The Postcard Project was hatched in those days when getting together still seemed far off. We were just beginning to plan for a Rural Routes Through the Holy gathering in June 2022. Standing in those uncertain days our planning group spoke about the reality we knew – not everyone was online and, even if they were, getting a piece of mail in a time of physical separation felt pretty good.
So, I imagined this series of six postcard each in a different bright colour, each with two words on the front, naming an element of rural life. We were fortunate to have Sean Siford design the postcards and create a logo joining Rural Routes and the Postcard Project.
The first card, Rural Hope, was sent in December. Rural Fear followed second and then, Rural Stories. There are three more to come but you’ll need to wait to see what’s on them. As each one comes out, we post it (front and back) on our Facebook page so you can participate in the questions even if you don’t receive a physical card. Budget guided our decision to send a limited number of cards based on a formula of size of congregation and proximity to the Rural Routes Through the Holy gathering.
On the address side of the card, you’ll find a few words and a few questions that a congregation might think about. We encourage recipients to hold onto all the postcards at least until the summer. You can share them in your bulletin, pin them on your bulletin board or find some other way to share them. We’d love to hear about it. In the summer, there will be a resource created that allows you to gather these cards and questions and going deeper into them through conversation, music, and practices, use them as a faith formation/Christian education resource. This resource will be available for purchase at the Rural Routes Through the Holy gathering or at https://hemofthelight.com/the-postcard-project-what-part-of-this-is-just-for-you/
I love to imagine folks in rural places, receiving and reading, all of us connected through these cards, physical or virtual, gathered around questions and experiences that unite us. Not only gathered but called to take a chance on coming close to one another through our consideration of these shared thoughts and questions.
Kerry and I (your Rural Routes team) really hope you’ll come. Sometimes in rural congregations we get discouraged. But this is a time to be uplifted, to be together, to share the things we both grieve and hope for, to laugh, to listen and to worship. This time, like these postcards, are just for you.
Catherine
on behalf of the Rural Routes Through the Holy team.