At ThPM we are using what’s called an “organic growth” model of becoming. Basically, this is just a term used to cover for the fact that we don’t really know what we are doing. But practically speaking it means that we are very adverse to the modern methodology of writing a mission/vision statement and then sticking to it come hell or high water. We’d rather let the bush grow and see what happen, fertilizing, trimming, and trellising along the way. (I think this is a Wimberism. Although we are trying a kinder gentler version.) Also, it has something to do with the idea that we want to have a new forms of leadership, ones in which the identity of ourselves and our tribe emerges out of the experience of moving through time together. We’ve been growing organically for two years now. (Go ahead, say it. Several people have already brought up the fact that it takes a lot of manure to grow something organically….so you know what we are full of! ) At first we used to assess where were were every few months or so. We really had to stumble about for quite a long time before we got our footing. But now we’ve been rolling along pretty well for six months or so. It’s timely to take a look at things again.

Also, to prep for the We Speak Art seminar at EC, I’ve been going through blog posts and photo albums and journal notes. This has helped me see how things have grown in the past two years, and to notice what kind of trellis we’ve formed to support ourselves and our common ways of living. Mostly it’s been our Monkfish Abbey stuff, a term I coined to describe the “contemplative practices with a twist” that we’ve been playing with for awhile. So that’s lead us to a name change. ThPM will soon be Monkfish Abbey. (As soon as we can get a website up.) we hope others will join us in having little Abbeys hither and yon, and the website will help people do that too.

Anyway…here are the notes I used to bring the whole tribe up to speed. If you’ve been wondering what this ThPM thing is all about, go ahead and give it a read. Mostly I’m posting it so that I have a permanent account of where we’ve been and where were headed. But maybe it will interest some others too.

Shalom!

The Abbess (tee hee!)

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•We’re coming up on two years together. We’ve been following something called vision statement, you wait and see what vision grows.

•Two things: staying connected to God, staying connected (present) to the world(s) we find ourselves in. (with a sidedish of being some kind of friendly community together) AKA the inward journey and the outward journey.

• A few months ago we started dallying with “Monkfish Abbey” which is the term I coined for the nights we spend focusing on contemplative practices. We did 4 weeks of lectio divina, a couple weeks of ignatian examen, Four weeks or so of practicing the practice of compassion, we celebrated Advent, we did intercession (Monkfish Abbey style) for the victims of the tsunami (Along with this we’ve had night to chat, outings to join each other on, and a night of service (at the shelter), and one or two nights of once-in-a-while-church)

•Those Monkfish-y contemplative type practices have helped us develop the “staying connected with God” part. I think we’re still exploring ways to do that. And I think we’re still looking for ways to be connected to the world around us. And we’re still exploring the “world around us” connections, esp. in regards to some sort of common “service” and esp. because we all have different spheres of belonging. We’re still trying to figure out how to honor that.

•See, one way to go is to make everyone get on the same page. Churches do this by insisting on a common theology or doctrine. Which frankly, we just don’t hold here. (think of the varying opinions we represent regarding: homosexuality; who Jesus was and how the cross worked; the point of communion; heaven and hell) Communal groups often do this “same page” thing by making sure everyone has a common vision or passion for action. (ex: our CoHousing group and living with marginalized.) But what happens with either of those models is that when you can’t be on the same page any more, you have to break up (or stuff your differences.)

•So one way to avoid that “submit or leave” sort of reality is to have a community centered around common practices — to hold some spiritual practices in common. For us so far those have been lectio divina, ignatian examen, compassion, hospitality (the art of the party), intercession, and symbol/ritual. Not everyone will be into all of these, but will have opportunity to practice them together.

•Lately, I’ve stopped describing us as a church plant. (This is in churchy circles. Outside of the bubble, I usually just say were’ a trippy little spiritual community.) Now I call us a neomonastic incarnational community.

•Neomonastic: not ceilibate, poor, or (necessarily) living together. So, how are we monastic?

