jonnybaker

after the apocalypse

it is always a delight to discover friends creative projects. i spotted on instagram a new collaboration between poet chris goan and illustrator si smith. chris penned a few books of poems and liturgies on proost, and si is probably best known for the wonderful 40 series of illustrations of christ's journey in the wilderness.

after the apocalypse is arranged in three sections - before, during and after written and drawn in and around the pandemic. you'll find yourself in the words and images - it's a landscape we all traversed. artists have a knack of being the kind of nerve endings of a culture or something - a sort of feeling their way on our behalf or something. the times we are living in have made it hard to feel genuinely hopeful but it does blend grief and sorrow with hope against the odds.

chis blogs at fragile tent and is someone who has really stuck with the blog format over the years and done an amazing job. you can see some illustrations from the book and poems if you scroll down - like i want to live on this post.

while i was looking to see what was there i really enjoyed chris' latest 4 posts which are explorations of theopoetics - spirituality through artful making. this is a link to the fourth - click on that and scroll down. well worth a read...

the book is available from seatree argyll - that's also the site for chris and michaela goan's creative projects working in pottery, words, wood. they both left jobs a few years back now to pursue a simpler life where they could explore their passions and creative interests and make a life from that. it seems to be going pretty well! 

cornwall and exeter pioneer practice next week!

i am excited to be back on the road next week again from 20-22 september. we are headed to falmouth, looe and exeter for the final leg of tbe pioneer practice tour. if you are down that way do come along, tell others. the details of registering are here - just click under the relevant location where it says ticket link.

i looked up photos of cornwall and it made me realise i have not been there for quite a long time so a visit is clearly due. here is an old one from the tate at st ives

trickster remakes the world exhibition in ealing in september

i am taking part in a photography exhibition in ealing as part of BEAT - the wonderful ealing art trail. it's called trickster remakes this world. the local photography group i am part of is putting it on. it is inspired by the book trickster makes this world by lewis hyde. those of you who have followed the blog may remember this being something i have talked about before at the inspiration of nic hughes and kester brewin back in the day. i presented on trickster's ruses at greenbelt a long time back, so it's fun to make that connection again, this time in relation to photography. the details are that it is at 

the rickyard, walpole park

sat sept 10th and sun 11th 12-6pm
mon sept 12th to fri 16th 1-6pm
sat sept 17th 12-6pm
sun sept 18th 12-5pm

as well as photography there will be a few other interventions in and around the park.

if you've not come across trickster, he or she is a character like coyote (see earlier post!) in myths and stories of various cultures. trickster is a difficult character in sone ways - breaking rules, living in inbetween spaces, messing with what's sacred and so forth. but trickster also tends to be revered because they are seen to be critical to cultures changing when they gets stuck. during lockdown so many people said we can't go back to the way things were and yet where is the imagination for a different way or a new world? so it felt timely to open up an engagement with trickster and trickster's ruses. hyde's book explores the way some art and artists plays the role of trickster. each photographer got randomly assigned a ruse of trickster and the photographs will be their responses. hyde\'s book is not actually organised in ruses - they are simply phrases or ideas that i lifted from the book - i hope hyde would warm to the aproach. the spinning wheeel of ruses is here if you fancy having a go yourself!

 

islay musings - middle class

i always like to read a few books on holiday. this year i clearly didn't feel up to much initially as i began with two picture books/graphic novels.

the first in by will mcphail is delightful - it's reviewed here better than i can do it justice. it's the story of an illustrator, a man who struggles to connect with his feelings and be present and he is waking up to the world through friendship, grief, creating...

the second is putin's russia by darryl cunnigham. i am the sort of person who is interested in someone like putin's story but never motivated enough to read a big fat biography. so darryl cunningham is perfect for me. i am a big fan of his having read supercrash and billionaires. don't be deceived - just because they are graphic novel style does not mean they are pithy in any way. they are brilliantly researched. it was a scary but important read. 

