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bigtent2017
2020 Vision Team discusses a church-sponsored coffee shop where the baristas are trained in pastoral care; a new congregation worshiping in a shopping mall; churches using their resources creatively — transforming unused buildings into affordable housing or incubators for faith development and spiritual practices.
In the New Testament, Jesus shared the Parable of the Sower with his disciples. In that story, Jesus explains that as the sower sows the seeds, some may fall on rocky ground or among the thorns, while other seeds flourish in rich soil.
Nearly 300 Big Tent participants were treated to Friday evening visits at one of five area Presbyterian congregations to hear various St. Louis experiences of racism and to begin processing the “Holy Conversations around Race” that began during this week’s event.
By a show of hands, a large portion of those attending a Big Tent plenary Friday afternoon (July 7) indicated they had at least read Waking Up White by Debby Irving, a book about white privilege commended to the church by General Assembly Co-Moderators Jan Edmiston and T. Denise Anderson.
The shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri nearly three years ago, continues to impact the communities of St. Louis and the nation. That’s the assessment of a panel discussion titled “Grounding Big Tent in the St. Louis Context” held at Big Tent on Thursday.
Before the opening plenary of Big Tent 2017, participants came together for a time of gathering and community building. But it was anything but the usual meet and greet.
