Press release:
The Main Thing tells the story of how ideas grow into community and community into a spirituality.
“More a verb than it is a noun, Jubilee! is about what we do far more than who we are,” says Paul Howey, long-time attendee at Jubilee! Community on Wall Street in downtown Asheville, NC. In December 2015, Lobster Books will release The Main Thing: Community and Celebration at Jubilee!, sharing the story of the emergence of Jubilee! in 1990 and how the community continues to thrive and give back generously to Western North Carolina 25 years later.
The 225-page book features an introduction by the legendary Tom Robbins (a Jubilee! enthusiast), essays and stories by long-time Jubilants including the community’s founder and spiritual architect, Rev. Howard Hanger, and a conversation with Reverend Dr. Matthew Fox, founder of one of the inspirations of Jubilee! — Creation Spirituality. The Main Thing embodies the many components of celebration that create a vibrant place of inclusive worship, where song, dance, and reverence of the Divine Mystery are celebrated with love and gratitude — the main thing.
Rev. Howard Hanger sums up Jubilee! this way: “Art is spiritual, and spirituality is art. We all wanted a place where the two could party together and inspire us to find ways in which to make this world a better place.” His account of Jubilee’s origins and structure of services explore a side of Jubilee! that does not appear in the weekly bulletin.
Theologian Matthew Fox once said, “Worship that bores people is a sin.” The Main Thing seeks to illuminate and share the tools the joyful and reverent spirit of a 25+ year church that takes a hands-on, creative approach to community engagement. Chapters include a conversation on creation spirituality, the importance of music during celebration, the youth program, growing new Jubilee! communities, and includes four celebrations for each Via.
The Main Thing will be available for purchase through the Jubilee! website at www.jubileecommunity.org.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.