julie and Len Weeks Yolani Illa Valerie and Ronnie Wallace Tammy Parker Brandy Shannon and family PHOTOGRAPHERS: Valerie Chiang Julia Robinson Betsy Joles Kelly West T.J. Hilton Sunday Ballew
COMMUNICATION: Gary Graham, Jr. Dr. Lori Graham, a.k.a. “Dr. Mom” Mayor Dick Nugent of Nederland, TX Groves City Manager D.E. Sosa Groves Fire Chief Dale Jackson First Baptist Church of Groves Secretary Kathy Hendon
The Church Lab Pledge Form We encourage donors to consider 3-year commitments of monthly pledges so we can direct more energy to work content over individual fundraising asks each week. Donors can back out at any time if that becomes necessary, and donors can create custom timeframes reflecting what is most comfortable for them to commit. This includes one-time gifts, for which we are also always very grateful. Please send the following information to carrie@thechurchlab.org.
Name:__________________________________________________ Mailing Address: __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ E-mail:__________________________________________________ Phone:__________________________________________________
I am delightedly willing and able to give the following from _________(start date) to ___________ (end/renewal date) in order to financially partner with the ministry of The Church Lab: $____ per month OR a one-time donation of: $___________ *Donations are tax-deductible. I will be giving by way of: _____ automatic monthly bill pay to The Church Lab (details will be sent to you if you mark this option). I will schedule payments on the 1st of the month unless otherwise indicated here: ______________________ _____a one-time donation via (indicate which --->) ____ cash ____ check transfer
For monthly pledges, we will send you details regarding how to set up automatic donations once we receive this pledge form. We are deeply grateful for your generous partnership! Thank you for joining our lab for this journey!