Their site is nicely designed, but their stated “goals” need some Web-based “for instance”. I love the language, and certainly know what they are encouraging, but the world of readers needs some definition, and I’m sure the past participants would value continued contact with such reflection.
The site puts forth their “offerings”
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Becoming the Gospel
A one-day workshop offered to groups locally or in other places. This day gives an experiential overview of spirituality, mission and life in community. Other Wellspring Events Events focusing on various apects of inward and outward journey in community are offered from time to time, such as Living Life Out of Call, the Pilgrims Event, Deepening the Inward Journey, School of Christian Living, as well as others. After attending a Wellspring Gathering, groups may request: |
It seems that the latter section on “after attending”, there are possibilities for “online extensions” to the Wellspring experience. There are certainly opportunities for participants to continue to “dialogue” and to contribute their own suggestions, links, etc.
COS has always been a great aggregator of crucial issues for the Church, and an incubator for mission. Their diversity of mission naturally positions them as a “Resource” to other Churches, and gives them an effective role in aggregating resources on a wide variety of issues. I see the need to collaborate with them to build an online database, discussion forums, and weblogs, and to integrate all of these.
This is as great an omission as it would have been if there had been no Elizabeth O’ Connor to chronicle the journey of the Church of the Saviour as she did. The Web, and the people who use it to explore the spiritual landscape NEED the stories that continue to happen in the wider COS community. There are SO MANY good writers and articulators of mission among them who could do a MEAN Weblog. I mean a KILLER one (and many branches off of it).
Their RSS feed would be a huge compendium of Christian resources which challenge and cal the Church out of it slumber and into engagement with its culture, its people, and the world. The Journey Inward and Journey Outward as lived out by the people of The Church of the Saviour over the years (and today) needs such a “Story-telling” container and branches to the various ministries and transformations that are happening.
I am hoping that in some of my Sojourners contact and Web project possibilities with them looming, I will have the opportunity to visit the COS communities again and find someone with whom I can spark some dialogue about the Web possibilities. The COS Web model I envision could become a “template” for other Churcehs to utilize. Not only is this “template” a “design” , but more so, a “taxonomy” of connections and relationships that aid Churches who use the template to see some connections between Christian ministry and social and spiritual issues with which they have never become involved or realized. The template, with its “database structure” could be a kind of guide to the way Church, Society, and Community intersect.