The Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts (SELAH) is envisioned as a retreat and learning center with three concentric circles of programming.

The largest circle will serve the local community, incorporating public and private studio space, weekly open studio time, speakers and discussion series, continuing education classes in process art and/or techniques for using the Arts for personal reflection.

The middle circle will serve clergy and laypeople who are interested in one of two things. First, personal spiritual exploration within the context of an artistic community. Second, options and techniques for revitalizing congregational life, both liturgically and interpersonally. These offerings would be in a week-long or weekend format and most certainly include guest presenters/leaders from various related fields.

The smallest circle will consist of a covenanted group who are interested in exploring the outermost edges of what is possible in the context of using the Arts and striving for embodied, wholistic living in worship, liturgy and congregational life. With luck, the exploration and learnings that happen within this smaller circle would trickle out into the programming in the other circles.

The final piece of the vision, which comes later, is an affiliated congregation which would serve both the local community and the expanding and contracting community participating in programming at the center. This congregation would be explicitly and intentionally experimental and multi-faith, and would hopefully give the community a framework within which we could explore the ideas and learnings coming out of the Center in a concrete congregational setting.

We are currently working on a series of portable workshop and training offerings that can be taken to local churches and organizations. These workshops will become the foundation of the information we share as we work toward becoming a center with an actual location.