Last month I spoke about doors and I expanded on what history “is.” I mentioned that history isn’t just what you read or are told about, but it’s what you can touch and take notice of. Well, this is part three of that expansion. So let’s talk about another resource our church has to tell it’s history: spoiler alert…it’s you!
As you may have heard me announce in January, I was given the “ok” to form a committee with the intent of searching the church for items of historical import, researching the materials and documentation we have, and digitizing those documents. In truth, we’re going to be organizing and helping display the history of the church together, from your stories to organ pipes (we’re going to be talking about the latter very soon).
Why a committee? Well, the truth is this: when there are 275 years of incredibly rich history available to us, it seems inappropriate that one person alone should become an expert in it. In short, the more people are talking about the history of our church, the better! Imagine the connections we can make when more people can answer questions or offer up nuggets of our history in conversation. Imagine how many people would then be invested in protecting and communicating the history of our wonderful church.
You see, in my mind a historian doesn’t just tell people a story. Instead, I believe the historian begins a conversation of which everyone is already an important part. This whole congregation, our community, and anyone who walks through the door or logs in online is already speaking. In time, we’ll all have told some story about the church and how it impacted us, and that’s the essence of history. It isn’t just the things we have and the documents we write. It isn’t just the things we
can touch and the things we can take notice of. It is a conversation. It’s you. It’s us.
So once our committee is up and rolling, I’ll be sure to introduce them to you! We’re going to dig in and check the books, roll open the filing cabinets, open the doors, and dust away the cobwebs so that our rich history can shine brightly for everyone to enjoy and take part in. Each piece of it is another conversation waiting to begin…so let’s get talking!
Until next time…I’m history!
Steve Pozzato
Arcane Technology Solutions, LLC