Off the Map - Friends

In this post I want to talk a bit about the people I met and visited with and the emotional/relational aspects to this weekend. In another post I will share more about what I learned and the speakers I heard.

Thursday afternoon, Pam and I arrived around 3 PM and had time to kill before the evening session at 7:30, so we decided to drive to the church where the conference was being held and get the lay of the land. Eastside Foursquare is a beautiful church, the architecture was gorgeous, lodge style and was comfortable and welcoming. In some ways it felt like home to me, very similar to the church I grew up in and the church we most recently left. It might have something to do with the denomination, which has (until the last 3 years) always been "home" for me. However, I have to admit that it also gave me the megachurch and denominational heebie-jeebies...it was a bit melancholy because I have now moved so far away from that, and the informationoal flyers on the stall doors in the ladies restrooms, the church "magazine" sitting in stacks around the foyer, and the rack of ministry brochures on the wall signify everything that I am no longer about, everything I have chosen to leave behind.

While we were exploring the church, we ran into Helen Mildenhall. I met Helen at OTM last year, and have kept in touch with her some over this last year, so it was great to see her again. I always enjoy talking with her, and I am sorry she and I didn't get a chance to visit much over the weekend, but with so much going on it's difficult to connect with everyone.

Pam and I ran into John Smulo in the lobby, and I have to say it was nice to finally meet this legendary blogger. He was friendly and easy to talk to, and I was glad to have more time to chat with him later on during the conference. Pam and I sat with him during this first session, where (being the official OTM blogger) he was quietly tapping away on his laptop so that everyone out there in cyberspace can glean a taste of this event. I didn't take any notes at this time, but you can read more about what we heard during this session at John's blog and by checking out this list of others who have written about it. This session consisted primarily of introductions to the speakers and some of the workshop presenters, and general information on what Off the Map is all about.

I also met a number of other people this evening, including Kathy Escobar, who I also did not get nearly enough time to talk with. She and I met through the Faith in a Dress project, and have gotten to know one another a bit since then. Kathy co-Pastors The Refuge, an alternative church in the Denver area, where they are "committed to the marginalized, the oppressed, the ones on the fringe of their faith, of society, the ones who are asking tough questions and know there aren’t any easy answers, ones that are seeking a deep, purposeful life with God and are tired of the status quo." I have enjoyed talking with Kathy and hearing about what they are doing there, because it is similar to what I envision church to be, and I think very much like what I will find at The Bridge.

Pam and I also met Benjamin Ady, who is one of the moderators of OTM's Justice and Compassion blog. Ben organized the Friday night Bloggers dinner, and was thoroughly cool to meet. I don't know him at all, but talking with him a bit over dinner was interesting and insightful. He is someone who is energetic and always laughing, (and as John noted, has a memorable laugh) making people feel comfortable and welcome.

I was eagerly watching the door for my friend Ché to arrive...I was so looking forward to meeting her. But the session started and I still hadn't seen her, and I worried a bit that she ran into trouble on her way down from B.C.

Towards the end of the meet-and-greet segment, I saw Ché walking towards me...she must have recognized my pink hair, LOL, and it was nice to finally meet her. We met online last summer and quickly connected. Since then, we have had extensive e-mail conversations, and I can safely say that while our lives are different, we have very much in common (including personality type). During our conversations, I felt like she would enjoy an event like Off the Map, so I mentioned it to her, and invited her to room with Pam, Esther and I. Because Pam is an extrovert extraordinaire, it was nice to have someone for my introvert to hang with, who understood the need to be away from people from time to time during this event. It's easy for an innie to become overwhelmed at the sheer volume of information and the huge number of people to meet and be around at a conference like this. I have learned that I have to protect my introvert at times like this or I will become tired and grouchy. Ché and I were able to spend time together through workshops, over meals and while shopping, during the course of the weekend, and I feel as though I have a new sister.

I can't remember now, but either Thursday evening or Friday morning (it's all a blur) I was approached by Barb Orlowski. (It must have been the pink hair again). As many of you know, Barb is doing research about the church-leaving phenomenon. I had several opportunities to talk with her, as she was staying in the same hotel as we were. When Barb initially approached me several months ago about her study, I had reservations - not about her or the research, but personal issues that I thought would prevent me from participating. After meeting her and talking with her about it, I am happy to say I will be participating in her study. If you would like more information about what she is doing, e-mail me and I can put you in touch with her.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Dahl, publisher of The Porpoise Diving Life. As you might remember, Pam and I had the chance to guest-edit PDL in June of this year, and I was impressed with Bill's demeanor, not only for his willingness to allow women to take over his publication for a month, but for the sheer breadth of theological views he allowed us to publish there, with nary an objection. So I was thrilled to hear he was leading a workshop, and I made a point to be there so I could introduce myself...yet once again, someone knew who I was before I said my name.

I was hoping to meet Gary Means, but due to pressing work projects, he was unable to attend. I certainly understand and appreciate how that happens, but I was hoping to pick his brain about some things.

Off the Map is the kind of event where it's easy to feel lost among the Pastors, authors, theologians and other important people. However, in my experience these last two years, it is also an event where ideas are exchanged, ministries are birthed and visions are expanded, even for a lowly blogger and observer like myself.

I'm sure there are many more people I met whom I am forgetting...I will write about those encounters as I think of them...my brain is overloaded and my recollection of the weekend's events is a bit slow. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the connections and look forward to doing it again.