The 911 for Community

I detoxed from tv yesterday while I took care of our sick daughter. Coming back online into the world of Media this morning I discovered - what most of you probably watched in endlessly repeating styles on MSNBC, FOX and CNN yesterday - regarding the video, picutres, and letters sent by Cho Seung-Hui to NBC. As I read through this information, trying to digest both it and my breakfast with an underlying sense of tragic dread and unease, I find myself remembering words of a conversation with a fellow pastor on Tuesday. We were talking about the future, trying to think outside of the box for and with the chuch, in order for the church community to remain faithful to the perspective, praxis and worldview of our faith tradition but to not trapped in the shackles of convention, repetition and fear-of-the-future induced flight. He told me that he'd be able to finish off his career as a pastor, continuing to receive a salary and even collect a pension, while unfortunately myself and others in my age bracket might not. This pastor's child - also a pastor in my age-bracket - is considering getting an MBA sensing the changes that might be in store for the future. Why is the church so stuck?; in particular when the world seems to be so un-stuck and increasingly flexible and adaptable?

Journalists have discovered and named the change in communication that became even more evident at Virginia Tech in response to the murder rampage of Monday. Many students checked in with their families, or friends checked in with them through blogs, facebook pages, and myspace links. In an article a Bay Area student wanted to see if a friend at VT was ok, but rather than get stuck in the mass of phone calls that would jam the telephone system, they checked the friend's facebook update which verified that they were ok. It demonstrates that technology in changing (not all by itself) the ways in which we communicate and experience community.

So I think about the church, seeking help, trying to collaborate with the dynamic forces emerging in our cultures, industries, artistic creations, and community connections....and I wonder if we're failing because the church is trying to dial up help on rotary land-lines phones, or so busy typing up our soon-to-be-mimiographed newsletters, that we're missing out on all the communication, collaboration and connectedness already happening all around us in the parallel 2.0 world through which dialogue and exchange is increasingly happening on cell phones, IMs, blogs, myspace, and facebook? The church is so busy seeking information that we're missing out on experiencing what is happening just beside us.

Here's links to some of the articles that got me thinking....

ONLINE: Studnets flock to social networking site (SF Gate, 4.18.07)

Future: Has NBC ushered in a new ear for multimedia (SF Gate 4.19.07) by Tim Goodman

MEDIA ETHICS: Tough decisions on how much to show (SF Gate 4.19.07) by Matthew B. Stannard

Virginia Tech killer: Using media for his message (SF Gate, 04/18/07) by Tim Goodman