then i finally got onto a novel - middle class by kester brewin. kester is a teacher and this novel really gets inside the classroom. it's set in london and the middle class is neither the top or bottom class but the middle one. i don't know a lot about education at the moment so i can't comment on that. my hunch is it really captures the experience of teaching well but i think teachers had better be the judge of that. but it is a very moving story. both jenny and i were in tears at the end as it really builds pace and develops the lead teacher character so well. it made me feel real empathy for teachers who are at the frontline of so many things as so many other community provisions have fallen away in our culture. i have to say it also put me off teaching - that probably wasn't the point! but i am full of admiration for teachers who are there for young people, can be treated terribly at times, but really give so much. thank you teachers! but back to the point - it's a great read. i went to the book launch which was fun to catch up with kester who has self published this book, wanting to get it out quickly as it deals with the environment around covid and so forth. go get yourself a copy.

and the next book i will write about in another blog...

i realise this musing has very little to do with islay other than that i read the books there!

pioneer practice now available as a download

we created pioneer practice to be a designed printed book, a coffee table book, full colour, lovely to hold and read and dip into kind of book, the kind of book you feel would not be out of place in the tate modern bookshop. so we resisted selling it as a digital book. but over a year on and we think it's time to make it available as a download. because the layout is so much the book it is available as a pdf (not as ebook or kindle). it looks fabulous on screen on an ipad or laptop with the luminosity of the screen. it is available from getsidetracked.co for £10. of course this is good news internationally - far easier than the cost and impact of posting round the world. enjoy!

luton hat factory arts centre - july's pioneer practice venue

looking forward to the next stop on the tour which is the last before a break over august. i'll be in luton at the hat factory arts centre on july 16. i like that the header of the arts centre web site says 'dream it you must' - indeed i couldn't agree more. there is a workshop in the afternoon and an evening social with food. come to one or other or ideally both. hope to see you there if you are anywhere nearby.

 

deja vu

just when you have cleared your house of books a second print run arrives and refills the lounge! seriously i am so chuffed to have had to do a second print run of pioneer practice - thank you so much everyone who has cheered me on and/or bought a copy. 

stafford, leicester, brighton, sheffield - june tour dates

the pioneer practice tour has passed the half way point. it's been brilliant connecting with the wider network, meeting pioneers, hearing stories. this is me in a cafe at poole harbour sat catching some sun on what was a glorious summer day before diving into the fray there.

one of the lovely stories there was how a simple idea of a few raised beds and a bench has created community in a street. this is the bench.

the next gigs are all on the tour page with links to register and get tickets under each location - stafford, leicester, brighton, sheffield are in june. we'd love to see you there. they are all double acts with me and gav this month. they all have evenings too with a chance to get some food and conversation as well as the tour stuff. i confess i am doubly excited that we are visiting candid beer in stafford which was an idea brought to our make good week by mark bamping, and we get to visit new lubbesthorpe where sue steer has been building community in a new housing area since before the very first house was built and she has done an amazing job. looking forward to all the venues i should add!

i have now cracked into the very last box of books from the first print run which feels amazing - thank you so much everyone who has bought it. so we have now ordered a second print run which feels very exciting for our very first project from getsidetracked. they will arrive in time for the june leg of the tour - june here we come (via anglesey of course).

pioneer practice next stop southall 28 april

the pioneer practice tour really gets going after easter. next up is an evening in london hosted in southall with food to kick off. if you are in or around london hope to see you there. the evening is free or maybe will ask for a donation but it would help to know numbers so please do register. then it's 5 gigs in scotland at the start of may...

going on tour with pioneer practice!

i am really excited to be able to share that i will be heading off on tour with pioneer practice. gavin mart, a fellow pioneer, musician, poet will be joining me. the poster above is the current state of play but will no doubt evolve. but we will keep the tour page on getsidetracked up to date with links to booking pages for events as they land. some are day time, some are evening and some are doing both! 

