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Last year at about this time, we felt the spirit move. Kirstin and I were listening to a presentation by Bill Strickland of Manchester Craftsmen's Guild at the annual Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh and an idea began to take shape.

Strickland shared his amazing story, from growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh to creating a world-class community center that transforms the lives of kids and families in that same neighborhood. He spoke of bringing beauty into the inner-city and giving kids his prescription for thriving: sunlight, affection and good food.

His story isn't some pie-in-the-sky liberal do-gooding; he's driven to see kids live into their deep potential so this country can solve some of its most entrenched social problems. And he's got the statistics to show that his program is working. When almost 50% of students of color are drop out of high school, over 90% of the students in his program graduate. He has training programs teaching welfare mothers how to be gourmet chefs, horticulturalists and pharmaceutical technicians--the same women who have been told time and time again that they aren't worth anything. It's amazing what a little sunlight and attention can do for the human spirit.

A few months later, we took the leap of faith that is the Imagining Space project. We have a long way to go and our project will look a lot different than Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, but a lot of the underlying motivation is similar. We want to create a beautiful space for the people of Three Rivers and for students around North America, cultivating opportunities to transform this community and others toward abundant flourishing. With your help, I'm pretty sure we can do it ... we'll just need to be patient and keep pressing on toward the goal!

I'd highly recommend watching Strickland's lecture below. Unfortunately, the photos he's showing during the presentation didn't make it into the video; however, the story is still inspiring to hear. Just imagine what we might be able to do in Three Rivers!

Last weekend (as many of you know), a film class from Calvin College visited Three Rivers to film a short promotional video for Imagining Space and a short, original film with Huss School as the shoot location.

Overall, the experience seems to have been a great success! The students had a great time in Three Rivers and all of the logistical details were seamlessly attended to by local friends (thanks Julie and Tim!). It was really wonderful to see such creative people using the space; hopefully the weekend was a glimpse into the future.

We're looking forward to seeing the final edits of both films. In fact, we're exploring the possibility of showing the original short somewhere in Three Rivers when it's ready ... we'll see!

Bruce Snook has posted a wonderful story with audio and photos about our first adventure in hosting an educational program at Huss School. Rob and I are working in Grand Rapids this week, so we can't be on site in Three Rivers to help host the students until tomorrow evening, but the process of getting things set up and watching them go smoothly from afar has been so exciting--what we were hoping to do and what everyone is chipping in to help achieve is actually happening!

Witness the ripple effects... A class of 10 film students, three actors and one professor are in Three Rivers for three days and nights. For fourteen people who have probably never been to Three Rivers before, suddenly our town is on their radar. They're not only making a connection with a place, but with people: journalists who are recording the story of their project, community organizers whom they're interviewing for their films, and pastors and other friends who are providing food and accommodations. Though students subsist on little, the money they have been able to collect for a food budget has been distributed to local grocery stores and farmers. Their work at the school is bringing artistic eyes to the neighborhood and laughter and creativity to the building. The fruits of their work--a promotional film for the future projects of the school and an original piece written and produced by the students--will eventually be seen by hundreds, maybe even thousands more people. Beyond the films themselves, the adventure of filming on location in such a unique town and building will be a story the students tell over and over again for the rest of their lives.

And it all started with a conversation. Then a few e-mails and a lot of prayers. Then a group of over 150 people around the world, all contributing what they were able to give to help meet a preposterous goal.

To be continued...

We'll be hosting a film class and a spring break trip--both from Calvin College--at Huss in the next few months and we're going to do quite a bit of preparation if we're to be properly hospitable. The school is currently winterized (no heat, no running water), so we're going to treat it a bit like indoor winter camping. We'd ideally like to get one room operable with electric space heaters, coffee makers and some comfortable seating.

Toward that end, we've started a list of things we're looking for to help stock our hospitality room. If you'd be able to donate any of these items, please contact us!

We're also doing a workday next Tuesday, December 29, to get the room set up for the film class in January. If you're in the area and would like to help, drop us a line and show up around 9:00 in the morning. We'll have some coffee on!

