Day 6 – Tuesday
Contemplative Drawing and Writing in Trinity Church
Meet with Reverend Pamela Werntz & Deacon Bob Greiner, Emmanuel Church
Lunch on the Muddy River
Muddy River Walk with Lisa Kumf
Community Dinner in Chinatown, Empire Garden Restaurant
I had a great time everywhere today, but the transition from Emmanuel Church to the Muddy River was such a big difference: a quiet, formal church to a peaceful walk along the river. It was so cool along the Muddy River, with the fish everywhere, and the different kinds of birds. It was killing me not to be fishing – Kai
Giving to others is a central point in a lot of religions. Whether it be because God is love, and therefore kindness is sharing the light of God, because it’s morally right, or any other reason, When handing out the food [to unhoused people], we both participated in, and shared the belief of every place we visited throughout this journey. – Lena
Might I dare say that the architecture [and art of Trinity Church] is more amazing than us landing on the moon. A poem:
A Human Need
A well lit space
No need for lights,
Nonetheless there are
Cause apparently
Human eyes won’t suffice
– Tahgel
I look around me. None of the seats next to my friends are open. Just one. Right next to the Reverend, Pam. “I shouldn’t have gone to the bathroom!”, I thought. It turns out, it wasn’t that bad. In fact, it was the best place I could have chosen to sit. – Asha
This Odyssey has been quite the journey. I went from believing in a punishing God, to believing in a forgiving and loving God, to realizing that I don’t need God. And that maybe, I am not as horrible and wicked as I may have thought. – Jubilee
After dinner, when we collected the leftovers and gave them to the people in need, I got the same feeling I did at the Common Cathedral. I felt like this was the peak point of life, sharing the the community, not because we would get a reward, but because sometimes, you have to put other people’s needs in front of yours. – Amir
I loved how open Pam was to criticism of the Bible. I thought her talking about feeling faithful one day, and feeling less faithful on other days was a lot different than the usual thing you hear, which is to always be faithful in God. I think it is very wise to criticize the things you devote your life to, and I think she really stood by that as well. – Keya
Lying on our backs in the park, sipping our drinks, it was such a nice moment to be reading poetry. [I was] sitting with a friend, and being surrounded by people, some of which I was so scared of at the start of the year. But now, I feel like we’re more of a big friend group, in a way. – Kennedy
I do believe in love. It’s power to change us, it’s ability to form us, and it’s tendency to guide us toward others who love us too. That is the “God” I believe in. – Esme
Today I learned what God means. Not to me, of course, but to a religious person. I have heard talk about a big guy in the sky, but hearing it from someone whose purpose it is to think about God really made it seem more true. Thinking about God as a force of love really makes it more believable, and maybe more reassuring because you keep your free will. – Solen
The start of my day came quickly. I was super tired. But through this tiredness, I learned more about myself. I learned I like light. I noticed smaller details [at Trinity Church], and just in general accepted the tiredness. – Caroline
