IMPRESSIONS FROM THE SECOND ANNUAL CHRISTIAN GOTH GATHERING To my brothers and sisters in Christian goth, After two believers encountered the resurrected Christ on the road to Emmaus, they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road,” – Luke 24: 32. By God’s grace I have felt my heart burn within me at various times in my walk with God but none so vividly as when I’m with you. The Second Annual Christian Goth Gathering took place in Baltimore from Friday, November 4 to Sunday, November 6, and every moment I spent with you was precious to me. My heart burned within me as I spent time with you and it burns within me still. This year, just as last year, we had guests from all over the country. It astounds me that so many of you are willing to travel so far but your effort speaks to me of the hunger for Christian fellowship that is in our community. This year, as well as last year, the weather was unseasonably warm—perfect for our purposes. Daytime highs reached 70° while the Autumn leaves were in peak form. I praised God for the weather and I praised Him for our meeting place. A few registrants expressed concern early on regarding the price for overnight accommodations at the Sheraton. I was able to locate less expensive alternatives but this condition forced a scattering that, at times, seemed at odds with our purpose. In the Sheraton’s favor, they did provide us with a comfortable conference room that belonged exclusively to us from Friday until Sunday. I carried one minivan and one carload full of equipment and it was a benefit to me to leave it once it was set. Breakdown and setup time ran approximately two hours—even with help from attendees. The Sheraton was also located directly across form the Towson Town Mall. In fact, there was a catwalk that ran from our meeting area to the mall. Most attendees enjoyed the convenience of the food court in the mall at least once during the weekend and many shopped the local Hot Topic. Last year, we all stayed in the hotel that hosted the conference. I could not book that hotel again this year because I knew our numbers would exceed the capacity of their conference room. To those that did not attend and even to many that did, you are probably wondering why I am telling you this. The answer is that some that attended last year expressed concern that the intimacy of staying in one place might suffer if we stayed in various hotels. Ideally, we would all stay in one hotel but as our numbers grow, our options shrink. Fewer hotels can accommodate our numbers and even fewer over a three-day weekend. The Ramada, for example, cannot accommodate us in the main ballroom on Sunday morning. They have offered us the bar but that means we’d have to move our equipment out on Saturday and then back into the bar on Sunday, not to mention the fact that we’d be holding our Sunday service in a bar. These are administrative issues that you need not concern yourself with except that I want you to know I’m sensitive to your needs and I’m doing my best to respond to them. Personally, I was overwhelmingly pleased with the way the Gathering turned out. We had our first ever fashion show on Friday night, our first ever baptism on Saturday, our first ever concert on Saturday night, and our first ever Christian Goth Sunday service. I became flustered on Friday when I arrived late at the Sheraton and people were waiting for me! Eek! I had to unload the equipment, setup, stuff the goodie bags, etc., but everyone helped and therein lies the secret to an awesome Gathering. Not only did you travel unbelievable distances to be here, once you arrived you pitched in and made it a great weekend. Before I start thanking the many people that made our weekend awesome, I’d like to draw your attention to some of our goodie bag contributors. My inspiration, Lady Michaela of ChristianGoth.com, provided one black rose and one black bat to everyone. She also provided the black cards and pens used to create our nametags. She also created a banner for the Gathering that we all enjoyed and most had their picture taken under. For me, enjoying Lady Michaela’s company is a prime motivator for coming together. She always makes a contribution and this year was no exception. On Sunday, she even addressed the group. Anyone that knows Lady Michaela knows what an amazing thing that was to see—she dislikes public speaking to say the least, but she was overcome by the moment. She had to speak and we are all very glad that she did. Thank you so much, Michaela, for your vision, gifts, and most of all, your friendship. Donna and Mike Sheehy provided practical supplies for the gift bags that included candy, a pen, and a note pad. Donna and Mike also provided the materials for our communion service. They also took the entire Gathering to lunch on Sunday, and countless other things that made our weekend possible. They inspire me to say the least. Two record labels provided CD samplers; Young Side Records and Flaming Fish. These incredible CDs were free to attendees, so please, if you received one, drop these people a line (see my links page) and thank them. By the way, I have a few CDs left, so if you want one please give me a mailing address and I will get it to you. I hate to sound like some cheesy ad but... if you want one ACT NOW! They will go on a first-come, first-serve basis and when they are gone they are gone!! Dani of the Gothic Window gave us