Thurs. 9 Dec. 2021
Peace
Olin Johannessen
Peace: what does it mean to you?
This idea of offering a series of meditative evening services during Advent belongs to Anne Williamson. It was a gift for us all here on staff at St. John’s, really, given that it took us outside of our normal weekly offerings, and presented the opportunity to dream different. Last week, it was the trio of Jen McPherson, Ashley Wade, and me, performing “Away but never gone” by The Wailin’ Jennys. I really appreciated that opportunity – to step outside of the busy-ness of this season (my first Advent as an official SJC employee).
You may have seen in last week’s “Building and Grounds” update that we are nearing completion on our updated live-streaming technology hub inside the choir loft of the sanctuary. Last week the desk and booth were completed (thank you, Jim Wakefield!!), and beginning this past Monday, December 6, our four new cameras were installed throughout the church, and the highly specialized computer controls were installed in the booth. I was in the sanctuary with our audio guys till 9:30pm last night overseeing the relocation of our new audio mixer to the booth, and as of this afternoon, all the audio cable runs have been redone, and are in the process of being cleaned up and finalized. Everything works – praise be to God!
It is never an easy process when you’re managing a big project, with multiple contractors and technicians and trade-specific languages (ever seen a sound guy and an electrician talk about Cat-6 cable terminations?? Wild stuff!), and this is a first for me being the “guy in charge” of a major project. It has not been easy, but I can say that I’ve felt blessed to have the support of my team here at SJC, our amazing clergy and staff. I’ve felt blessed to have an amazing wife and partner in Ashley, who is always there to help me process whatever stressful situation is arisen. I’ve felt blessed to have earned the trust of our vendors and contractors — not because every decision I’ve made, or instruction I’ve given has been perfect and easily understood, but because I’ve owned my mistakes, and I’ve worked hard to foster an ego-free environment where we can discuss problems rationally, and creatively and quickly create meaningful and lasting solutions. It’s been a trip – and now that it’s nearly finished, I am feeling reflective, and grateful for the opportunity to work in this space, to connect with these people, to learn these new skills, and to use my time and talents to make people’s lives better.
When I think about “Peace,” I think this short recounting of my participation in Sunday evening’s Advent Meditation “Peace” service offers a unique but heartfelt take:
I was running ALL AROUND during the “Peace” service – singing, playing piano, adjusting sound system/mics, upstairs, downstairs, running outside during Peter Tarlton’s meditation to meet the pizza delivery man outside (he brought the food we ordered for our youth program that followed the meditation service). To sum it up, I will tell you that the whole experience of that service was NOT peaceful for me… save for that brief moment when my role in the service guaranteed me the opportunity to pause my busy-ness, sit, and just play the piano for everyone. No notes to read, no pages to turn, no memory recall to bring back some piece I knew… Just to be able to sit, to riff musically on what “Peace” meant to me. And I did, and it was such a beautiful moment for me, even though I was feeling so tired, and feeling so pulled in so many directions, somehow I still managed to find my “Peace.” I wish you the same in this season of busy-ness.
Blessings to all,
Olin