Hello, Folks! This was my last week at common art and Boston Warm until the New Year; and what a wonderful final week it was! On Wednesday we had the world premiere of Richie’s play with our very own Reverend Pam portraying the Voice of God! It was a great performance; it all came together very well. The whole cast really committed to their parts and brought the play to life with passion and joy. We also had a full house for the performance, and there was lots of good energy and excitement in the room.

After the performance, we had a reflection time when Richard shared some words about the play-writing process, and cast members shared about what being in the play meant to them. This was a wonderful way to tie a bow on the performance and share the value of the play process with the whole community.

On Friday, we had the Preaching Institute, a program that some of our members have been participating in over the last few months to learn how to write sermons. On Friday, our members gave their sermons and led discussions on them afterwards. It was awesome to witness members stand in their confidence and be empowered to lead.

As my first semester at Emmanuel comes to a close, I feel so much gratitude for Emmanuel and the common cathedral programs I have been helping facilitate. I have learned a lot about who I am as an art-therapist-in-training, and I can’t wait to continue the work in the new year! Thank you all for following along on my learning journey each week this fall.  I’ll be back in January!

– Alex Shoemaker