By Brittany Price
The first thing my daughter asked when I got home was “Can I have your watercolors?”
In her keynote, Bronwen Mayer Henry invited us to prioritize creativity as a spiritual practice, and make space for it in our everyday lives, not just once in a while. Convention 2026 did an excellent job of prioritizing creativity!
The Boston Church on the Hill put together convention bags that embraced many different forms of creativity. Our bags included a choice of several different musical instruments (I got an ocarina!), our own watercolor paint set, and a book of the spiritual reflections and drawings of the late Rev. Ted Klein. We each received a pin that I am sure will be a collector’s item in no time (perhaps we can start a tradition of having a pin for each convention?).
I appreciated that this Convention did not limit itself to just one expression of creativity. We began with the banner procession featuring many new creations as well as celebrating the older ones. There were several creative Mini Courses that asked you to create using your hands, use your voice to sing, to write, and to share. Some of our services featured the original music of Ken and Laurie Turley (tinyurl.com/2y7u59cb), or a new liturgy created by Heather Garland. Our entire Convention worship service was a reflection and celebration of prose and music from Rev. Catherine Lauber. Even the display tables were an exercise in creativity, with more tables this year than I’ve ever seen in past years.
Finally, we concluded with a “Taste of Boston” outing that concluded at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter. We were treated to a celebration of New England cuisine and invited to create and play! The colorful art featured on the cover of this issue was one of the results of our collaborative creativity.
Which brings us to the best part of Convention this year, when I brought everything home with me and shared it with my family. Even though she has never used watercolors before, my daughter immediately and furiously started creating, observing the world around her. Without the restraints of perfection, self-doubt, or performance, she focused solely on creativity and expression. My kids continue to teach me every day.
—Brittany Price
Read the full issue of the 2026 Convention Special.
Meet Brittany Price
Brittany Price has been the editor of the Messenger since November, 2025. Prior to that, she spent several years as the Operations Manager of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. Brittany holds a MA in Anthropology from Tulane University and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, five children, and Scrapple the cat.
