We got to hear some well-crafted and deftly delivered "sermonettes" from David Owen O'Quill and Qiyamah Rahman at our opening worship. They both addressed the theme of darkness and light in life and what to do "when the lights go out." David talked about his two-year-old's recognition of the necessity of darkness in order to fully experience light--flashlights aren't very fun to play with in well-lit spaces.
Mark Hicks led us through some experiential learning exercises centered on the theme of "who loved us into this place." We wrote "six-word novels" that told the stories of ourselves and the people that helped bring us here. And we created some clay artwork to represent what and/or who anchors us in our journeys.
Sharon Welch and Mike Hogue walked us through all three years of the MDiv program, with an emphasis on the "signature courses" that are at the heart of the Meadville educational model. And now I hope to get some rest before dinner and our evening session.
My main regret in life right now is that there's no air conditioning in our meeting space, but we're all hanging tough so far.
