“Congregations offer various rites of passage for young people, but have largely ignored the many opportunities to honor and ritualize the life stages and transitions of adulthood, and it’s time to have a detailed practical guide for how to do this well. ”
My project is focused on creating a congregation-based adult rite of passage experience for an age-diverse cohort of approximately 8-15 people. Rather than focus on a particular stage of life, the cohort would be composed of adults of various decades, placing people in their 20s and 80s and decades in between in conversation with one another.
As initially conceived, the pillars of this formation experience will be two group retreat days. The first will be focused on looking back on one’s life and ancestors, the second focused on honoring the present and anticipating the call ahead. Various rituals will occur throughout the time, and conversation across generations will be key. Special attention will be paid to how one’s life is part of what Thomas Berry called “The Great Work” of healing and justice-doing in the world. Personal work before, between, and after the retreat days will be proposed. The collective experience will culminate in a public blessing during a Sunday worship service.
This would become an annual event integrated into congregational life with a new cohort each year, significantly impacting adult formation.
The leave time enabled by this grant will provide unhurried space to research, consult, draft, test, and refine this creation.