creative belonging

 

Creative Belonging is a new parish-wide program at St. Stephen’s that seeks to create the conditions for belonging in order to build and sustain community across lines of difference, especially race.

 

The word “creative” is perhaps most associated with artistic ability, but it’s also more than that. Quite simply, “creative” means to be “marked by the ability or power to create” (Merriam-Webster) or “relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something” (Oxford). What are we seeking to create? Belonging. A strong affinity or sense of relationship. Coinherence. Mutual existence. Shared sense of place. Intimacy. Complex collectivity. Belonging is not something that just happens; it is not a given. It requires activity and imagination on our part with God’s help (as our baptismal covenant reminds us).

  • However, Creative Belonging isn’t exactly like other programs.

  • Creative Belonging isn’t a workshop. It isn’t a training. 

  • Creative Belonging is a series of interactive experiences and responses.

It is intimately connected with our spiritual development. To create ways for us to draw closer to one another is to draw closer to God. Likewise, developing a closer relationship with God should move us to create a sense of belonging with those around us. 

The program is based on a framework developed by our Director of Formation, Jeremy Godwin, as part of his dissertation research. This framework, called a “theo-aeshetic” approach, blends together theology and the arts. 

UPDATE

We held our first Creative Belonging experience, Christ Culture Community in late January 2020. It was an exhibition that explored images of Christ throughout American history and their cultural impact. It was followed by a parish discussion a couple of weeks later.

As we were planning for the second experience, the pandemic happened. 

Creative Belonging’s experiences are meant to be in-person, interpersonal, and multisensory. Nevertheless, the mission of the program remains strong. Now that our formation programs are up and running again, we are working toward a relaunch in the near future. Stay tuned for more details.

You can find more information about the specifics of the approach and the program here.