Welcoming the Alien

By Rev. Lindsay Cullen, Assembly National Consultant and Sci-Fi aficionado

Sci-Fi Church Sydney is a “Fresh Expression” designed to create a community space for people who love Sci-Fi and want to discuss the themes and ideas they find in Sci-Fi books, TV shows and movies, and the ways they intersect with spirituality and the Christian faith.

 A “Jedi Council”, under the leadership of Captain (Rev) Karen Mitchell Lambert, has formed and meets regularly to plan the ways in which this community might grow and develop.

The Sci-Fi Church logo is inspired by the Vulcan symbol for IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations – something that picks up our desire to be a welcoming and safe space for all.

The first public meeting of Sci-Fi Church Sydney took place, appropriately, on Saturday May 4th at the Quakers Hill Uniting Church.

The theme of the evening was “Welcoming the Alien” and about 40 humans and aliens were in attendance.

As attenders arrived they were invited to use their phones or devices to fill in a survey about their favourite Sci Fi character. The results were displayed on screen as people added them in.

Because the aim of Sci-Fi Church Sydney is to enable conversation and participation, the format of the evening featured three segments of input around the theme, each featuring a short Sci-Fi video clip, a reading from the Christian tradition, and a brief comment on how these might intersect.

Each of these segments was then followed by an opportunity for attenders, seated “Café Church style”, to chat to one another about their own thoughts on the topic, or on their favourite Sci-Fi themes and ideas.

Other activities included sticking glowing stars up the front to represent our hopes and prayers for the world, and working together in table groups on posters representing the values that they hoped might become the ‘creed’ of Sci-Fi Church Sydney.

After the meeting finished, attenders enjoyed mingling and eating Sci-Fi themed snacks.

Sci-Fi Church Sydney’s next public meeting will be at 7pm on Saturday 31st August, when the theme will be “I am your Father”.

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