Creative Rite-ing, New Ritual Creation

Sat 1 PM | Healing Arts

Rev. Dr. Chris Davies and Rev. Tracy Howe Wispelwey, United Church of Christ

We have religious rites for things like confirmation and installing a new pastor. What about when a community experiences collective trauma like gun violence? What about when a friend has a double mastectomy? What about a job transition or planting new vegetables in the garden? What if we just think our neighborhood needs a little more magic? Join Rev. Dr. Chris Davies and Rev. Tracy Howe Wispelwey for this participatory and very practical workshop that will be playful, hopeful, healing and heartfelt. Chris and Tracy both work for the National Setting of the United Church of Christ seeking innovation, innovators, creative conspirators, and the rest towards building a just world for all. Chris has years of experience writing rituals for all manner of life circumstance and happening in and out of the church. Tracy is a songwriter, music producer, and liturgist. They are pretty excited to have fun facilitating this together and would love you to join them!

Tracy Howe Wispelwey

Tracy is a musician, producer, and the Minister for Community and Congregational Engagement for the United Church of Christ. She networks with artists, liturgists, and cultural workers in helping congregations become communities of resistance and resilience. She founded Restoration Village Arts and believes beauty is integral to justice. She lives near the Rivanna river in Charlottesville, VA.
restorationvillagearts.org

Sessions:
274 Creative Rite-ing, New Ritual Creation
275 Musical Performance: Tracy Howe Wispelwey (The Liturgy of #Charlottesville)
402 Musical Performance: Tracy Howe Wispelwey (Live, Social Gospel Soul)

Chris Davies

Chris S. Davies is the curator of Queer Clergy Trading Cards. She currently works for the United Church of Christ and is the point person for Congregational Assessment, Support, and Advancement at the National offices. Chris is a local beer enthusiast, creative queer liturgist, and dreamer beyond the normative church. She is a Connecticut native, a Cleveland transplant, and a wandering Irish Rover at heart. This project is a project of revolutionary love, bringing visibility to queer clergy, using humor and irreverence to help change the conversation to highlight common awe (and absurdities) in faith work. The project tells the stories of what oft is an isolating experience, and invites community beyond denomination. Chris loves Jesus and church deeply, and wants to help vision how we can transform the world, for the sake of the Gospel.
www.queerclergytradingcards.org

Sessions:
274 Creative Rite-ing, New Ritual Creation
304 From the Building to the Bus
305 Lament in the Church

Session #274