LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Matters |
by Murray Archibald |
Imagine That! A Requirement of Creativity
Growing up I loved science fiction and fantasy, and still do, for that matterthough it's not often that books of the quality of Lord of the Rings or Dune come along. The original book of Dune, I confess, captured me completely and I read it many times. After the death of Dune creator, Frank Herbert, his son Brianin collaboration with Kevin Andersonbegan work on a series of Dune prequels, based on some of his father's notes. Though they do not quite manage to match the mystery and wonder of the original, the books have been successful and I recently read the first one. At the end of it, on a page by itself, the authors had placed a quote by Frank Herbert. "A requirement of creativity is that it contributes to change. Creativity keeps the creator alive." Those two lines struck a truthful note with me, and have continued to resonate in the back of my mind, as I pondered the connection between creativity and change. Over the last few weeks, talk radio hosts and guests on local WGMD radio were back to bashing the gay communityas they have done for yearsthis time in an effort to stop the passage of the non-discrimination bill, HB5, and to promote the "one man, one women" proposed marriage amendment to the state constitution. Both bills went well for us this time, but most of us are still puzzled by the aggressive language and attitude of our opponentsnot just locally, but everywhere. How is it, we wonder, that the gentle, creative, loving, people we know our GLBT community to be, have the power to destroy families? How does denying the value of one relationship ever make someone else's relationship stronger? Perhaps Frank Herbert, creative genius that he was, has given us an clue: creativity contributes to changeand change can be a very frightening thing to all of us. As a part of my annual Christmas pilgrimage to Alabama I always attend, with my family, the big, downtown Methodist Church where my Father served as pastor in the late '60s and early '70sand still attends, now that he has retired. Here in Rehoboth, I've been a part of the Epworth Methodist congregation for many years, and a part of the long process that eventually led to the church becoming a member of the Reconciling Ministries NetworkMethodist churches that welcome all sexual orientations and gender identities. Both churches have vibrant and interesting congregations, though from my perspective there is a difference. The service at my parent's church is almost exactly the same as it was 40 years ago. Here in Rehoboth, we are constantly looking for creative ways to visually enhance the service, engage the community, and open the doors to all. While I recognize how the large numbers of GLBT people attending Epworth have produced, what seems to me to be a friendlier and more creative churchthat is not the point I'm trying to make. Simply put, welcoming GLBT people did not destroy the church as had been predicted by some of the other churches in the areaand in fact, has given it new life. The fear of change, the anticipation of change, is usually worse than the change itself. Looking at photos of the crowd that gathered to protest HB5 in their "one man, one womanthat's marriage" t-shirts, we have to wonder why they are so afraid of us, and if they realize how powerful they make us out to be. If our love really is capable of "destroying the family," as our opponents claim, then, wow, we must have amazing powers. Learning to let change happen can be difficult for all of usgay or straightbut letting fear of change be the driving force in one's life only creates more fear, anger and hostility. Here at CAMP Rehoboth, we have to remember that lesson as well, and one of the key components to our plans of expanding community participation in the many Community Center committees and teams has been to welcome change and not be afraid of it. New people come armed with new and creative ideas and, yes, that can be a frightening thing to the "old guard" in any organization. Over the next few issues we will be writing a lot about the new CAMP Artist's group and the impact that it is having on our art events and programsand especially about the hot new Lotto HeART night that will be a part of the Whole Lotta Love Weekend in July. I'm especially excited about this group because I know they are creative people with vision and heart, and I know that's what CAMP Rehoboth and our community will need to face the future. I know that CAMP Rehoboth has never and will never meet all the needs of our community, but I believe with all my heart that it has met "a requirement of creativity" and contributed to change. Murray Archibald, Founder and President of the Board of Directors of CAMP Rehoboth, is an artist in Rehoboth Beach. Thank you to all the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Volunteers for the period of March 6-April 2 Carl Armideo Tony Burns Harvey Chasser Joanne Ciconte Beth Cohen Ruth Dickerson Ward Ellinger Lynn Finaldi Tony Ghigi Grant Kingswell Spencer Kingswell Myra Kramer Charlie Lee Andrea Monetti Anthony Perkins Barb Ralph Ken Reilly Chris Sampson Al Trapani Linda Yingst Rainbow Thumb Club* Matt Carey Ward Ellinger Rob Freeman Tony Ghigi Steve Hoult Bill Jones Anne Mundel Bud Palmer Stephen Palmer Ken Reilly Tom White *CAMP Caretakers |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 19, No. 03 April 03, 2009 |