“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
That’s Antonio Gramsci, writing from prison. A writer, journalist, parliamentarian, and anti-fascist, he was arrested when Mussolini stopped pretending Italy was still a democracy. It was 1926 and Gramsci was 35 years old.
Now a new generation, living in what we might call a time of monsters, is learning his name. A thinker for our time, with a ringing quote that fits on an Instagram slide.
One clarification, though: Gramsci didn’t say that.
The quote is a mash-up from thinkers and politicians across time and space, trying to name what it feels like to be alive right now, whenever that is.
Here’s what Gramsci actually wrote, in the middle of thousands of pages of philosophy he wrote from prison, and then under guard on his death bed: “The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.”
Not as pithy.
But what’s a philosopher, living and writing during an interregnum, supposed to say?? It’s not a simple thing.
Interregnum: the time between two powers. Between one sovereign and the next. After one world order has ended, or been put to death, and before the next has emerged. When you don’t yet know what’s coming. A time of uncertainty, instability, and many kinds of monsters.
Relatable. What’s a church supposed to do?
Join us this October at Bethany as we shine a light under the bed of the world, turning out the monsters from their hiding places and, together, find the courage we need to be alive right now.
Sundays at 10:30 am in-person or online.
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Sunday School!
Sunday school is now back in session! We are so excited to continue our year diving into the Fruits of the Spirit from now through May.
We can’t wait to sing worship songs, explore Biblical stories, and engage activities together in our k-2nd and 3rd-6th grade classes.
You can sign the Sunday School check in form when you join for worship. The kids will go to their classes after passing of the peace and you can pick them up downstairs after worship. If you want to learn more about what we talked about in Sunday School, check out the “This Week in Sunday School” flier outside the Fellowship Hall!
Haunted House
Oct 31st, 5 - 8 pm
Bethany is hosting a Haunted House this Halloween from 5 - 8 pm! We need people willing to dress up to help us make the event the best it can be! If you would be interested in helping Aaron and Xander create this experience for the neighborhood, please let Xander know by email, text, or at coffee hour!
Martinmas Lantern Parade
Nov 11th, 5:30 pm
Come celebrate Martinmas, an old Christian holiday named for St. Martin. Hundreds of years ago, it marked the beginning of a longer Advent season, and for hundreds of years before that, the beginning of winter and the feast season. We’re marking the day with lanterns, fire, gluhwein, and music from Full Spectrum Bluegrass!
The parade is BYO lantern but if you want support, come to a workshop on Tues evening, Nov 3rd at 7 pm or stay after church on Sun, Nov 8th (during coffee hour or the sew-in).
Come kick off the cozy season and be home in time for school night dinner and bed.
