3. The Tricircle Pavilion: An Architectural Meditation on Christian Faith and Practice - Christian Practice

Three overlapping circles!
A church. A garden. And a cattle kraal -
an architectural hint, dug into the one earth we have, of an orthodoxy of practice, a One-Planet-Lifestyle, promoting profitable living while caring for planet and people.

(...being composed. Watch this space!)

2. The Tricircle Pavilion: An Architectural Meditation on Christian Faith and Practise - Christian Faith

Three circles!
A church. A garden. A cattle kraal.
An architectural reminder of the Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit...Creator, Saviour, Sustainer.
An orthodoxy of belief dug into our one planet as foundation of the Christian faith.












The overlapping circles form the symbol of the fish (ichthus), three of them, silently affirming the earliest of Christian creeds..."Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."











To open the door to this sanctuary is to put one's hand upon the rugged cross...so to touch the mystery of that which promises personal, national and global redemption, ....but not without sacrifice.











Entering, one passes beneath the word IXOYE, etched in glass, as affirmation of Emmanuel, that Word which was in the beginning, who fashioned the world and in Christ Jesus became enfleshed.










Entering...
...one finds oneself within the encircling warmth of embodied trinity, inter leading doors for exploration of the many faces of God.








Just as the three outside fish (formed by the overlap of the two outside circles and the door handles into the church from the kraal and garden) invites one on a "journey inward,"...














... so the fish on the "kraal" and "garden" doors within the sanctuary, point to the "journey outward," there to engage the planet and all its' people with the transforming embrace of God's love.












And so, the Tricircle Pavilion: An architectural meditation linking church and garden, church and cattle kraal....heaven and earth.

“I Bind Unto Myself This Day”

I bind unto myself this day
the strong name of the Trinity.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in the hearts of all that love me,
Christ be with me this day.

From Celtic Daily Prayer - Prayers and Readings from the Northhumbria Community

Blessing of the Nguni Herd

"Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth the fish in the Gqunube River and Indian Ocean, the birds in the air and the animals that roam our forests and mountains. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this Nguni herd present here today. By the power of your love, enable each one to live according to your plan. And may we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen." - Source: Duke University Chapel, 2004 Service, adapted

(This entry dedicated to Bill and Pat Luebke who work so tirelessly to organize the Blessing of Animals ceremony of Community United Methodist Church in Leavenworth, Washington and to Simanga Booi who is principal stockman at Gqunube Green).

1. The Tricircle Pavilion: An Architectural Meditation on Christian Faith and Practise - The Architecture

Three overlapping circles. One a church. Another a cattle kraal. The third a garden.










An inviting entrance way...









...to a door with rugged cross handle...














...and beyond a worship or meeting space.










From this space, flowering herbs in the circle garden peep through the "garden" door...














...as do the wooden posts of the kraal through the "kraal" door.















The cattle kraal, ... a place for people to gather and mingle...









...and a place for the cattle who come in from the fields once a year that we might give thanks to God for these creatures that provide food and care for the grasslands.









And beyond, a covered walkway to restrooms and the outdoor kitchen with observation deck above...











...passing a heron sculpture on the way.







And so, the Tricircle Pavilion: An architectural meditation linking church and garden, church and cattle kraal....heaven and earth.

“I Bind Unto Myself This Day”

I bind unto myself this day
the strong name of the Trinity.
I humbly praise the aweful (filled with awe) name:
the Three in One, the One in Three,
of whom all nature hath creation -
eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the God of my salvation!

I bind this day to me for ever
by power of faith: Christ’s incarnation,
His baptism in the Jordan river,
His death on the cross for my salvation.

His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming on the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in the hearts of all that love me,
Christ be with me this day.

From Celtic Daily Prayer - Prayers and Readings from the Northhumbria Community

Walking the Talk: An Orthodoxy of Practise?

Perhaps its' true to say that in life there is always a correct way of doing things and an incorrect way. If the word orthodox means "the correct way" then orthodox Christian doctrine means "correct" or "right belief." And the Tricircle Pavilion at Gqunube Green, designed in the shape of three circles (see above photo showing future ecovillage residents enjoying a braai in the cattle kraal circle) is an architectural affirmation of orthodox Christian doctrine or "right belief" - that for Christians God is best understood as Father, Son and Holy Spirit or Creator, Saviour and Sustainer.

But in this day with enormous challenges facing the people of the earth and the planet itself, the value of "right belief" must be benchmarked against "right practice." Or, stated differently, the value of "right belief" can only be measured by its' contribution to the well being of an ailing planet and all its' people, and this on an ongoing basis. So, if we know what orthodox Christian doctrine is, perhaps the urgent question for caring Christians concerned for planet and people is: "What might the orthodox Christian practice of an orthodox Christian doctrine look like?

Again the Tricircle Pavilion attempts to embody an architectural reply. If the three circles represents People, Planet and Profit respectively (the 3P's), then the goal of an orthodox Christian practice is represented by that area the three circles have in common, a place of promising synergy where people live "profitably" on the earth while caring for people and planet. In other words no decision will be made to benefit oneself personally (profit) if it adversely impacts the planet or other people. 3P decision-making therefore will result in a lifestyle commitment that will help lead the world towards sustainability.