all handcrafted bookmarks. I love Dani’s taste and the Gothic Window. If you know Dani, help me urge her to come next year. We need her with us when we come together. We had 14 contributors in all to our goodie bag. I appreciate each and every contribution and I know our attendees did as well. There was one other contribution that did not go into the goodie bag, but many received it as a prize during Donna’s point game. Angela Chambers, owner/artist Le Chat Noir Jewelry and Bath donated bracelets and necklaces for the Gathering. If you received one of these, please thank her. She is an amazing artist and I hope to be bringing her to your attention more in the next month or two. The Gathering itself would not have been possible if you did not make it happen. To all those that attended; thank you! The effort you made to get here and participate is greatly appreciated! Many of you sacrificed greatly to get here and once you arrived, you went to work to make the Gathering special for everyone else. Is that God or what? To that end, there are a number of people that I would like to thank, but before I list those people and invariably forget to mention a major contributor or two let me state, for the record, that for every one person mentioned below, there are probably two that made a contribution that I missed. So, if I forgot to mention you, please let me know. Yes, it will embarrass and mortify me, but I will find a way to make it up to you. I will post this piece in the archive and I want it, over time, to be as accurate as possible, so if I mention you as “that guy or girl that did this or that,” please tell me your name—or if I fail to mention you at all, please let me know. I very much want to correct my mistakes! While we are talking about making it up to people, I’d like to mention that for every one person that showed at the Gathering, three told me they desperately wanted to come but insurmountable circumstances kept them from us. Typically those “insurmountable circumstances” involved transportation or lodging issues. Please know that I am working hard to make the Gatherings as affordable and convenient as possible. I’m in a unique and privileged position, in that, I get to interact with so many and I missed very much those that wanted to be with us but could not. You know who you are. Know also that you are loved and that you were thought of and missed. Dan Floyd and those that came with him; Dave and Marian Kent, Donna and Mike Sheehy, Jamie Brennan and countless others helped calm my nerves on Friday and they got us setup and ready to go. Dave and Marian manned the registration table—an awesome gothic bar with winding black vines. Janis, my wife, who normally is the voice of reason in my life, knew that I wanted it for the Gathering so she went over to Spirit (a Halloween supply place) on the day after Halloween to purchase it during their half-off sale. She called me at work on November 1st and said simply, “its in the van.” How kuel is that! My wife contributed so much before, during, and after the Gathering that it would be impossible to list all the things she did. God gave me an awesome partner and I’m very thankful for her! Then there is Donna and Mike Sheehy. Most of you know them so I don’t need to tell you how amazing they are, but to those that don’t, here is just a small sample of what they did. Donna called me before she left from Kentucky—that’s right, they drove all the way from Kentucky to be here—and said, “What can I do?” She asks that question so many times and if I don’t answer quickly enough she'll find something to do and do it. Donna and Mike are strong when I am weak; they spot the need and invariably fill it. They are a joy to be around and I am very thankful for their friendship. On Friday night Donna helped all of us loosen up, laugh, and get acquainted with her amazing point game. We learned about each other and many received gifts and prizes in the process. Rose donated the little swords, batteries, and the fancy Halloween ink pens. Some of the jewelry came from Angela, everything else came from Donna and Mike. Okay some received geek gifts, but you had a choice and you know it! Mike performed his own unique rendition of “If I Only Were a Goth.” I was singing that song for days. On Sunday, Donna and Mike took us all to the Mining Company, oops, make that the Silver Spring Mining Company after the service. We were all hungry, yes for food but also for one last moment to relax and be together. Once again, they saw the need and filled it. Asher X opened the Gathering with worship and ministry. This young man is extraordinarily talented as a speaker, musician, and friend. We were very fortunate to have him with us for the weekend. He also opened the concert on Saturday. It was hard to believe that one person could make so much music. Jason “the Saj” shared about his engagement to Kim. He spoke of living for God and not for something you think God can do for you. His words inspired and encouraged everyone and they set the stage for something God wanted to accomplish in the weekend. Many came this year with “relationship issues.” God spoke to us about the inclusiveness of His almighty love, He spoke to us of healing and forgiveness, He spoke to us of His grace, and Asher and Jason were the first to be used of God in this way. Thank you Asher X and Jason "the Saj" for your obedience to His call on your