RICK CLAYTON continued from 21
Established in 1926, Brown County’ s original art gallery offers for sale artwork by contemporary artists and consigned early Indiana art. Selections from the Permanent Collections are also on display.
Open Year-Round Mon.– Sat. 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sun. Noon to 5:00 pm what it needs to be processing. I want people to leave peacefully, maybe even joyfully. Death to me is another kind of birth. To be able to help escort someone through that veil is a tremendous honor and a gift.”
Rick arrived at Harmony Baptist Church at about the same time he became the hospice chaplain, after a member of the search committee dreamed that she should ask Rick to“ do a pulpit fill” while the church looked for a new minister. He began with a sermon series on The Sermon on The Mount, continuing this theme through his hiring as permanent pastor and beyond. In all, he gave 36 sermons on The Sermon on The Mount. The congregation turned over a bit, and now Harmony Baptist church is attempting to become a vibrant“ church for all people, a church for the rest of us who don’ t necessarily feel comfortable or welcome in more traditional churches.
“ I believe that we don’ t have to have the walls that divide us. They are human constructs. It may be Utopian, but we can still try to live as if compassion and acceptance were possible. It grieves me that doctrines and dogmas divide people. It doesn’ t have to be that way.”
He has built a 75-foot labyrinth on church grounds and holds ceremonies there. He and his congregation have established a garden, and a thriving Wednesday evening circle.
Whether it is a dying person reaching toward the light, or a child reaching for a hand, Rick sees that,“ there is something beautiful and connecting behind every human reaching for something beyond ourselves. Spirit is not something you can control.
Mystical spiritual formation, labyrinths, and music are tools that help break up the fallow ground and help the spirit move in your life. It’ s not something that you can command, but no effort is ever wasted.“ We’ re a church that’ s learning to play well with others, and it’ s a real adventure!”
You can reach Rick at his e-mail account < wholenotes @ mac. com > or on Facebook at Rick Clayton.
The Southern Care hospice number is( 812) 334-8343 and Harmony Church’ s number is( 812) 988-4750. •
26 Our Brown County • July / August 2015