Spare Key Springfield: Missouri

A Note on Taizé in Springfield

A Note on Taizé in Springfield

Amber and I went to a Taizé service at Brentwood the other day. It was the first Taizé service we had been too since we first discovered Taizé at East Liberty Presbyterian Church five years ago.

Taizé prayer is characterized by contemplative songs, low lights, crosses, and candles. I don’t have a picture of the service to show you because I left my phone in the car. The distraction of electronic devices just seemed antithetical to the whole idea of Taizé. The lights in the sanctuary were completely off. Candles were lit. Music floated from the piano and violin. It was time to sit still.

Taizé services are stripped down to the basic elements of religious experience: music, candles, and animated PowerPoint backgrounds. The songs are short, repetitive, and contemplative. Some are as few as ten words, and half of those are in Latin.

Only eight souls were present when we arrived. (That’s assuming one soul per body. Honestly I haven’t been in a church for awhile, so I might not be up on the latest numbers.) By the time everyone had sat down, there were 14 of us scattered throughout the sanctuary.

One of my favorite Taizé songs---the Taizé song that everybody in Taizé land knows---is called Ubi Caritas, which I refuse to learn the meaning of. My only complaint is that they sang it to a different tune than I’m used to. It’s like when Todd Agnew decided Amazing Grace should have a refrain about rain for some reason. But I still enjoyed it, and I learned several songs I didn’t know, many of which are stuck in my head at this moment. (Here’s an example.)

The beginning and ending of the service were beautifully unceremonious, punctuated only by silence. There was no call to order. There was no dismissal. Throughout the whole thing, there was less talking than a Quaker meeting. Just the way I like it.

I’m grateful Taizé exists in Springfield. Thank you to all the people at Brentwood who make it happen. I’m looking forward to the next one.

6:55 AM
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Farm-to-Table Dinner at Urban Roots Farm

Bethany Bell

This weekend, some of us had the privilege to volunteer and attend Urban Roots Farm's 5th Annual Farm-to-Table Dinner. The purpose of the dinner is to invite the community to celebrate and learn about what Urban Roots is doing in the West Central neighborhood in Springfield, Mo. More than 125 people gathered between both nights in support of local food and urban farming, and the result was magical.

On Friday night, Amber, Abbey and I volunteered to serve dinner, while Rob and Ryan played wonderful music all evening. Let me tell you it was hard work. I couldn't believe all the manual labor this event required. All of the ingredients came from various local farms, and the talented Grace in the Kitchen prepared all the dishes in the Millsap's personal kitchen. We were told that the menu was constantly evolving based on what the farm had available--including the day of the event. The life of a local food chef!

There were seven courses. Seven courses! All of which were carried precariously on large beautiful trays to be served with the support of our eager young helpers. Then after each course, we cleared the tables and sorted all of the leftovers, so it could be properly composted. It was a long night, but it was so rewarding, and we were only there for one night. Some of the volunteers had been helping Grace and the Millsaps prepare all week. It takes a village.

The second night, we had the opportunity to enjoy the dinner as guests, and the food was outstanding. They started us out with appetizers as people gathered and explored the farm. After that, the first official course was a lemongrass mushroom soup, followed by a smoked trout & field cucumber cracker. Then we were served a salad with peanut ginger dressing and the great carrot course. The main event however was wasabi brisket with marinated eggplants & kimchi. The dinner was followed by a cantaloupe with ginger simple syrup to cleanse our palate for apple pie bites for dessert. There was also beer donated by Mother's Brewing Company and coffee donated by The Coffee Ethic.

After dinner, we stayed for many hours enjoying each others' company and the wonderful fire bowl. All in all, the weekend was truly magical and illustrates why so many of us are passionate about local food and the West Central neighborhood. Urban Roots Farm is doing great things to make that neighborhood a true community, and we support that 100 percent.