Looking back on his younger years of attending Holy Communion in University City, the memories Wes Ragland treasures most are the conversations in youth group. “Sitting around, talking about spiritual things, and hearing other perspectives,” he recalls.
Now, at the age of 27, Ragland and two of his colleagues are preparing to launch “Happening,” an event committed to creating that kind of safe space for the SBNR’s (Spiritual But Not Religious).
Happening as an idea began in 2017 after a Jazz Jam where Ragland met up with a saxophone-playing friend. Together, they imagined what it would be like to bring people together around improvisational music and comedy. They wanted the event to be unplanned and spontaneous – just bring the people and watch the magic happen as creatives expressed themselves.
A pilot event was held at Webster Groves High School and was wildly popular with the students. Todd Schaeffer, director of the drama department, encouraged Ragland, Ryan Marquez, and Che Sanchez to formalize their ideas and do a high school tour, but the three agreed that was not what Happening was supposed to become.
The idea went dormant until two years ago, when Ragland and Marquez met Bishop Deon Johnson and Canon Whitney Rice at the behest of me -- Wes’ mom. I was there to talk about starting a "Dog Church." But during that conversation, the idea of The Happening was mentioned off-handed.
“Bishop Deon hopped in and brainstormed on the spot,” Wes said. “He legitimized the idea.”
After that discussion, the Rev. Aaron Rogers, Ministry Developer for Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese, connected the idea to the work of Try Tank, the national church innovation program led by the Rev. Lorenzo Labrija. With funds from the Diocese and Try Tank, The Happening is ready to begin.
"The church has been asking the question of how it can be impactful and relevant in the lives of young people. The Happening provides one solution," Rogers said. "Give the reigns over to young people and let them design the church they've been waiting for. Following Christ calls us to bold experiments in love and community, and I'm glad that this opportunity is being championed and supported by the Diocese."
On Maundy Thursday (March 28), The Happening Takeover: Hip Hop, Healing, and Hope will launch as a pilot event for a missional community of the Diocese of Missouri. The event will be held at a venue on South Grand Avenue in St. Louis. “St. Louis is (one of) the most segregated cities in the US. Our goal is to change that. Bringing people together across the margins is essential to healing both people and places. The story of Jesus has always emphasized this truth to me,” Wes said.
The goal of this experimental ministry is to reach the 33% of young people who define themselves as spiritual but not religious.
Part of creating community is moving past words that separate and isolate. Since Ragland, Marquez and Sanchez will create improvisational music, spirituality in the songs will be unaffiliated with a religious tradition. The words will be open-ended. Instead of naming God, “Universe, Divine, and Love” will be used. But Ragland assures, "The power of love, the transformational work of the Spirit, they’ll be there, they’ll be a part. But until we get a sense of who we are, we can’t go deeper with God.”
The event will include a lot of improv, followed by guided conversations in small groups, then a combined gathering that reflects on the conversation through music and improvisation. This “open-mic” of sorts will be followed by a communal meal.
Ragland, Marquez, and Sanchez are the startup team, with the Rev. Aaron Rogers serving as consultant. Ragland says, “I'm grateful for the support of the Diocese and Try Tank. I want to stay aligned with the Episcopal Church because they have progressed with the culture into the 21st Century."
Plus,” he says, laughing, “the church serves as cult-prevention.”
After the first event, The Happening will return for another “revised” event in the summer, and then will begin monthly in the fall. The team asks for your prayers that people will find spiritual nourishment and commit to investigating further, and that the naysayers, skeptics, and entrenched will give space to this thing that the Holy Spirit is doing.
As Ragland puts it, “The Happening is from God. The idea came and people won’t let me drop it. I guess you could say it’s a call.”
Photo, left to right: Ryan Marquez, keys, Wes Ragland, and Che Sanchez (Tilton Yokely shown on guitar)