by The Rt. Rev. Cathleen Chittenden Bascom
“…nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:39
Across the diocese, many of us have been reading a book by Alan J. Roxburgh that solidly rests on the Gospel accounts (particularly Luke 10) of Jesus sending “the seventy others” to engage the people and places of their neighborhoods.
Recently, I have been helped by seeing my “neighborhood” – which can feel a little vague – in terms of what social scientists are calling Third Places and Third Spaces. In a foundational book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburgh argues that for a healthy existence, citizens must live in a balance of home life, workplace, and the Third Place. Other cultures have this idea, for instance, the French word rendezvous relates to the third realm of existence. Time in the Third Place brings both individual benefits and social value. Third Space theory shares many ideas but focuses on spaces that form our cultural and social identities related to how we engage them.
Historically, and still, churches are Third Places and Spaces. But, while Jesus and his followers spent time in synagogue being formed by worship and scripture, in Luke 10 he sends them into Third Places. They are to seek out what God is already doing there (find peace – shalom) and to share and connect people to Jesus’ Way of Love. As practical theologian Sam Wells writes, we “are called not to guide people’s escape from the world, but to celebrate creation, enjoy culture, and share in flourishing life.” There is no space separate from the love of God!
Where are your Third Places other than your parish? Central to me are gardens and prairies — both to nurture and spend restorative time; coffee shops and wine bars; art museums and writers’ groups. These are places where there are people with whom I share many good interests and values.
It happens that I became a Christian in a Third Place: the mogul-filled ski slopes of Aspen, Colorado. A high school friend invited me on a spiritual weekend there. (The evangelist was not part of what I expected!) In reflection, I realize that Colorado friends and I would engage together in the Third Place of the Rockies. We would marvel at the granite peaks and vistas and wildflowers and wildlife, and they would speak to me of how they found an intimate, loving Creator there.
When I enter the Third Places of my community now, I want to be aware that God is already at work. I want to enjoy and celebrate. I want to be moved to share openly how God connects with the goodness there. I hope that we can all experience this deep and abiding connection of the “Love of God in Christ Jesus” in these spaces. And whether it’s in the mountain heights or the depths of the church basement, may our hearts be open to find the love of God that is all around us.
This year your diocesan Council of Trustees have worked passionately and tirelessly in strategic planning and goal setting. At Convention, the Council members will share the four priority areas of mission we’ve discerned and there will be opportunity for all delegates to choose breakout sessions to learn more and offer feedback.
This year’s theme Go, See and Be Seen arises from one objective: “Nurture a Culture of Invitation.” The strategic objective which we see as the centerpiece of our strategic calling is “Congregational Vitality.” This will be my fifth Convention and it is a joy to welcome back the Ninth Bishop of Kansas Dean Wolfe. In the Bishops’ address, +Dean and I will share elements of congregational vitality we have witnessed in our combined decades of church leadership and offer a few ideas about vitality in the new era before us.
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