My first Con experience was summer Con ‘08: the Con that everyone groans at collectively knowing what the aftermath was. For those who don’t know, these things were not good (to say the least) and almost tore our community apart. However, I don’t think I would have come back to the Con community if I hadn’t gone to the alleged "summer Con." But that isn’t my point. My point is from that Con came the growth that has happened over the past few years. Last year at Fall Con 09’- TheologiCON, much of the community was renewed through the efforts of the YES team (Youth Empowerment Services), the Con staff, and everyone who participated. I am extremely happy to say that these efforts have been up held at our most recent Fall Con ‘10, IndividUUality. I could tell you that we had no CAC's (Conference Affairs Committee), but that truly doesn't give you a clear picture of what happened during the weekend. It wasn’t just the efforts of YES and the staff, it was YOU; the con community as a whole took part in making a stronger, safer, and loving community.
Planning a Con... is...well, hectic.
After debating about T-shirt colors for about two hours during our 2nd official Con meeting, we finally got down to business. We then we realized how much work we had cut out for ourselves. I remember in the meeting looking over at Ian Grendon (my co-worship planner), and seeing the look of “...Oh my chalice... What have I gotten myself into?” Through many emails, text messages, phone calls, google docs, and a trip to Olympia (and procrastinating and watching old episodes of the TV show The Dinosaurs), we managed to get worship planned out... for the most part... though both of us did forget to get the final script printed out before leaving for Con.Planning a Con... is...well, hectic.
As Worship planner and YES team member I was running around (with Ian) all weekend while very sick with a terrible cold. Though I didn’t feel that I was a part of the community as much as I wanted to be, I still felt very connected. Being a part of a worship vs. leading a worship is a very different experience. I wanted to give everyone powerful and meaningful worship experiences, which was very stressful. Much of Saturday and Friday was spent making sure things were going to run smoothly later in the night, but as Ian and I realized, we can’t plan everything. This Con was truly a learning experience.
Friday night’s worship was... interesting. Not exactly what we planned to be. We knew going in that it was not going to be the strongest worship. However we learned, and grew, and knew we could take this knowledge on to the next worships.
Saturday night worship was the most challenging: we had no idea how it would go, and our prayers to the weather gods hadn’t worked as a steady rain fell. During setup we were running around, hoping that the rain wouldn’t put out the fire and candles, while simultaneously freaking out about whether anything would catch fire. Not to mention wondering how long people could bear the rain and in general how the heck we would make this work.
However, I think Saturday night’s worship was made even more powerful by the rain. My thoughts as we walked down to the fire pit, half screaming, half hoarsely singing were...well, probably not blog appropriate. But as we read aloud in the rain, with my cracking voice and Ian’s calm and collective manner, I realized what we had done and accomplished together. We had created a space for people, everyone if they wished, to search. To search deep within themselves and stretch to the limits of their existence, of their hearts, minds and souls.
I was reaffirmed by this constantly looking upon the faces of the community as they threw their pieces of wood - representing their barriers - into the fire while singing. It was an experience I will never forget. It was as if I had a bird's eye view of everybody’s light, their pulsing souls. Looking in on something so private, but utterly welcoming, I knew we had done well and I have the community to thank for truly respecting worship and helping create a scared space.
Sunday worship was gratifying, after the tremendous strain we put on ourselves for Saturday night's worship. It was a way to ease our pains as we knew this weekend was coming to a close. As worship planners, our hopes were that people would carry these worships/Con experiences with them: a beacon of light and to act on what they had experienced, the experience of remembering their pains and joys, breaking down barriers, and then transforming them into something positive. Something that will better you, the community, the world.
I love our Con community. I am proud to say that the next generation of Con attendees will carry out the culture we put forth, which is not to say we don't have room for improvement. This community will always will be growing, expanding, changing, for the better.
As my co-worship planner put so poetically, reflecting on the Con experience:
"I felt so old. In less than 48 hours, I had experienced the loss of friends forever, the failures and victories of love, the inevitable progression of people throughout the Con world, and more love, recognition, and appreciation than I’ve ever had in my life." - Ian Grendon
Thank you, everyone. To everyone that went to Fall Con. To everyone that cried, laughed, sang, danced, played Lap Tag, smiled, and hugged. To everyone a part of the Con community.
And remember: “We are raising up like the phoenix of the fire, so brothers and sisters spread your wings and fly higher....”
Thank you.
In faith,
Elissa
Co-Worship planner of Fall Con ‘10- IndividUUality
YES Team
“Let us open ourselves, here, now,
to the process of becoming more whole-
of living more fully,
of giving and forgiving more freely,
of understanding more completely the
meaning of our lives here on earth.”
-Timothy Haley
