Well, here we are at the end of the year and the end of Clayfire Curator. I think I’m supposed to be sad.
However, since posting the announcement about closing down everything associated with Clayfire, so many of you have commented here on this site, or on the Facebook page, or contacted Eric and me personally, the overwhelming feeling I have at this moment is gratitude.
In this final post, allow me to acknowledge everyone to whom I’m indebted for their collaboration.
I’m grateful to…
Sally Morgenthaler, author of Worship Evangelism, for her partnership, leadership, and friendship during years of exploring together the history and future of worship. Sally’s wise counsel kept us from settling for fast and easy, fill-in-the-blank answers.
Richard Webb, associate pastor at Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, IA, whose knowledge of and passion for church history and particularly, worship music history, grounded us in ecclesiology. Richard never let us forget that worship, spiritual formation, and mission are intricately linked.
Logan Wang for dreaming big dreams. He was an early champion of worship planning that transcended divisions between faith traditions and helped
Josh Linman whose passion for creative worship started it all.
Eric Herron, who picked up where Josh left off as community manager and has never missed a deadline, even during the birth of his twins. My gratitude for Eric goes much deeper than that, of course, but I don’t know where to begin. He’s a rock (star).
Jodi-Renee Adams, who is young enough to be my daughter and wiser than women twice my age (except for the 4-inch heels). I have eagerly and hungrily read her posts every week for three years, and I’m eager and hungry to read still more. Before Jodi, I’d never met a liturgical evangelical. My life will never be the same.
Mandy Smith who, when invited to be a regular contributor to Clayfire Curator, said, “How can I say no?!” If Eric never misses a deadline, Mandy regularly beats them. But as commendable as her reliability is, its her stories and experiences and ideas about the art of worship that single her out.
Travis Reed who reminded us early and often that worship created for community is to be created from community.
The content curators and content contributors for Clayfire, who responded to the vision of Clayfire with enthusiasm, passion, and unsurpassed creativity and excellence: Eric Herron, Jodi-Renee Adams, DJ Turner, Steve Frost, Ryan Marsh, Anastasia McAteer, John McAteer, Troy Bronsink, Pam Heatley, Don Heatley, Melanie Heuiser-Hill, Todd Fadel, Angie Fadel, and Richard Webb. I’d be remiss not to mention Margaret Ellsworth, who worked tirelessly and enthusiastically behind the scenes as the content project manager and editor.
Mark Pierson who answered an email from a complete stranger half a world away with no more introduction than “Sally said I should contact you.” I’ve received no greater honor than When he entrusted me to be the editor of his book, The Art of Curating Worship, which became the foundation for everything Clayfire aspired to be. His vision for worship curation, along with his persistence and tenacity in sharing that vision for the last fifteen years, is what will sustain worship and further its renewal for years to come.
The thousands of people who bought Mark Pierson’s book and found a new language and a new approach for designing worship.
The 1400-plus people who found Clayfire on Facebook and “liked” us.
The people who followed @Clayfire on Twitter, retweeted and favorited us, and recommended us on Follow Friday.
I’m grateful to every person who shared a View from Your Pew, one of my favorite features of Clayfire Curator.
Every person who wrote a guest post in exchange for nothing more than a book from Fortress Press. Your generosity is exceeded only by the breadth and depth of perspective that you brought to Clayfire Curator.
The entire Clayfire Curator community. For some of you, Clayfire Curator was “finding a community for ‘those who know exile.’” For others, worship curation as an approach to designing worship is still a new idea, and you’ve let us know that there’s still so much more to explore.
If you’re familiar with The Sound of Music, you’ll recall that the song, “So Long, Farewell,” signaled a new beginning for the Von Trapp family. As the song concluded, the family became exiles from their home country and emigrated to a new country.
Although this is the final post on Clayfire Curator, Eric and I plan to continue the Clayfire legacy. By mid-January (or sooner), we’ll be prepared to make an announcement about the next iteration. Make sure you don’t miss any news: add our names to your Google+ circles, subscribe to us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
What’s to be sad about?!
So long, farewell. See you on the Internet!
A new series of four worship services, Lament: Dancing into Mourning, is now available in the Community gallery on Clayfire.org. Eric Herron curated this collection. Learn more 
