Mary Mohlke
APCE 2003 Educator of the Year Speech

"The Blessing Bowl"

The image I have worked with this year is a blessing bowl. It is made with pieces of paper dipped in a flour and water slurry, layered over a form and allowed to dry. The Christian educators and clergy women in western New York gathered over lunch to create these bowls. It was a blessing to be together to create, reflect and dream.

My journey as a Christian Educator has been much like making a blessing bowl. There are many different pieces and layers that formed me, that form the walls of support. There is a lot of connecting like glue that shapes and holds me together.

The white translucent paper of the bowl is like the churches to which I belonged who said, “Yes, you can try that.” You want to paint good news Bible figures in the church halls. Yes, you can try that. How about hangings for baptism Sunday that are made of wavy pieces of blue calico, and figures of people in the water. How about the baptized person’s name on a picture with the same design?
… Sure go ahead. I’m sure it wasn’t clear what the church said yes to but it was the willingness to risk something different that was supportive of my gifts.

The silver thread that winds around the design is like my family who was willing to help pack my bags so I could glean the riches of APCE, or Resource Center Gatherings, go to places for certification courses and enriching retreats.

The blue bouquets of for-get-me-nots remind me of the APCE Cabinet which challenged me to think bigger and bolder. I love doodling on 8 1/2 by 11 paper. The banners needed for the Birmingham APCE had to be 20 feet by 20 feet. The Cabinet is always this bouquet of unforgettable, diversely gifted educators sharing their gifts. After a Cabinet meeting I wanted to get back home and try a bunch of new ideas.

The yellow and purple flowers at the center is like the WNY educator’s ecumenical share group which monthly keeps me grounded in the questions of local churches that need creative solutions. This month we dreamed how we could use symbols for Good Friday as a prayer walk, meditation stations in parts of a church building. We previewed some videos on caring for elderly parents, dealing with a family member with terminal illness and grieving the loss of a loved one. Personal stories were shared. Support was given. An idea sprung up. This was a great conversation. Let’s offer this to others in the form of a workshop. The conversation is richly colored and deeply grounded as are the yellow and purple flowers of this bowl.

The silver sparkle pieces remind me of the blessings brought by Resource Center users who have asked provocative questions and kept me continually mining for new materials.

• Resourcing brings riches unmeasurable.

The tiny purple petals scattered throughout the paper are those God-filled people who have called me to new areas of ministry. Would you take the youth to VIVE to entertain the refugee children for an evening? Would you be part of our sacred dance group? teach creative writing for adult ed? lead worship for women? help us do a purple party for the Sunday school?

The flour and water paste, that wet slurry that holds it all together are all those groups that I have led and who have taught me the ways of education. It is all those teachers who have molded and shaped my thinking and doing. That’s 160 workshop leaders from APCE alone.

Blessing bowls take time to dry. We tried a microwave, ceiling fan, hair dryer, and heat from a clothes dryer to hurry the process. The bowls just fall apart if the creator tries to hurry it. Waiting and resting in the process is what produced great results.

Time for certification
Time to be centered to find my own wisdom
Time to support new educators
Time to be nurtured by great leaders of the faith.
Time to be with God

Out of the blessing bowl where I have been birthed and nurtured come dreams for the future.

The first dream is the Resource Center as the energy center for the Presbytery and in some places for the ecumenical community. Into the Resource Center come the big questions, bits of wisdom, laughter, practical advice – sometimes all at the same time as people come and share together. Questions are about what to include in worship in these new times, how teach Bible stories to 2 year olds and peacemaking to teens, how to understand the needs of 20 year olds, find resources for medical, ethical, theological concerns, how to make clay pots and how to lead retreats.

In the Resource Center are the resources, ways to get resources, links to resources and people who help make connections for every area of ministry. It is the place where the ministries of the church come together, get stirred, blended and shared in people-friendly ways. What can we do to bring the dream to reality? Strengthen the Resource Centers with access to current technology, connection to all ministry areas in the church, support for staff, and resources to meet questions being asked in churches.

The second dream is of team ministry where the Christian Educator known and experienced as an equal member of a church ministry team. Not second, not third important, but equal!!! That form of ministry looks round and feels round like the blessing bowl. Worship, education, outreach, music, care of the congregation all held together. Conversations about the building, the baptism of a child, integration of new people, have a need for the wisdom of an educator. Working as a team might not be the most efficient but it is healthy and wholesome.

I dream that team ministry would be required course work for church professionals. Oh and that congregations would fall in love with working as a team. I imagine that team like the bowl made up of different pieces and making one work of art.

The third dream is one that overflows the boundaries of the bowl. It is that churches embrace the arts in worship, education, and outreach. In today’s world so many people learn with visual images, still and moving, bold and clear. Pictures, symbols, shapes, lines, textures, colors are key ways of sharing a message. The good news is always good news. The way we share it, the language we use, must include more than words. What if a sermon was depicted by movement, dance? What if a picture, a painting gave the message? I dream of a time when the language of art stands with Greek, Hebrew, and English for interpretation. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if those gifted in the visual arts would be considered as gifted as those who are gifted with words? Can you imagine an adult education class asking for paints and clay to do their learning? One of my significant learnings was depicting the psalms and the beatitudes through a series of statues and then connecting the movements. Then I could understand the great story of bondage and liberation. What can we do to bring the dream to reality? Teach arts in seminaries, in youth groups, include arts in worship often. Talk about images in the world, on TV. Encourage people to doodle and help them interpret their doodles. Make a blessing bowl or name a bowl that you use as a blessing bowl.

With the blessings that we are and have been given, our blessing bowls overflow with abundant gifts. Let us go boldly into the creator’s world.

Blessed be the stirrings of your heart.
Blessed be the song of your soul.
Blessed be the work of your hands.
Blessed we. Blessed be.