life. When the point game was over we started to prepare for the fashion show. Jason “the Saj” took the initiative to organize the models and he gave them their choice of music to walk to. Dave (I think that’s his name—help me out here Dave!) volunteered to run music for me while I MC'ed the show. We had eleven participants in the show. Each displayed a different facet of goth; each put their own unique mark on the fashion of our culture. Each except Mike who modeled geek-wear to everyone’s utter astonishment! Good job Mike! After the fashion show, David and Marian Kent opened their hotel room to all attendees for a chocolate party featuring a chocolate fountain. Willie Wonka, eat your heart out! Throughout the weekend I slept no more than three hours each night. It took a good three days of just vegging before I was feeling anywhere close to normal again. Jamie Brennan kept me alive, stable, and sane throughout the weekend. Thank you Jamie. You are awesome. I wasn’t going to repeat the mistake I made Friday of arriving late so I was up and at it early Saturday morning. But when I walked into the hotel, Lara Freeburg was in a chair in the lobby reviewing her notes. I called the front desk to have our conference room opened (they did not give me a key) and when we were let in, we walked into a noise at least as obnoxious as finger nails on a chalkboard. I knew that noise could potentially ruin our day so I called for service and before everyone else arrived we had it under control. I was impressed with the Saturday morning turn out. No, I won’t schedule a 10am speaker on Saturday morning again but I did it this year and the majority got up and made it to hear her and all were glad they did. Lara was awesome. She encouraged a hard look at “the inner circle,” she encouraged inclusion and not exclusion. In short, she encouraged us to love each other and all that God chooses to bring into our circle. Lara quoted a piece by C. S. Lewis entitled, “The Inner Ring.” The piece she used was too extensive to reproduce here, but it spoke to the urge within each of us to belong, to be a part of the "in" crowd. This piece helped us to discern the difference between popularity and friendship. Lara set before us all a challenge that I pray we will not forget but ponder and consider until God makes her message a reality in our lives. C. S. Lewis said, “Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.” May God set us all free to love as He loves. Thank you Lara. Your words burn within me still. Steve “Racer” Weese, of FansForChrist.org, was next on the agenda. I introduced Lara with a brief interview that I greatly enjoyed. I harbor secret fantasies of being a Christian Goth version of Johnny Carson and Lara as an awesome interviewee. I would have done the same for Steve, but not wanting to waste time, he went up to the mic and began his talk before I had a chance to introduce him. For those of you that do not know him, Steve is an energetic and delightfully
comedic speaker with profound insight. He spoke to us last year and his
encore performance this year was no less amazing. He spoke to us of relationships
and how we each have to chart our own course within them, but he also
spoke to us of God’s immense grace and His goodness to us. Steve’s
words were liberating. Next up was Dan Floyd. Dan was the first person I asked to speak at this year’s Gathering. I asked him shortly after the first Christian Goth Gathering last year. He is a passionate man and his passion is for those that cannot speak for themselves. His strength is dedicated to those less strong, to those unborn that desperately need a voice... Dan’s their voice. He's a man of action and told us how we could do something to protect the lives of the unborn from the plague of abortion that has a stranglehold on our nation. At one point, while relating the story of a man broken to tears outside of an abortion clinic, Dan asked how many of us would cry on a public sidewalk. When the majority of us raised our hands, Jennie Perry laughed and said, “Goth boiz! No macho façade here.” I for one am glad that we are not too proud to weep for the unborn. Thank you Dan. Your courage is an inspiration to me. I walked into the Baldwin Activity Center (BAC) at Trinity Assembly of God in Lutherville, Maryland just before 4pm. Julie Burke, our sound person, was already in the room waiting for me. Once again, I cannot emphasize enough how very grateful I am to so many people for going far above and beyond the call of duty. Julie didn’t need to be there so early and she didn’t need to stay so late. In fact, she didn’t “need” to be there at all but she gave us a wonderful night. I know that the bands and I are indebted to her for the excellence she brought to the task of providing sound. Thank you Julie, thank you so much. Trinity provided the room and the baptismal. The Groaning commented to me later about the stage. It was an awesome stage, ideal conditions for a concert. To the staff, administration, and people of Trinity Assembly of God, thank you so much. Without your help there would have been no concert and no baptism. Are you starting to the see the picture, the reason for this lengthy retelling of events? I provided the structure, coordinated events, booked rooms, and speakers and bands, but I did not make the weekend a success... you did. You each contributed. You each gave expecting nothing in return. Your