By Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence
It started with a suggestion from Rev. Ken Turley to shape the theme of Convention this year around music. The Executive Committee of General Council thought the idea had merit and forwarded it to our Standing Committee on Educational Resources (SCER), which typically shapes the next theme of Convention to propose to the General Council, and also proposes a keynote speaker for the theme.
Chaired by the Dean of our seminary, Dr. Rebecca Esterson, who shepherds a group of elected members serving terms, currently Rev. Shada Sullivan, Beki Greenwood, and Dell Rose, SCER liked the direction of the idea but decided to expand it to the arts more generally, and they finally settled on the artist Bronwen Mayer Henry, well known in Swedenborgian circles as a cradle-up Swedenborgian, but who is a practicing Buddhist today.
Though frequently terrific and always good to do, let me pause to say that Convention keynote talks have always been quite intellectual. Nothing wrong with that at all! But this year, Bronwen Henry’s keynote address, “Creating Harmony: Art as Spiritual Practice,” focused on the inner work of dealing with life’s issues as she told her own story of facing life-threatening illness and the way art played a crucial role in not only her healing but also the way she lives spiritually. All along, we were treated to lush slides of her artwork that bathed the atmosphere of the auditorium in richly soothing visual emotions. The vibe in the room was so different from the usual, and I’ve attended every convention since 1982. The next day, our artist speaker led an educational experience titled “Practice Contemplative Creativity” that was a hands-on workshop for a large participant group.
But there’s more. We followed through with Ken Turley’s original request by having more robust musical arrangements performed in our services, and breaking quite radically from tradition, our Convention Preacher, Rev. Catherine Lauber, shaped the main “Convention Service” the following evening around practicing harmony in the arts. With poetry as her “sermon” topic that involved hands-on practice with paper passed around for participatory engagements around spiritual harmony and poetry. It worked. It all worked, and there was a vibe shift this year that still lingers.
—Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence
Read the full issue of the 2026 Convention Special.
Meet Jim Lawrence
Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence is the president of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. He was the dean of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies for 21 years prior to being elected President in 2022.
