The year is almost halfway over. We are racing towards the Celtic Prayer Retreat in August and, at the same time, working hard to complete our leadership transition. Thank you to those of you who have responded with words of encouragement, prayers for guidance, and donations of support.
This has not been a sudden transition. We began the process in July 2014 when we embarked on a discernment process with our staff, board and a few friends. We started with some hard questions:
- Is it worth continuing MSA beyond Tom and Christine Sine, and, if so, what could the organization look like in five years’ time?
- What do we need to do in each of the next five years to accomplish that?
The answer to our first question was a resounding “yes”. Our process affirmed the mission of MSA: to unleash the creative potential of ordinary people to make a difference in their communities and a world of urgent need.
It also emphasized the importance of our MSA process and the fact that we invite people into a creative process of discernment and seek to redeem the creative spark that God has placed within all of us. It encouraged us to return to the principles of MSA and our values statement: MSA is a community-based organization that fosters shared values of simplicity, spirituality, sustainability, service and hospitality.
We view every MSA venture as a collaborative opportunity, inviting people into a creative process of group discernment and spiritual retreat.
In the process of transition, we have identified three threads that need to be unraveled and grown into the future:
- Godspace
- the MSA Centre of Creativity and Imagination, and
- the personal ministry of Tom and Christine Sine.
The New Godspace
Godspace – not just the blog, but the publications it spawns, the social media sites it fosters, and the events it inspires. This is currently the most developed aspect of MSA, and we are already a long way down the transition pathway.
One major step occurred last year when we invited many of you to become regular contributors to Godspace and converted it from my personal blog to a community blog, now with over forty-five regular contributors from eight countries and many different perspectives.
Godspace continues to grow in its reach and is considered by many to be one of the top 100 blogs on spirituality. The formation of a global community like this — with our emphasis on spirituality, sustainability, community and social justice — is unique, and I know that our resources, meditations and prayers have helped to equip many of you in your churches and ministries.
Andy Wade brings other exciting aspects to this growth of Godspace as he fleshes out new possibilities for collaborative products and workshop presentations for the future. He is also working to expand our annual Celtic Prayer Retreat into a more substantial and enriching event with the addition of workshops, music and enhanced spaces for prayer and reflection.
The New Center for Imagination and Creativity
Forrest Inslee and our new MSA Board are currently discussing the possible development of a Centre that would incorporate the construction of the Mustard Seed Village into its structure.
We appreciate your prayers for wisdom and discernment as this process moves forward.
The Ministry of Tom and Christine Sine
Tom, as many of you know, is in the process of launching his new book Live Like You Give A Damn: Join the Changemaking Celebration. He has also created a new blog, The New Changemakers, and is participating in speaking events around the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
I am looking forward to more time to write and conduct workshops and retreats. Both of us expect to act as consultants for MSA when invited. We will also continue to reside at the Mustard Seed House community and provide hospitality for friends and strangers near and far.
This is an exciting, though at times overwhelming, season as we grapple with all that this transition encompasses. We appreciate your prayers and support in all that we are doing as we move together into God’s new possibilities.
God bless,
Christine Sine