gifts, talents, and generosity overwhelmed me. I watched a dream become a reality only because you gave of yourselves to make it happen. If you were me, how would you feel about you? Intense gratitude and love is what I feel. We had five baptismal candidates; Alex, David, Marian, Jason, and Amanda. The water was bathtub warm. I had asked everyone to come because I thought it important to have as large a crowd as possible there to hear the public declaration of faith baptism affords. As far as I know, everyone came even though the baptism occurred during the dinner hour. It was amazing to walk down into the water, look and see all of your faces. It was also amazing to see the heads of photographers lining the stage—they all wanted to stay low to avoid obstructing the view of everyone else but all I saw were heads and cameras—that was a bit bizarre. I delivered a brief message that focused primarily on two passages; Matthew 28:19 (NIV) where Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and Romans 6: 1-4 (NIV), “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” The essence of the message was that when we obey the command of our Lord to be baptized, we declare to the world that we have died with Christ and that we also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. Baptism also affords us the chance to testify publicly that we now belong to Jesus and to His kingdom and to pledge ourselves to His service. As each person came into the water, I asked him or her to say something. I did not tell them what to say and I did not know before hand what they would say. The testimonies blessed and touched me. When Alex, our first to be baptized came up out of the water, the crowd shouted and applauded. I felt their love and I know Alex did too. She embraced me and it was one of the most sincere and tender hugs I have ever received. Thank you Alex. Then Steve Weese and I baptized David and Marian in unison. Steve baptized David and I baptized Marian. I loved their declaration of faith, their declaration of love for each other, and the way they remained to assist the others being baptized. Thank you so much David and Marian. Steve baptized Jason and Amanda and I assisted him. Jason and Amanda each shared testimonies of triumph and courage. Thank you Jason and Amanda and God bless you both. As soon as I dismissed the crowd, I started fielding questions about band setup—while I was still standing chest deep in hot water. By the time I had dried and dressed, the bands (with Julie’s help) were already setting up. I slipped out for a moment alone. It was dark but not entirely night. The sky was deep purple. The moon was a perfect waxing crescent and a brilliant star loomed to the right of the moon. As I looked at the breathtaking image in the sky I saw a shooting star that seemed to emanate from the moon itself. The spectacle filled me with wonder—the wonder of a child. It filled me with a sense of my littleness and God’s bigness. If it were not for creation exactly as it is with all its restriction and frailty there would be no experience of wonder as there would be no experience of love. Wonder is the child of mystery, of not knowing, of finite knowledge, as love is the child of faith and trust. Neither is possible in a world where all is known. God put the wonder back into my heart on Saturday night as I looked into the sky and you gave me love as I looked into your faces. Asher X began the concert at 7pm. The house lights were off, the only light in the room came from the stage. Almost immediately people began to dance. The dancing continued throughout the evening. I read online once that dance is the favorite sport of goth. I have always loved to dance. Early in my undergraduate education I signed up for a dance class but when I discovered I was the only guy amid 30 girls and the female instructor insisted I wear tights so she could “see my muscles,” I decided to drop the class. Asher and Justin wanted to teach me over the weekend. I followed Asher around at Cornerstone trying to learn but time constraints and just plain old chicken held me back on Saturday night, maybe next time. Asher you were amazing. Thank you so much for all you did at the Gathering. Shadow Insurrexion then followed. Aaron, the lead singer, and I met online before the first Christian Goth Gathering last November. He was unable to attend last year. He is local to me and in the months preceding this year’s Gathering, he faithfully attended local meetings I sponsored in an effort to launch a local Christian Goth group. We became friends and I pray our friendship will grow into brotherhood over the next year and that together we will fulfill God’s purpose for Christian Goth in Baltimore. We have a group to build and I can’t wait to get back to work with him. If you are even remotely local to me and if you would like to join us, please contact me. We’d love to have you with us. Shadow Insurrexion blew me away. Thank you all for a night of great music. The Groaning brought our first concert to a close. I was so moved by their music I wanted to give back anyway I could and, judging by the response of the crowd, I wasn’t alone in my appreciation. For an encore, The Groaning performed the most amazing rendition of “Oh Come Oh Come Immanuel” (at least I think that was the song) that I have ever heard. Just before they performed it, I sent my wife Janis on an errand to raid