we are in hull and york and chelmsford in march so if you are anywhere near those do sign up, come along - love to see you.

the book pioneer practice is about seeing possibility, dreams, ideas of how things could be better or new or different. and then making something happen out of that seeing. the events will be practically focused with a mix of stories, exercises, poetry, songs, conversation, inspiration and encouragement. ideal if you are interested in pioneering or in encouraging others who are. and ideal If you are new as it will be an opportunity to reflect on how to get started and explore your god given ideas. and if you have been pioneering a while it will give you some encouragement and practical wisdom for the journey you are already on. it is also a given that it will be a great chance to connect with others interested in pioneering. 

if you are interested in hosting and there isnlt anything near you then give me a shout as we are open to more dates.

and before anyone mentions it yes i do feel like i am treading in the shoes of harry baker. i'll have a merch bag and everything! 

woodland ecosystem + church mixed ecology

the church of england vision has mixed ecology at its heart which i really like - it's a rich evocative metaphor. i was invited to write a blog post for the church of england on that idea. i have learned a lot about ecosystems over the last three years through managing a piece of woodland. so perhaps inevitably that's where my thinking went. have a read - what i learned about church as an ecosystem by looking after a woodland

i first had this idea and develop it in imaging mission with john taylor. i think that chapter might be my favourite thing i have ever written.

still curating worship

it's funny how things come round again. i published a book on curating worship some years back and it was based on interviews with people doing wonderful creative things trying to get at what it was that helped them in pulling together worship events. some months back i was invited by the diocese of bath and wells  to curate a celebration in bath abbey of their lay ministries. they have a passage of scripture (colossians 3 in the message translation) that they have been reflecting on all year which involved the idea of putting on clothes as a metaphor for the kind of life you might live. so we invited lou baker to be an artist involved in the celebration and she added to four clothing rails throughout. those attending had been invited to bering something that represented them to add to the rails. it was a simple idea but because it was big it created a really good visual centrepiece for the event.

afterwards i was celebrating with pioneer students who had completed the pioneer certificate in the holy rumpus which was fun. 

then midweek i took a workshop/webinar for a group of koreans online on the subject of curating worship. it's kind of weird that the idea translates across the world. but it was a really enjoyable session and they seemed to be quite energised by it. i had sent something in advance that was translated but you could feel the interest and energy in the questions. it was great to hear one story of how curating worship had inspired a very participative approach to one online exploration of worship from one attendee. i took a screen grab which is a visual with an outline of a service online. for some reason it looks very cool in another language!

a landscape full of both promise and potential danger

john and olive drane have written a review of pioneer practice that is published in cms' newspaper the call. it is been added here on the pioneer blog - stories that will stir your soul. thank you to them for such a positive review - they have been encouraging about it from day one. here's how they describe it

There is an abundance of advice on practical issues for would-be pioneers, along with an honesty and realism that reflects the difficulties as well as the joys of working with God in spaces where no church has ever gone before. 

"get yourself a copy!" is their advice which i obviously agree with :) if you do want to it is available from getsidetracked.co

 

a beautiful carpet of inspiration for us to walk on...

thanks to gill poole for the enthusiastic review of imagining mission. if you want to know what the book is about she goes through chapter by chapter for an in depth review. gill describes it as a beautiful carpet of inspiration to walk on... that has wonderful perspectives that invite us into a conversation...

if you have not looked at the book i am really proud of it - don't be put off by the obscurity of john taylor - you don't have to know about him or think it's historical. it's a book written for this moment riffing on his creative writing and ideas.

a really good starting point...

so says mel neale in her review of pioneer practice in baptists together - thank you! she concludes by saying

This book provides what someone needs to hear when they know pioneering is not just what they do but who they are. 

if you want a flavour of it, i wrote an article using a part of the book for baptists together - a start in pioneer practice three questions to ask

if you have not got your copy yet where have you been??!! it's available from getsidetracked

sacred bean eucharist and other follow up from prospect farm

thanks to anyone who came to the session in the long barn at greenbelt's prospect farm. here's some follow up info.

