Remembering Richard Twiss

I'm grateful for having known Richard.  Very few people have shaped me so significantly - especially in such a short amount of time.   While he was in Washington DC for the National Prayer Breakfast he got to visit the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) building where he and a bunch of other activists from AIM (American Indian Movement) had taken over the building a few decades before.  After suffering a major heart attack Richard went on to the other side on February 9th.



It had been only a few weeks since we had hung out.  He and I stopped by my house to meet my family and my favorite local spots - Leotah's Place, Pizza Brain, and our space on Frankford Ave.  We had plans to be together the week after he died at and around the Justice Conference as well as in April and June this year.

After spending a week on the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation together last summer, (if you want to check out the class I took for this year it's still happening!) Richard invited me to spend about a week at his house before bringing me along to the annual Mni Wiconi Wacipi Family Camp and Pow-wow where he introduced me to many inspiring people and deepening worship experiences.  If you didn't get to hear him speak in person, fortunately a lot of people made Youtube videos of his speeches and songs - here are some short ones.   Wiconi International, the ministry that he began with Katherine will continue and needs to despite severe financial hardship without Richard.  Here is more about what people around the world are trying to mobilize for the Twiss family.

Though many of us loved him and recognized his gifts in both the prophetic and in leadership globally and in the Portland area, Richard faced harsh critics from Christians (native and non-native) as well as other first nations people for his incarnational approach and teachings of the gospel taking root, growing, and flourishing  in people and cultures outside of European worldviews and paradigms.

Last weekend I participated in several mini memorials to Richard with a rich community of learners, leaders, relatives, and friends including the big one which lasted for about four hours or so.  I wept through the entire thing.  Thanks to my folks on the West Coast for your hospitality and for some on the east coast who made it possible for me to go.  Before we were all invited to join in the final dance (the snake dance aka transformation dance) two of our mutual friends ceremonially retired Richard's regalia.  A sense of finality washed over me.  In my grief, I moved towards the front to do what RT would have done - to go kick up some dust.

-from his obituary..."In the Lakota tradition, there is no word for goodbye. Instead, we say,
'Toksa ake (We’ll see you again), son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend!'"

Moving Toward Our Goals for 2013: Highlights from Rod's Blog

Jesus calls us to help bring the kingdom of God into the present, and that’s why we discern goals together for each new year.  We see how much our world needs it!  Rod White, pastor at Broad & Washington,  has been blogging about our goals---some of the specific ways we'd like to bring hope to the needs in and around us this year.  We're already moving, and here’s a chance to get deeper into the action:

1.  We want to connect with people in our region and learn from them.  Goal: Use our series of six Saturday seminars to feature facilitators from outside of our network who can open our minds and hearts and enrich our diversity.  Blog post:  Fomenting Diversity in the Age of Big Data

2.  People need to see Jesus where they live. We don’t want to hold back from telling the story.  Goal: Generate opportunities for our worship to be more public.  Blog post: Getting Out There in the Face of Fear

3.   We have a burgeoning group of children, tens, and expecting parents in a region full of people who need love, family, and community.  Goal: Develop the capacity and vision for our Network Children’s Team.  Blog post: Children Nurture Us, Too

4.   We want to be people who are known for bringing the hope and justice of Jesus to the streets.  Goal: Charge our Coordinating Groups to connect with people and partnerships who already bless our neighborhoods.  Blog post: Let the Lord Make Your Radical Steps Solid

5.   We have a wealth of resources (gifted people) who direct us to go deep with God.  We want to nurture them and develop more capacity to receive what we need.  Goal: Provide a roadmap for spiritual direction that helps people understand and exercise their options.  Blog post: Spiritual Midwives

Circle of Hope Daily Prayer 2013

It is encouraging to hear how people are experiencing Circle of Hope Daily Prayer! Already this year we have spent some time in Matthew (and many people have jumped on that bandwagon and saturated themselves with Matthew). We were lead through our network vision statement last week. Today we have our first encouragement from the Old Testament -- such days will be sprinkled throughout the year. Plus we have had a couple of opportunities to visit the site where we store encouragements to celebrate our spiritual ancestors and the Christian calendar.

If you get a look at each day, you will receive a broad and varied set of Bible studies and suggestions that lead to spiritual growth and action. We hope it will give you another excuse to spend some quality time with God each day. That "we" are the fifteen people serving you by considering what we all need and leading in study, prayer and action.

Whether you got engaged on January 1st or not doesn't matter. You can pick up any time you want and join in with us on this common journey in Christ.

Jesus Doesn't Sleep on Racial Reconciliation

On Saturday, January 12 our Church Planting Core team is hosting a seminar at Broad & Dauphin from 9-11am:  "Jesus Doesn't Sleep on Racial Reconciliation and Neither Do We."  Our friend Drew Hart is leading us, and all are welcome.  The seminar will be the first in a series of every-other-month opportunities generated by our 2013 goal to learn from the wise voices in our region.