Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida ::: Beyond Telepathy “builds the body” with music, prayer, conversation and laughter

Beyond Telepathy “builds the body” with music, prayer, conversation and laughter
	"Mission Man" recruited a temporary assistant, Kelly Gordon of St. Christopher's, Ft. Lauderdale, to help encourage the "body-building" at Beyond Telepathy.

Episcopal aerobics, the joke goes, consists of stand-sit-kneel, followed by sit-kneel-stand; but the second annual Beyond Telepathy conference, on Mar. 29 at St. Mark the Evangelist, Ft. Lauderdale, offered “body-building basics” that had participants flexing some different muscles—those involved in singing, clapping and laughing out loud.

A youth band, some unique dramatic interpretations of the Gospel, and the surprise introduction of a new pair of superheroes highlighted the day of emphasis on “building up the Body of Christ”.

About 250 people attended, including many of the 60 young people who had spent the previous night at their own pre-conference lock-in.

Setting the tone for the day, the Miami-Dade youth band Drive, which provided the music for our Diocesan Convention Eucharist last fall, welcomed arriving participants with a mix of gospel, rock, renewal music and contemporary Christian ballads that invited singing and made sitting still unlikely. (For more information on the band, or to order a recording, go to www.miamimusicministries.org, or call Richard Aspinwall at 305-801-6768.)

More music throughout the day was led by the Mighty Band of God, whose members have raised a joyful noise at cursillos and at most major diocesan events in recent years.

Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs reminded everyone that the name “Beyond Telepathy” came from Bishop Leo Frade’s statement that the primary tool of evangelism for Episcopalians has been telepathy—and that this tool hasn’t worked. The Beyond Telepathy conferences are designed to give us more effective tools for sharing the Gospel—and they are also designed to be fun.

“Try not to be too dignified,” he instructed, donning a multicolored clown wig for emphasis.

Like the first Beyond Telepathy conference last year, this event featured the Ohio-based Christian theater troupe Friends of the Groom (Tom Long, Jocelyn Sluka and Marilyn Dryden).


In their antic view of the Gospel, a seed decides it’s too risky to grow into a plant that faces pruning by the “gardener”;	Martha tells Jesus her sibling is “Sister Mary Space Cadet”;


newcomers having their orientation to heaven find that earthly fame and denominational differences “don’t ring a bell” with the angelic gatekeeper;	and a femme fatale persuades a first-century private eye to investigate the mysterious jail-break by Simon bar Jonah, “alias ‘The Rock’”.

Long also introduced participants to a “liturgical backrub”, based on the parable of the sower: “Push that seed into the ground…now the rain beats down on it…and some seed fell among weeds that choked it…”

Between the belly laughs, the lessons of the day crept in, as the troupe asked their audience to share in small groups their reflections on such topics as an early experience of God; some things about your church that frighten you; a time when you felt the love of God; a person in your church who drives you crazy—and how God may be using precisely the traits in that person that you perceive as faults.

All the sketches presented by the troupe reflected three truths, Long said: God invites us; God calls us to be part of a family; and God calls the family to serve others.

“God’s body is built up always in response to God’s action,” he said at the beginning of the troupe’s presentation; and at the end of the last sketch he concluded, “Christianity is not a self-help course”.

“Give God permission to change you,” he said, calling on each participant to reflect on what God’s dream for her or him might be.

After the presentations by Friends of the Groom, Bishop Frade and Assistant Bishop James Ottley reiterated the call for commitment to the mission of evangelization, and invited comments from participants about the day’s activities.

In a grand finale to the day, Archdeacon Hobbs, with the help of the youth, introduced a new song, “Missioner” (sung to the tune of “Macho Man”)—and two new superheroes for the diocese, the Mission Men. In red outfits (closer to pajamas than the usual superhero tights) emblazoned with a big yellow “M”, gold capes that looked remarkably like copes worn inside out and thin red Ninja Turtle style masks that didn’t exactly disguise two very familiar faces, the two Mission Men danced with the young people on the stage, and then led a procession dancing down the center aisle of St. Mark’s, gathering people out of the pews along the way, and back up the side aisles to the stage.

As the song ended and the laughter died down, “Mission Man” Frade gave his blessing to the day’s “body-builders”: “May the blessing of one God—the God who invented laughter—be with you always.”

He got a loud “amen” to that.

Note: Next year's diocesan spring mission gathering is
already on the calendar--mark the date of Mar. 27, 2004, now,
for another day of information, inspiration, worship and fun.

More scenes from "Body-Building Basics"

Resources for "Building Up the Body"

updated 04/04/03

C O N T A C T U S B Y E M A I L
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