the ATM machine. She missed the song and when everyone talked about how great it was, I was sent directly to the doghouse. What can I say about The Groaning other than I am deeply grateful for your hard work and art. You guys are what music is all about. Thank you. At one point during the concert, I was chatting with the Trinity youth pastor PK (Pastor Kelly). Feather Phil came over to us and asked us if we knew the fire alarm was sounding. PK bolted to see what caused it and I followed. The fog machine from the stage had dumped too much fog into the hall. Roger Dunn, who was in charge that evening, quickly called off the fire department before we had a major incident. Thank you PK and thank you Roger for all your efforts on our behalf on Saturday night. You guys rock! I think it was Rick and Layla that decided to take the party to TGIF. Once there, Rick and Layla Sitnek, Katie Bourckel, Jennie Perry and a few others coordinated the dinner. They helped the wait staff so much that the management commented they have never hosted such a considerate large group. Steve Weese organized the second annual gross food-eating contest. He was certain he’d reign supreme but he just could not get the last bite down so Dan Floyd is now our reigning gross food-eating king. A wave of exhaustion came over me at TGIF that required my immediate attention. It came on me suddenly and I knew I had to act fast. I was concerned I might not make it home so I said goodbye to all and then stumbled to my car and drove home exhausted and not a little delirious. It was an awesome day and evening but when my head hit the pillow I was out cold. Sunday, our final day of the Second Annual Goth Gathering, began with worship led by Steve Weese. I delivered the morning message. I felt directed to speak on the divinity of Christ and our response to His divinity. I entitled the message “Who is Jesus” and took my text from Matthew 16: 13-17 (NLT) “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ “Well,’ they replied, ‘some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.’ Then he asked them, ‘Who do you say I am?’” “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” “Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” The identity of Christ is the most important question that we will ever answer. I used to wonder why God didn’t just reveal Himself in no uncertain terms. In partial answer to this question I read “The Miracle of Restraint” from “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey. I’d love to reproduce the quote here but copyright laws are prohibitive so please read the book if you have not already done so. Our response to the divinity of Jesus: Jesus said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it,” – Matthew 16: 24-25 (KJV). Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,” – Romans 12: 1-2 (KJV). And again, Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me,” – Galatians 2:20 (KJV). Perhaps one reason some hold back is fear of an unknown future—fear of giving up control. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope,” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT). At that point, I called upon Rose Kurczab to administer communion. Her handling of the Eucharist was insightful and sensitive. Those in attendance were privileged to have her with us to share in this way. Thank you so much Rose. Thank you especially for your encouragement and leadership. I interviewed Jennie Perry about His Spirit Realm, a Yahoo group that many of you already belong to. By the way, if you don’t belong to this group and you’d like to, please follow this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/his_spirit_realm/ At the request of Jennie and Asher, I called upon the elders of our group, Donna and Mike Sheehy, Joe and Michaela Johnson, and Rose Kurczab. “Is any one of you sick? He should call upon the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” – James 5: 14-15. In obedience to this scripture we prayed and God’s Spirit fell upon us. Two people told me that they normally do not weep but they could not help themselves. Donna and Mike Sheehy took us all to The Silver Spring Mining Company in Hunt Valley for dinner. After church last year we all went to that same restaurant. Last year we filled a table. This year we filled a room. Maybe next year we can take over the restaurant! Donna and Mike sat next to me but as the room filled they gave up their seat to others. Donna and Mike stood while every one else sat until a table could be moved into the room. Thank you so much for taking the entire Gathering to lunch Donna and Mike and for your example of Christian love. You gave us all one last moment to enjoy each other’s company. Rick Sitnek offered the blessing over the meal and as we ate, laughter and joy filled the room. At one point David and Marian offered an engagement gift to Jason “the Saj” and his fiancée Kim. The day, as the Gathering itself, was all too quickly ended. If I have forgotten anyone, please tell me. If events or anecdotes have gotten mixed up in my head, please let me know. This document was made to be amended. It is the beginning, I hope, of an historical record that will grow from year to year. It was a joy to gather together with each and every one of you and a sweet sorrow to say goodbye, but I’m already planning for next year and hoping I will see you then if not before. Love always, |