Social Media Gets Major Props at GA

Oh, how I have neglected thee, pigeons!

I was at my denomination’s annual gathering – known as GA, or General Assembly. It was a whirlwind four days and five nights in Charlotte, North Carolina during which I caught up with what’s new in our movement, attended to the business of our denomination as a delegate, learned many valuable things through conversations and lectures, worshiped many times, savored the company of my “besties,” and led a workshop on congregational covenanting processes and one on ministry and social media.

Pigeons, it was so gratifying to have social media affirmed, validated and made a huge fuss over by leaders of my religious movement. As many of us have known all along, social media is not just a frivolous thing that people do in lieu of playing Angry Birds or whist, it is a legitimate form of community involvement. To be introduced as a pioneer in this field by a revered senior colleague almost brought tears to my eyes: not just because I have been toiling in these vineyards for long years and deeply appreciate the recognition that this form of ministry is receiving, but because my late father was always referred to as a pioneer in his field. I thought, “Wow, Dad, check it out! Isn’t this funny?”

There is much to say about the greatly improved attire among my Unitarian Universalist colleagues and I have some photos for you, but not as many as I would like. I was just so darned busy this time, and having so much fun visiting with people and doing things that I did not focus much on clergy image but on leadership in general: what does church mean now that we are all moving beyond the “bricks and mortar” boundaries of religious community? What will church become? Are we ready to minister in this new landscape?

One thing was very clear to me after this GA: what we are doing is real and meaningful. The communities we become part of through social media are real communities. They are an interactive, absolutely inclusive, democratic form of community available to anyone with a computer or mobile device and internet access. I had not really understood this until this week. Social media is enriching our lives — it is not a refuge for losers or weirdos who can’t have relationships any other way — it is a hearthfire around which millions of people gather throughout the day to check in, converse, express care for each other, argue about things that are worth arguing about, and connect. This is not something that we do to escape from life, it is part of life now. Did you know that Facebook is the third largest country in the world? China, India, Facebook (500 million users).

So, dear readers, consider me a bit overwhelmed with this new awareness. I have known all along that you were really out there — I receive your individual letters by the dozens every month — but I did not really, really get it until this week that, as a colleague said to me, you are a congregation of ministers to which I am ministering. Wow, kids. It is a brave new world. Thank you for creating this world with me.

How’s everybody doing, anyhow? How is CPE going? Are you getting blisters? Have I told you about the wonders of Dr. Scholl’s Moleskin Plus Padding Roll? It is marvelous stuff — you can cut it down to any size. I used it all week on the balls of my feet and the back of my heels and it saved me. I still wore my frumpy sandals too often but I had my cute Pikolinos and Jambus on for the important appearances.

Yesterday morning I sneaked down to the hotel lobby for breakfast in what was basically my pajamas but I used the old carpool-driving mom’s trick: I put on a cardigan and a scarf and pulled my hair back so I would look sane. Don’t you know I totally got caught by a wonderful rock star colleague who has become a Facebook friend and whose real life acquaintance I have been wanting to make for years? As luck would have it, though, she’s an earth goddess type who thought it was hilarious that I was secretly in my jammies. But pigeons, I wouldn’t recommend that you try this at home. Not everyone will be that understanding and find your eccentricity endearing. They’ll just think you’re a slob.