As part of my internship at the Lutheran Office for World Community at the United Nations, I'm priveleged to work in a diverse ecumenical environment on variety of important issues. One of the issues I spend the most time on is gender equality, predominately through supporting the communications work of an organization called Ecumenical Women (EW). As stated on their website, the work of EW is to:
As a coalition, we seek to give those traditionally excluded from political decision making bodies, opportunities to speak truth to power through partnerships with our communities and through bringing women from around the world to the United Nations. Our Ecumenical Women coalition advocates for gender justice at the United Nations, incorporating annual advocacy trainings for our constituencies and delegations, network building and policy recommendations which challenge structures of inequality. Members of Ecumenical Women advocate not only for a few improvements but for a fundamental system change in church and state to invest in and empower women worldwide.
EW primarily does this work through bringing delegates to the United Nations for formation and advocacy efforts during the annual Commision on the Status of Women (CSW).
During an expert consultation to prepare for this year's CSW, a member of the EW team, Rev. Kathleen Stone, wrote and directed a retelling of the Daughter of Jepthah story from Judges 10 - 11 that was performed in the Chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations on October 25th, 2012. As a judge of Israel, Jepthah vows to make a sacrifice to God if he is victorious in battle against the Ammonites. While the Ammonites are indeed defeated, Jepthah ends up sacrificing his daughter. As the priority theme of this year's CSW57 is "elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls," this retelling of the Daughter of Jepthah story is meant to both give voice to those women and girls who have been victims of violence across the globe and to explore how the Scriptures and traditional definitions of faithfulness can be properly questioned.
You can check out a taping of the performance below:
Be sure to learn about Ecumenical Women and the Commision on the Status of Women more thoroughly, and I'd love to hear what you think about the performance.
God's peace,
Dustin
Dustin is currently a vicar at the Lutheran Office for World Community and Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan, having recently completed his second year of a Masters of Divinity program at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. While seeking ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, his focus is on the intersection between worship, service and justice building in de-centralized faith communities unencumbered by a traditional church building. In his free time, Dustin really likes playing frisbee, hiking and pretending to know how to sing.
For about a month now, the first hour or so of most of my days here in New York have started the same: The alarm on my decade-ish old flip-phone goes off, I quietly lament to myself that the world starts too early, take a quick shower, put on one of two suits I still feel fairly uncomfortable wearing, run out the door and then down a few blocks to hop on the 7 train that takes me into Manhattan. I rarely find a seat but can usually still get a good view of the cityscape in front of me through the crowd of other commuters, a view that almost always includes a chance to check out 5Pointz.
I didn't know much about New York before moving here (and probably still don't) so the first couple times I glimpsed the structure through still sleepy eyes, I figured it was just an old factory covered in graffiti. Quickly though I realized it was an intentional work of art, a living gallery really, and ever since that time I've spent a couple minutes each morning trying to spot new characters crowded amongst increasingly familiar pieces and signatures. Frankly, it's a pretty awesome way to start my day.
A labyrinth, bottom left of the picture.
It was only today though that I spotted something at 5Pointz that definitely wasn't expected: a prayer labyrinth! A type of contemplative prayer space that has been used for centuries by folks of many different faiths (a bunch of medieval cathedrals still have them), the labyrinth isn't a maze but rather a single path one slowly walks, praying at each turn and then quietly listening in the center to what God might be saying back.
The history of 5Pointz, for me at least, makes the presence of a prayer labyrinth there all the more important. Termed "The Institute of Higher Burning," 5Pointz began in 1993 not only as graffiti art gallery but also an affordable studio space for over 200 hundred artists. What was formerly an old industrial complex ended up becoming a global meeting place for a diverse mix of artists... rappers, break-dancers, filmmakers and photographers in addition to the folks who have stunningly covered the walls of the place. Unfortunately, after someone was injured by a fire escape collapse in 2009, the art studios were closed, and it appears that the entire complex will be demolished in September 2013. That said, boy, for as long as 5Pointz still stands, the prayer labyrinth there provides a powerful testament that faith is for all sorts of folks, not simply the clean-cut or typically defined as well-behaved by society.
While I think things have improved a bit in recent years, for far too long the city in general has been cast as place of vice or that which is "not-Christian" by way too many (usually) well intentioned believers. Although I had a taste of how inaccurate and unhelpful such views were before moving here, the little time I've spent in New York so far and especially my exposure to sacred spaces like the prayer labyrinth at 5Pointz has further strengthened my conviction that the city is a place where faith is alive, well and constantly dancing into new and exciting forms of expression. Thanks so much!
God's peace,
Dustin
Dustin is currently a vicar at the Lutheran Office for World Community and Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan, having recently completed his second year of a Masters of Divinity program at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. While seeking ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, his focus is on the intersection between worship, service and justice building in de-centralized faith communities unencumbered by a traditional church building. In his free time, Dustin likes playing frisbee, hiking and pretending to know how to sing.
