Pastor Gail Thiessen spent the months of January through March (2010) enjoying a sabbatical experience. She rested (keeping true to the Biblical sabbath roots of sabbaticals) and she also went to the remotest place she could imagine that still spoke the English language: New Zealand.
Thiessen is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Marshalltown, IA. While she tried to give shape to her “time away,” she took to heart the recent experiences of her congregation. The church had spent the last 14 years trying to decide how to re-orient its way of life. The church discerned that their mission, their calling in the community, even their worship space would be different. They had completely turned around and renovated their sanctuary. It was an 180-degree change. And as the congregation’s leaders reflected on their recent mission trips, they realized that the trips involved caring for God’s creation. They’d built wells; they’d helped sustainable agriculture. They knew their calling was tightly woven with the calling to tend human-to-human relationships and the human-to-creation relationship.
So Thiessen went exploring. Her question: “If my congregation is moving away from a dominion relationship with God’s creation to a ‘tending‘ relationship; and, if they’re wanting to avoid the polarizing effect that politics and religion have on their environmental stances, then I want to join them by asking ‘what’s possible?’”
Her answer sounds enormous: a change of heart.
Thiessen is not naive to the paralysis people feel when struggling with questions of how to care. “Changes of heart do not happen with logical or reasoned arguments. It does little good to point fingers or to give all of the reasons supporting or denying global warming, environmental change, or the reasons to use CFL light bulbs. Changes of heart happen with personal experience, and when people believe that change is possible, that it is good, and that it is bigger than themselves.”
Thiessen’s sabbatical journey was underwritten by the Lilly Foundation and was generously supported by her congregation. Thiessen has already led the Central CC leaders in some reflections and shared experiences from her time in New Zealand. ”The people who are the most excited about it are not the ones I expected. They’re not the environmentalists. The people with the most energy are the fence-riders, the ones are are committed to being stewards of God’s creation, but do not buy all of the political stances that have accompanied this conviction.”
Thiessen sounds like an evangelist, even though she’s the first to admit that it was her host culture in New Zealand who shared it with her. The diverse, almost completely “unchurched” culture in New Zealand whole-heartedly lived a more conscious lifestyle. ”They were aware that every decision they made would have some impact on their neighbor. The human-to-human relationship intertwines with the human-to-creation relationship.”
Thiessen developed a nine-week small group curriculum as well as a “teaser” version for her upcoming workshop at School for Congregational Learning on August 28th. She looks forward to seeing it offered in school groups, civic organizations, and in churches across the country.
Are you:
- not sure how you can fit into all of this?
- a “fence-sitter” who cares, but is skeptical of the political stances?
- afraid that any personal changes will be overwhelming or paralyzing?
If so, please attend the worship on August 28th
Ask Pastor Gail questions at pastor.gail@centraldoc.org