Fall

October 1, 2010

Greetings from Lägom Landing!

The first touches of fall are appearing. Maples beginning to turn red, the smell of leaves decaying in the woods. Flocks of birds preparing to head south.

Fall touches a melancholy part of my heart. It reminds me of loss. The illusion that I can hold on to or control life is stripped away. How ironic that this painful reminder comes in such dramatic beauty.

Laurel, my son Jake, and I spent five days in New Orleans during the fifth year anniversary of Katrina. That city can be a powerful gateway for entering into our own loss, a picture of the way life at times has overwhelmed us. Our trip was a memorial to Jamie Smith, a builder and member of the Laurelton United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, who had made many trips to New Orleans. Jamie died suddenly in May of 2009. As we shared memories of Jamie and looked at pictures of our March 2009 trip with him, I could sense how bonded we all are to the city that has lost so much. Life is fragile. We are helpless in the storms that come our way.

The Gulf Coast is a clear reminder of our deep need for one another. 5 years later there are still flocks of volunteers involved in the rebuilding process. The joy of homeowners returning to their house is matched by the joy of the volunteers involved in the rebuilding process. We hope this kind of reciprocal experience of goodness will be central to Lägom Landing.

In the birthing of Lägom Landing, the ebb and flow of life reveals itself to us. For everything there is a season. It has been a time of some frustration as we deal with the bureaucracy of New York state in our incorporation process, our applications bouncing between the education and the corporation offices. The cold, hard truth that the timing of our dream must conform to the powers that be. Part of this process is accepting that Lägom Landing will not be running (in an official capacity, anyway) in 2011. As the non-profit corporation status is delayed and we enter more deeply into our business plan, it has been made clear that all that needs to be accomplished cannot happen in our original timeframe.

The projected date for launching the program is now Fall of 2012. We do hope to have an informal “pilot year” community of young people here starting in the fall of 2011, to begin sharing life together (western NY friends--if you know of young people who might be interested, let us know!). These would be people who are already plugged into a job, but could use help with a free place to stay, in exchange with helping us experiment and plan our programming and life together.

In a few weeks, we are scheduled to break ground on the new home which will be the hub of the Lägom Landing community: a traditional cape-cod style home with a big inviting wraparound porch. We pray that this will be a place of welcome--a place of rest, but also an invitation to explore some of the inner adventure of life.

Laurel and I attended a stimulating and imaginative conversation at Stony Point Center north of NYC about the changing shape of young adult energy toward the church. we saw a clearer picture of young peoples’ challenge to find meaning and connection in an increasingly detached world.

The traditional forms of “church” do not seem to be speaking to their greater need. So a lot of the conversation was about imagining new ways to connect. Intentional communities of hospitality, centered in service became the new picture that emerged.

Lägom Landing is a concrete expression of a movement which is beginning to take place in the church. Young people living together in a sustainable community--living simply, engaging locally--and exploring the larger questions of life together.

One of the challenges is keeping this energy connected with local congregations. Laurel and I shared the vision of Lägom Landing with our local church community in Geneseo. We came away energized by the willingness so evident in the room. So as we mourn the passing of summer, we welcome the mystery of autumn: “unless a seed false into the ground, it cannot spring up.” We trust the resurrection energy of Christ Risen, yet we will not overlook the dark places to which he also traveled.

May we keep awake and alive on the journey to not miss the message of life as the world flames out in the reds and golds of fall.

Love to all,

Rock