One: Watch! Wait! The day of God is at hand!
All: Like the bud on a tree, God's possibilities are about to blossom!
One: Stay awake! The reign of God is very near.
All: We are here, watching and waiting with hope.
All: May God bring justice to all people. May God's reign come on earth as in heaven.

An Advent litany from Hymnal: A Worship Book (1992)

As we met with our board of directors last Friday, it felt appropriate that we were gathering and discerning in the middle of Advent--a time of waiting and expectation. The incarnation of God teaches us that anything can happen, that our longing will be satisfied in ways we could never have foreseen.

We didn't come out of our board meeting with any spectacular revelations or perfect plans. Rather, we came out of it with a much-needed sense of patience, re-committed to growing *culture is not optional together in imaginative, discerning, sustainable ways. Throughout the day, we met with local members of the Three Rivers Area Faith Community, where the vision for a youth and family center at Huss School originated. Their perspective on what the Three Rivers community needs and how our resources might meet those needs will continue to be invaluable as we cultivate relationships of love and accountability. We also toured and said words of blessing at Huss School--just the first of many blessings on the site, we expect. Since some of our board members were meeting in person for the first time, we shared abundant meals and conversation in the middle of more formal business. We look forward to gathering again as a board early in the new year.

Finances continue to be a concern until we get back on our feet with a revised plan for fundraising. Since we last updated you about our efforts with the Imagining Space project, a small Three Rivers congregation contributed over $700 in special offerings toward the project; a group of college staff members raised $800 for Huss as their collective Christmas donation; and an individual donor committed to contribute monthly toward our electric bill. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity and vision behind these gifts. God continues to provide where our efforts fall short.

As we approach the end of 2009, we would be grateful for any financial contribution you can make. $40 keeps the electricity on for one month, $360 covers insurance and $500 meets one mortgage payment. We believe that this project will always depend on the gifts of many people, contributing money, time, prayers and skills as they are able--and it will be stronger for having the investment of many, rather than just a few. Please let us know what you can offer. We would love to start 2010 with four months of expenses in the bank, which means raising $2,000 in addition to the gifts listed above before the end of the year. One-time and monthly donations can be made online. In kind gifts can be communicated by sending us a message through our contact page.

Bigger plans will be needed over time to realize the full potential of the space. In the meantime, there's nothing stopping us from beginning good work on the site. In January, we will host our first out-of-town group at the school. However, this group won't be scrubbing floors and painting walls; they'll be filming! We're glad that a film class from Calvin College will have the opportunity to use the building in its current somewhat-spooky state as a unique film set while they learn practical writing, acting and production skills. We're also looking forward to revealing more to all of you visually in the form of a promotional video the group will make as part of their exchange for using the space.

In March, we'll host our first work group, as several Calvin College students will use their spring break to serve and learn in Three Rivers. The board is already imagining ways to draw more of you into the work and creativity of that week, so watch for more details.

Thank you for your attentiveness to the Imagining Space project throughout 2009. Just one year ago, we never would have anticipated that *cino would have such abundant building and land space as a canvas on which to paint a bold, colorful, interactive Kingdom-oriented vision. Thank God for graciously setting aside this time of year for us to delve into the goodness of hope, of giddy excitement, of earth-shaking surprises.

Last night after Compline, we sat up late into the night with Brother Cuthbert and two long-time Abbey guests at St. Gregory's in Three Rivers. We had a great rambling conversation about the possibilities for partnership between *cino's Imagining Space project and the Abbey, which seem to be myriad. Exploring the combination and intersection of cultural engagement with a contemplative focus seems like it could yield some interesting and winsome results.

The monks (particularly Brother Cuthbert) have been very supportive and encouraging; we look forward to working with them in future!

Last night we held a hastily-arranged question and answer session in Three Rivers about the Imagining Space project. We gathered at World Fare (the fair trade store Kirstin and I helped found in 2003) to eat delicious treats (thanks Amber!) and discuss possibilities for the Huss School property.

About a dozen people with various connections to the project--from neighborhood residents to relatives--talked about dreams, obstacles and fundraising ideas. The excitement buzzing around the table was invigorating; everyone in Three Rivers who hears about this project seems to be happy at the prospect of the building being used for something that will bring many benefits to the community.

If we manage to purchase Huss, we'll certainly be doing more of these sessions in the future!