Friday, March 07, 2014
Dispersed Lent Journal Project 2014
This week I released these around the 34 Lipsett Terrace community
Four journals. On the front cover, the following words … Open me, browse me, take me, write in me, return me.
Inside, mainly blank white pages. A few images, a few practices, in case people get stuck. And the following explanation
Dispersed Lent Journal Project
Here at 34 Lipsett Terrace, we are a dispersed community. We are students, staff, teachers. We are post-graduates and undergraduates. We are studying for audit and for credit. We are casual library borrowers and we are hard working full-time students.
The Lenten journal project invites those who cross paths at 34 Lipsett Terrace to share with each other, through a dispersed pattern, what the season of Lent means to us.
The Overview: Lent in the church year is a time to focus on spiritual renewal. Different traditions in the church do this differently. The Dispersed Lent journals invite you to share with each other what this season means to you and how you connect more fully with the God-story in the days leading up to Easter.
The concept: A journal is a place to write. We can write privately, for ourselves. We can write publicly for others. The Lent journal invites us to write publicly, to share faith with each other.
How to proceed?
1. Once you have received the journal, you have no more than seven and no less than two days to spend with it.
2. During those days, put whatever you like in the journal – thoughts, ideas, drawings, photos, recipes, reflections – anything that captures what Lent means for you and how you connect with God during this season. Be creative. Use the exercises or images. Write in your own language.
3. Write aware that what you write will be read by a stranger. That is the nature of a public journal.
4. When you are finished, pass the journal onto another person in the Department of Flinders or ACD or UCLT or Adelaide Theological Library community.
a) It might be someone in your class
b) It might be a lecturer or staff person
c) You might leave it on the table in the Common Space or Adelaide Theological Library.
5. If you get given a journal for a second or third time, it will most likely be different than the first time you received it – different time, more input. You could pass it on straight away. Or treat it as an invitation to write further.Who gets a journal? Four journals have been prepared. Each is different – different visual, different set of potential practices. Each will be touched by different hands, passed to different people. Each will encounter you at a different time in Lent. Each will be released into the 34 Lipsett Terrace community during the first week of Lent. After the initial release, who knows where the journals will go. Such is the mystery of God in the community.
How is it shared? The journals are public. If you see one, feel free to browse it. When finished, we might scan journal pages (including onto the website) and use them in ongoing ways around the 34 Lipsett Tce campus to encourage students and enhance worship.
So please be aware that by participating in this project, your work will be shared with others.
After Easter, please return the journals to:
Steve Taylor, Uniting College
It will be fascinating to see what happens over Lent.
What a great idea for Lent. Real reflection and real stories. Part of what 34 Lipsett Tce is all about!!
Comment by Susan Doughty — March 7, 2014 @ 3:14 pm
Cheers Susan. Will be interesting to see how folk engage with them. One let loose in class, one in library, one request please
Steve
Comment by Steve — March 7, 2014 @ 9:15 pm
I’m really hoping a journel makes it to some distance students. I always liked hearing from them as it added depth to conversation at college.
Comment by Nicole Mugford — March 7, 2014 @ 10:35 pm
Nicole I thought about how to cater for distance esp as more than 50% students are. I was also aware that with loss of Catholics there are gaps in campus. So this year I’ve focused it physically . My hope is that if it works this year we will have some images we can then use for 2015 to do both.
Thanks for the encouragement to do that
But I might just pop one in post to you if I see it lying around 😉
Steve
Comment by Steve — March 8, 2014 @ 10:25 am
Just wondering whether this includes distance students. (Ah now I’ve read the comments I see it does and doesn’t) I’d be glad to receive one of the journals and contribute. My address for the time is 5 Williams Ave, Robe c/o PO Robe 5276. Post it 2 days, pray with it 2 days, return it 2 days! Quite do-able. Cheers, Di
Comment by Di Shearer — March 15, 2014 @ 10:10 am