1) Rhythm and Intent: We are god-seekers living a life together that has a certain attentiveness to it (To god, to the world) and a certain culturally appropriate rhythm.
o Religious seasons: easter, Passover, lent
o Earth-bound Seattle-y Seasons: summer solstice, fall chili fest, winter solstice, may day…

2) Blended Living: Also, monastic (celtic monastic) didn’t separate things out into work and worship. It was all worship. Which I like, because then the contemplative nights aren’t “church” and the rest (going out, hanging out with lindell over dinner, etc.) aren’t “less than.”

3) Multiple Levels of Belonging: Oh, and also, monks could join in different ways. People who were served by the monastery. People who went to church there from the ‘hood. Tertiary members (lay monks), novitiates (seriously trying it out) and full fledged monks. This is good, to have different places of belonging. (I’d like us to not put more “holiness weight” on one over the other. The main thing is to be true to what you need to be doing in the journey.)

4) Sense of Place: A strong sense of calling to Seattle, to the neighborhood (Fremont/Wallingford) to this house. Paul and I are the anchorites of this movement, we’re here for the long haul. Others may come and go, marry and move, have kids and move, need or find a better spiritual fit elsewhere, be heavily involved at one time and more lightly involved another, go back to school, find a job elsewhere, succumb to their travel lust. We’ll be the place holders.

5) Steeple: Over lunch last month, Charles pointed out to me that most monasteries had a steeple, something to call people to come, to welcome. What was our beacon he wondered? I thought that was a good question. At ThPM last night people listed these things: our porch swing, the lights crisscrossing our front yard, the kid’s swing in the tree by the sidewalk, our front porch. Just some ideas….

Incarnational: (Not “missional” because folks in the tribe felt like missiona was too mechanical, to driven. It didn’t allow us to treat people in an I-Thou manner. It was too much like marketing God.) I’m still not sure how to talk about this, but here some phrases that I think hint at it.
-Practicing the practice of presence (rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion)
-Extending the loving hand of Christ to the world
-The light in me greets the light in you. (divine)
-Blowing on God active spots
-Dancing in the overlap
-and in the words of my patron saint, Anne Lamott, just being “Jesus-y”
to people

Community: people living together with varying levels of connection. Some strong bonds, some weak bonds but still belonging together in some manner. (Eventually, this will all be up on line and I’ll link you to some articles that I think helps redefine community in a more do-able, relaxed manner.)

• Since we’ve been growing in this direction, it would be helpful to me – professionally speaking—if we could begin referring to ourselves as an abbey, as Monkfish Abbey. In the branch of my world that talks about these things (the paying branch) ThPM is meaningless. (It was always sort of a placeholder because we couldn’t think of anything else. When we started we were almost the sandbox – you know, playing with God, building things, sifting through things to find treasures. But then someone started talking about finding cat poop in the sandbox and that was the end of that!). But people can at least get the flavor of it with Abbey, Abbess. And Monkfish, we’ll first of all, they are hilarious! And I don’t want people to think we are too serious and like, all chanty and holy minded. Then there’s the whole monk thing, which I like. And then the fisher-of-men connection. And don’t forget that our neighbors made a giant Monkfish for the , so we must be jiving with ‘em somehow if we like the critter too!

• Also, changing our name would allow us to develop a website and add more ThPM-like communities. (Nationally, internationally?) We could have a shareware sort of site with pages for the different practices and examples of the practices (like galleries are now) and interactive boards for people to share things they’ve experienced via the practices. (maybe just us at first, then some way for others to post in the future.) And it will help us make a record of what we’re doing, see where were going/growing, figure out which practices are working for us at any given time (what to add and when, what to set aside and when), see what we are missing.

• So I’d like us to head that direction. Mike and I, with Paul and Alicia are going to be setting up a Monkfish Abbey website. We’ll probably have some sort of ThPM page on it (sort of Monkfish @ the Densmore House) on it…it sort of depends on how things work out as we design the site. If you, like Eden, can’t bear the thought of parting with ThPM, you can keep calling us that, it’s fine with me.

• Lots of info, take this if you want to dialogue about it more. On line or in upcoming weeks….