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72 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2024 To learn more about Interfaith Mission Camp, visit centenarymacon.org. For info on a local, weekly group meditation, go to thebohemianden.com/meditation. imagination for how people could gather outside the temple. And so, the Interfaith Young Adults of Macon began. This group might meet for trivia or a Passover cookoff at Society Garden. They have explored nature and Torah study at Tattnall Square Park and met for happy hour at Hightales. "Discussing personal beliefs and deeply held convictions can be incredibly vulnerable," said Rosen. Daring to move the arena for spiritual encounters from the inside of a sanctuary and out to common spaces is a vulnerable act that o en leads to beautiful connections. Sometimes you may get it wrong, Rosen says, as "there is always a fear of being misunderstood or misrepresented." Sometimes, you may get it just right. "Our young adult group has provided me a new sense of belonging as I discover the kind of person I want to be." Supporting curious youth and cultural understanding An Interfaith Camp for children brought together Temple Beth Israel, Centenary UMC, High Street UU Church, and the Islamic Center of Middle Georgia. Continuing the tradition of Peacekeeping camp off ered for decades by Jane Donahue, Interfaith Mission Camp invited children to learn, play and work towards "unity not uniformity," said Centenary Pastor Sara Pugh-Montgomery. Instead of being protective of their own traditions, the camp leaders invited children to explore Judaism, Unitarianism, Native spirituality, and Islam alongside their personal experiences of faith. Kids got to paint a chalice in a church, learn at the Ocmulgee Mounds, share a meal and learn about prayer in the Islamic Center, paint a mezuzah, and do daily community service projects. Adjusting our routines, even in small ways, like switching from the standard Vacation Bible School camper lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches to include halal and kosher options at the Interfaith Camp, may require more planning. But they also open doors out of the humdrum, and the giggles, coloring, and playing together had a disarming way of holding space for curiosity. Dislocation from a building provided a way to reorient themselves to meaning in their own faith life. Cassie Montelongo, Centenary Children's Ministry Coordinator, said the welcome from each host congregation made an impact. "It's not easy, especially when your group has been judged by others," said Montelongo. "I will never forget their hospitality. It has taught me a lot about my own." The practice of vulnerability can prompt a posture of openness that reshapes an identity. Life sometimes tempts us to armor up. McInnis describes how a major life change felt that way for her, as if her voice was lost. Her vulnerable spaces off ered healing. McInnis said, "I know that when I have forgotten who I am, when I am at my most vulnerable, this group sees me, and smiles at me, and reminds me." May we open our hearts, our spaces, and be reminded. MACON CONCERT ASSOCIATION ENDOWMENT FUND As one of Macon's oldest arts organizations, the Macon Concert Association has a longstanding tradition of bringing world-renowned classical musicians to Central Georgia. By partnering with CFCG for the management of its endowment fund, the Macon Concert Association benefits from CFCG's philanthropic expertise so its music remains interwoven into the soul of Central Georgia forever. Watch MCA's Endowment Story C O M M U N I T Y F O U N D A T I O N of Central Georgia cfcga.org/stories 478.750.9338 Keeping the Music alive