imagining mission with john taylor is here - i loved working on it. john taylor really sparked my imagination and we have tried to write in the same creative vein and i hope it will spark your imagination if you dive into it. each chapter ends with exercises on creativity you can try out.

pioneer practice is here - this is a mix of stories and very short practical articles - ideal if you have an idea to work on, and ideal for a group to use together to dream up something. it's full colour - there are sample pages on the web site. the discount code i gave out will work until friday. if you have forgotten or weren't there and want to know get in touch.

thanks to jo howie for taking part in the session and telling the story of sacred bean. go look at their web site and order some coffee! and as i said in the session we have added the wonderful sacred bean eucharist to getsidetracked - simply click on the page spread that says sacred bean eucharist which is in pioneer practice. i am sure jo would love to hear how you get on with that so do message me or her about it. i am making that a worship trick - remember those? it would be about 86 in series 4....

jo wrote that liturgy as part of a worship module at cms on the pioneer training essentially thinking how you might create a ritual/liturgy that reflected the culture of the community gathered around sacred bean. the training is wonderful - do have a look at the pioneer mission leadership training web site here. it's quite late for this year! but we have certificate, diploma, BA, MA, DTh options as well as simply picking modules to do. there are now quite a few options online as well. if you are interested for this year get in touch immediately! we also have hubs round the country offering training which is not accredited - again see the web site for those.

and thanks to ali for coming and sharing about the social supermarket and other adventures getting going in rotherham.

above all i hope it sparked your imagination around what you might be able to participate in or catalyse.

curating worship is published in korea

i was so chuffed today when the korean edition of curating worship dropped on the doormat. i love the cover. it was published here in 2010 so it's quite a surprise that it's got a new lease of life. having said that i love curation as a way of approaching worship and there are some wonderful conversations with people about their amazing creative practice in it which without doubt was ahead of its time. i hope it sparks some creative things in korea. a huge thank you to hong-il kim who was the person who first invited me to korea, keyongmoon kim for friendship and believing in the book and publishing it (and the others - this is the fourth book i now have had published in korea!). also big thanks to younha hwang for translating it. and to the brendan insititute for their commitment to pioneering in korea.

church for people who want to punch stuff + first review

it was great to read a first review of pioneer practice from russ bravo at inspire. he says 

Pioneer Practice manages to both provide inspiration and motivation for the pioneer, while being hugely pragmatic and realistic about the cost, the struggle and the challenge of doing things differently. Full of wisdom, deep questions and electrifying examples of what God can do when people who don’t fit the established order get stuck into changing things.

you can read the full review here. 

i also wrote up one of the 'electrifying examples' from the book for an article for inspire too - church for people who want to punch stuff 

getting started

i am running a zoom workshop on 8 july 7:30pm for 2 hours on getting started in relation to pioneer practice. place are limited to 25 so we can see one another and discuss your ideas and practice. i will be joined by two pioneers who feature in the book and know all about the challenges of building something from an idea to becoming tangible in the world. they are andy freeman and kim brown. tickets are only £10 or there is an option to get it with the book that will save you something on the regular price. i haven't pushed it before the book launch as the images looked similar and i didn't want to confuse anyone!!! 

you can register here

overcoming

at the book launch for pioneer practice when he was interviewed, jon birch said his favourite quote in the book was from ann-marie wilson (see above). she is an incredible pioneer. i remember when i first met her and she said her vision was to campaign to eradicate fgm from 28 countries in africa and i thought - wow that is a big vision and challenge. she subsequently has pursued that vision and path with incredible courage and determination and set up the charity 28toomany. she is part of a conversation in the book about change where we discuss how you create the change you want to see and culture change is a big part of that challenge - i loved that conversation. ann-marie has a book just out telling her story called overcoming: my fight against fgm. and there is a launch on facebook live this friday with a video and then space for questions.