by erinrobinsonhall@gmail.com | May 25, 2020 | Reflections, Resources, Uncategorized |
I love a good podcast. I’ve listened to them, hosted and produced them, critiqued them, used them for teaching, and listened with my children. Most of us have our favorites and we follow when new episodes will release. Why does this matter for the practice of ministry? Because we live in a time of digital connectivity. Digital connectivity, a term from digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff, refers to the ways in which internet resources and social media permeate both society and how persons relate to one another. It seems like connectivity would be such a needed thing in a time of social distancing. This may be one reason we love podcasts. But what does “community” mean in a society shaped by this kind of connectivity? When it comes to digital devices, the experience can be like what Rushkoff calls “digiphrenia.” The perceived necessity to keep pace with the onslaught of information available creates a “tension between the faux present of digital bombardment and the true now of a coherently living human.” If we didn’t believe this before #pandemicpastoring, we know it now. We are (faithfully and rightly!) distanced from in-person gatherings. We have Zoom Church, virtual gatherings and podcasts. These are a gift. And. Even as we are grateful for the opportunities that digital resources offer, we can name that technology can be exhausting. We can wonder which best practices will nourish and sustain a flourishing ministry. Digital connectivity is not an accessory to ministry but a thread that weaves throughout the lives of most congregants. Rushkoff suggests that the context of “present shock” in digital connectivity is incompatible with...
by erinrobinsonhall@gmail.com | May 6, 2020 | Prayers, Resources, Uncategorized |
It’s a gift to be able to share space with people who just get it. My friendEileen Campbell-Reed always offers me that space. We can shorthand conversations about things that matter deeply to the practice of ministry, and I know that we hear each other. That’s one of the reasons I am grateful to be part of 3MMM. These episodes offer a space for ministers to name the parts of ministry that are not easy to explore. One of those spaces, for me, is grief. Specifically, grief around motherhood. For a long time, that grief was marked by loneliness. My husband and I experienced many years of fertility treatments before our son was born in 2012. Followed by more seasons of infertility treatments, miscarriage and adoption loss. Mother’s Day has not always been easy. I am not alone in that grief. We know that 1 in 8 couples will experience infertility. Which means someone in your circle of friends. Someone in your family. Someone in your pews. Maybe someone in your pulpit. Chances are, they don’t want to tell you all the details of their grief around infertility treatments, miscarriage or infant loss. So much of this is extremely intimate and, frankly, makes no sense if you have not had to wrangle the emotions and fees and calendars and weight of this kind of loss. Those who know fertility grief know the wails of failed hope, and they walk into worship spaces where hope is spoken, sung and claimed. It’s a striking chord, and often jarring. Which is why we sing each other through it. At our first “Hannah...
by erinrobinsonhall@gmail.com | Apr 14, 2019 | Reflections, Resources |
Luke 19:28-40 We like to be prepared. I always feel better having some idea what a situation will be like. As much as my family gives me grief about saying, “What’s the plan?” I know it matters. We feel stronger with a plan. Today is Palm Sunday, the day in the Church calendar when we arm small children with weaponry (palm branches) and send them to march through the sanctuary without any eye injuries. Add to that pageantry the fact that, at our church, the children’s choir sings alongside the adult choir, and you have a recipe for some really charming chaos. Bless all the hearts. When it came right down to it, our entire plan for the day was turned around. Extreme weather was headed for our area, and the forecast included a tornado watch. With an excess of caution, our leadership made a plan: we canceled Sunday school and moved worship one hour earlier to get people home before the storms. Once again, preparation was in order. Emails, phone calls/texts, social media posts and even printed signs let people know exactly where to meet and when. Adults and children marched into worship at a different time and in different seats, smiling and waving palms. We were reminded that the people of God can handle a little flexibility and change. I hear the preparation in this story of Jesus. You’ll find this, Jesus directs his disciples. When they ask you, just say this, Jesus tells them. He walks them through what will happen. He offers them some readiness for the moments that are coming, like it or not....
by erinrobinsonhall@gmail.com | Mar 14, 2019 | Reflections, Resources |
Erin enjoys designing programs, curriculum and experiences for learners that invite imagination and spiritual formation. As part of her doctoral research on imagination, testimony and transformation, Erin explored the use of podcasting and technology by creating this podcast. Within the community of a congregation, Erin designed this podcast of testimonies, then studied its impact and implications. Erin holds a Doctorate of Educational Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary and received the 2018 Gabriel Abdullah award for the best research design program for the development of moral values, and the 2018 John Nelson Award for The Bible and the Missional Church, focusing on scripture, congregation, and...
by Erin Robinson Hall | Nov 13, 2017 | Resources |
What a gift it was to share with the women First Baptist Church of Christ Macon. When I lead retreats and events, I like to share links and content here. Our theme was Hilaritas, Voices on the Journey. Session 1. Exodus 15:11-21 invited us to think about Voices We Know By Heart We laughed with Adele in Carpool Karioke, wondering how songs can take us back to moments that have formed us. The Secret Language of the Heart is a book that tells more about neuroplasticity. Brene Brown reminded us that “what we are learning moves from our head to our heart – through our hands and feet.” Of course, we would add – through our voice and our song. Session 2. Matthew 15:22 invited us to think about Voices We Need to Hear. We confessed there are voices that we do not hear in the Church. I shared about the feeling of throat-ripping fury I had as a new mom. That feeling has always stayed with me as the first true realization I had of what it feels like to love that deeply, in a way that would move me to disruption. “It makes absolute sense to me when I see women who love their people crying out for their people. What in all the power of this world would stop me for the people I love? It wouldn’t be some convention of who is allowed what scraps at what table. No matter how many scholars have fallen all over themselves trying to re-story this so that Jesus is not really calling her a little dog, she is...
