gwc in the house! (and throwin' down a pre and post church vibe)

gwc (gracewerks collective) the 'alter ego' of apostles church is ramping up it's life.

when i get asked about the relationship between apostles (the church) and gracewerks, (the collective), the only thing i've come up with, is a loose analogy, that the church is peter parker and the collective is spiderman... both with different personas and identities, but both being 'true.'

i've noticed a few gcw like crews in the emerging church, on the one hand, but in some ways, gwc seems more rare... as many other groups are on a 'church vibe' route, overtly 'professing' (gospel/jesus) within postmodern and youth culture, whereas gwc has chosen to 'express' rather than profess, a gospel ethos (or to 'preach' like st. francis 'without words').

nowhere is god or jesus mentioned on the gwc website, as a radical (and church humbling) way of saying that god's presence 'in, with and under,' god's own world, is not in any way dependent upon, or limited to, our invocation.

(gwc illuminati: zapan and djn)

the 'modern' church, especially, could benefit from a cold (yet refreshing) water wake up call, to the liquified and spirit borne truth, that wherever authentic creativity is expressed, god (the creator) is already there.... so the problem with this, in our postmodern world, is not that god is absent from creative culture, but that the church, too often is.

because of our belief in god as creator, for god followers NOT to be involved in creative culture, is like a fish forsaking water, and the native call to swim.

we've incorporated gwc as it's own non-profit, apart from apostles church, so gwc can be gleefully 'spiritual, but not religious,' and in the best sort of way!

gwc aims to be a legit art and culture collective, mixing up like any other 'crew' within the undeground/alt/art/electro culture in seattle.

gwc is not a churchy thing, nor is it a veiled bait and switch. it is rock solid 'spiritual, but not religious, word up! but why? to 'hide' the faith of it's founders? no... , but to be a marker and sign post for the kingdom, in a different sort of way.

yet still, the 'witness factor' does comes into play, whenever folk discover that gwc was started by a church, without being one.

(gwc party 'lumi-lab')

i suppose, what gwc does best is to explore, and try on 'life lived with abundance' (a gospel aim) and within 'techno-colored community,' and to express this life, in fresh forms of art, music and multi-media.

so in a way, gracewerks is both a 'pre-church' and 'post-church' expression. it seeks to 'live the aims, without any anxious need to verbalize the claims' (as it will leave that to apostles, the church).

so gwc is both a pre-church entry point for some, and a dim mirror peek for all of us, of what 'post church' being may be like, cause in the new jerusalem, there is no preaching, no temple and no church, as the whole city is radiant with god in such an organic way that words are no longer needed to live the abundant (kingdom) life.

gwc is throwin' down some 'maxlife parties' this fall. series I is called 'illuminations,' while apostles (the church) is making some moves in this direction, but is still a bit behind gracewerks' pace, in dreaming the new jerusalem and enjoying the proleptic fun. so check out gracewerks

my church plant (apostles, seattle) has little funds, but big dreams... we are seeking to raise $200,000 to launch a non-profit cafe/art gallery for god in seattle. we need both small and major donors. click below to make a tax deductible donation. if you are a major donor, please contact me off blog at: karen@apostleschurch.org

i ain't oprah, but here we go...

digital storytellers by len wilson and jason moore: at last, a book to save the world from the "modernist use of powerpoint in worship hell." if you want to torpedo boring ppt. bulleted sermon points from a modernist pastor who thinks he or she is now hip because he or she is using technology, read this book! better yet, buy the book and send it to the modernist pastor and do his/her congregation a big favor. read digital storytellers

gen x religion, ed by richard w. flory & donald e. miller, provides an accurate "npr like" documentation of religion, as actually practiced by xers, and even reflects theologically on xer subsets (like the goths) and on the phenomenon of piercing among us.
and, unlike many other xer books (filled with clever quips by boomers about xers), this book was written by serious sociologists of religion (many of them xers) who actually researched and studied churches founded by and for xers. amazing and authentic...
read gen x religion