Liturgy, improv & power

11-minute podcast episode. What could liturgy and mutual aid have in common? Both are actions that, when done creatively, give all parties the freedom to respond in life-giving ways and to discover themselves in community.

This the second of two podcast episodes about a small Arlington church that sold its building and land at a discount to make way for Gilliam Place, a six-story affordable-housing building.

The first episode examines the 12-year democratic process that resulted in the sale and, at the same time, transformed Arlington Presbyterian Church from an introverted destination church to an outgoing community church.

Above: Rev. Ashley Goff leads a portion of a service at Arlington Presbyterian this past spring

This second episode covers what happened to Arlington Presbyterian soon after they began renting a ground-floor suite in Gilliam Place, their old space newly transformed. Spoiler alert: Covid happened. With Covid, a different process started, one just as democratic and covenantal as the one that got them from "no" to "yes" on the land and building sale. But the process during covid wasn't procedural. It was improvisational.

Victoria and I interview the church’s pastor, Ashley Goff, who explains the cross-pollination among liturgy, community organizing, improv, and social transformation. We also interview Susan Robbins Etherton, a longstanding church member who helped to guide the church to its new meeting place and self-understanding.

Above: some of the folks at Arlington Presbyterian

Our thanks to Matrika for the licensed use of “When We Were Young” from Uppbeat. License code: QE0XDGAX1L4G84BZ.

Above: our daughter Bethany at the entrance to the church’s new space at Gilliam Place

In the episode, I cite these two sources:

Kohn, Jerome. “Introduction.” In Responsibility and Judgment, by Hannah Arendt. New York: Schocken, 2003, xxiii.

Madson, Patricia Ryan. Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. New York: Bell Tower, 2005, 15.