The story of Black Wood Jazz

Black Wood Jazz began three years ago. I had just finished coordinating the nitelife program for NCYC (National Christian Youth Convention, Uniting Church event for 16 - 30 year olds) 2005, at which the jazz lounge had been quite popular. I was looking for a space that invited questions and encouraged discovery, rather than some church spaces that offer answers and encourage acceptance of the status quo. I thought that if I was looking for such a space, perhaps others were too. So I gathered some friends and we started to create spaces for deep thinking and discovery of the Sacred in our lives. We decided that the soundtrack to our discoveries would be jazz. Live jazz. 

For the past three years we've been creating four spaces a year, and I will begin to put up photos and summaries of our discoveries in those spaces. We're going to create two spaces each year from now, as the Blackwood Uniting Church community becomes busier, and those of us on the team also become busier. The spaces are still valued by the community, within and outside the church, and especially at the pivotal moments of the faith. So our two spaces will be at Christmas and Easter. If other issues pop up that invite deeper thinking and conversation to the melodies of jazz, then we'll add a third space to the calendar. 

I hope you find our story interesting, and would be delighted to hear of ways it inspires others to discover the Sacred, connect to the Holy Story, and reach beyond the conventions to invite people inside and outside our faith communities to think deeply about the God who writes the song on our hearts.