How do we bring dreams of ministry into reality? Learn about the Seed to Harvest ministry incubation program at the October 11 lunch and learn.
LISA BATTEN
Young Adult Initiatives Coordinator, Michigan Conference
Several years ago, a colleague shared a video made by actor Shia LaBeouf called “Just Do It.” The video is quite ridiculous at first glance, with one person standing in front of a green screen reciting line after line, contorting themselves, seemingly on a rant.
LaBeouf participated in a video art project called #Introductions for Central Saint Martins, an arts college in London, UK. Each student was assigned to write a short script for the actor to perform on camera in front of a green screen. The text had to last up to 30 seconds or no more than 100 words.
LaBeouf wound up performing 36 of the pieces in a single day, with various segments involving him wearing a motorcycle helmet, using a British accent, and standing on his head. LaBeouf has been mocked for being crazy and unaware. But, in fact, he intended to make a performance piece. It seems that LaBeouf and his collaborators knew what they were doing very well. In this case, the video art wasn’t just what LaBeouf performed or what the Central Saint Martins students created from it. There was a ripple of creativity, and, in the end, the performance art also included an Internet full of inspired, witty, and quickly made videos.
Often, our dreams for new ministry or reviving an existing ministry seem ridiculous. We often feel like we don’t know what we are doing. We wonder about our capacity in these post-COVID times. We want to yell and contort ourselves into making our dream of vital ministry into reality.
The Michigan Conference Seed to Harvest ministry incubation program supports our dreams for new and revitalized ministry. Grounded in a theology that God is the true incubator and innovator, we center human need, drawing from what we already know about ourselves and our communities, to bring dreams of ministry into reality.
Past cohort members share their experience of Seed to Harvest ministry incubation. Rev. Cora Glass says, “Ministry incubation helped me give focused time and attention to a ministry dream I’d carried for many years. My cohort, along with time, mentoring, and coaching, helped me launch my LLC and gave me tools to proceed with confidence.”
Rev. Paul Reissmann explains, “Ministry incubation gave me the courage and resources to imagine what God has placed on my heart for ministry. It’s reinvigorated a sense of creativity in ministry at a time when hope and dread were all too tempting.”
And Rev. Jenaba Waggy notes, “Seed to Harvest helped me put plans to hopes, giving timeliness and concrete accountability measures to something I thought no one else would take seriously.”
What is your dream of meeting an unmet need in your community? What is the seed of an idea you have for new ministry? What is the act of love you cannot not share? Don’t let your dreams just be dreams. Join me on Oct 11, 2023, at 12:15 pm Eastern / 11:15 am Central for a lunch and learn about Seed to Harvest ministry incubation. The Michigan Conference’s Seed to Harvest program is designed to support individuals and teams from local congregations that have a seed of an idea to address a need in their community. Click the button below to register for the lunch and learn or watch live via our Facebook page.
Last Updated on January 30, 2024