So with God guiding and the people willing, perhaps Gqunube Green will become that model of sustainability where residents live "profitably" while caring for people and planet, simultaneously growing economic, social and ecological capital. And as a place of teaching and community celebration (see the above photo of Nguni cattle in the circular kraal for a blessing of animal service, thanks being offered to God for their role in maintaining the health of the ecovillage ecosystem) hopefully the Tricircle Pavilion will serve as an architectural reminder of a conceptual framework which, in linking heaven and earth, provides both meaning and direction to the lifestyles we choose.

2008 Visit - First Impressions

I touched down at Oliver Tambo International Airport for my annual visit to South Africa and immediately it began - trying to get in touch with the pulse, recently quickened by xenophobic violence against immigrants, of the rainbow nation.

I discovered that beneath the kinesthetic charisma of the smile and dance of South Africans lies layers upon layers of uncertainty. About the political process. The ability of its' institutions to withstand assault by those intent only on self-service. About the economy and its' ability to deliver people from the poverty that will inevitably undermine social stability. About the health of our natural resources and their ability to survive wholesale plunder in the name of greed on the one hand and survival on the other.

Now, at 3:00 a.m. in the morning, a body clock still on Pacific time, and with the distant drone of the Indian Ocean surf on the night air, I sit here in the Village Inn and wonder how this ecovillage might offer a glimmer of hope to a beloved country crying anew.

The solution, I'm convinced, lies with ordinary people doing the job, leading by example, showing the way...something a thriving ecovillage might do?

Tomorrow people start arriving for the first Gqunube Green Gathering - owners of 27 erven committed to buying in to this ecovillage dream. How I pray that these capable people, most of them professional and disempowered as individuals on the national stage, are bringing with them the solutions often found within the synergy of the whole! Perhaps the new Tricircle Pavilion can help offer a construct for combining the orthodoxy of faith with an orthodoxy of practise. More on this as the weekend unfolds.

The Abundant Herd

Inkomo eyezindlu or "beast which has the houses" is a descriptive Zulu term for an Nguni cow with the hide markings like the one in the photograph below. The small, black round circles on a white coat represent the circular huts dotting the Zulu countryside.

Like the Zulu, the Xhosa people have wonderfully descriptive terms for animals in their herds depending on the colour and patterns on a hide and/or shape of horns. These terms often allude to aspects of nature. For example, a black animal with white head is likened to the African Fish Eagle (very similar to the North American Bald Eagle with its' conspicuous white head) and called uNkwazi (Fish Eagle in Zulu).

The naming of the cattle by the Zulu and Xhosa herders doesn't follow any strict scientific protocol. Rather the poetic names emerge because of a daily association between a herder with his cattle and the surrounding countryside, expressing patterns of similarity between an animals hide and what he observes around him.

The abundant herd of Nguni cattle at Gqunube Green could well offer residents endless opportunities to once again reconnect with nature in the daily round of living, the disconnect perhaps being partly to blame for humanity's abuse of creation. By simply learning to associate the patterns on a hide with other aspects of nature on Gqunube Green, perhaps we too will learn to regularly give expression to the beauty which surrounds us and be spurred to find ways of caring for it.

The Gqunube Green Nguni herd arrived about eight years ago. They are the ecovillages' first residents and began to play their role in creation care immediately. Holistic Grazing Management has allowed us to use them as a land management tool so implementing the pattern of sustainable agriculture. They have helped to preserve the grasslands firstly by tramping the moribund grass down and allowing fresh grass that was being shaded out to grow. Secondly, by browsing young acacia and Port Jackson saplings they have slowed bush encroachment, particularly of alien invaders. Their contribution goes well beyond supplying meat as they improve the water and mineral cycles of the ecosystem processes through their dunging and hoof action and enhance the solar energy flow of the property.

Exercising my own poetic imagination, Inkomo eyezindlu or "beast which has the houses," the old matriarch of the Nguni herd, has perhaps been a walking testimony for those of us about to build our homes on the very grasslands she and the herd has been grazing for these past eight years. As our homes move from her hide onto the land, will we, like the resident herd, strive to give to the land and the emerging community as much as we take?

While I prepare to wing my way back home tomorrow to join other future residents of Gqunube Green for a weekend of celebration and planning, I can only hope that we will. The future of the abundant herd depends on it. And this small, resiliently fragile world over which I will be flying needs places like Gqunube Green, "enacted parables of creation care," to help light the path to that "still better way."

Tricircle Pavilion - Off the Page into Reality

Leavenworth, Washington. Dave Muller, future resident of Gqunube Green and architect of the Tricircle Pavilion, has taken the concept of a tricircle church shared with him in an informal brief, and rendered a superb design which promises to serve Gqunube Green ecovillage well in a multitude of ways other than a church. It will, be a gathering place for the future residents to meet, so playing a role in the social formation of the ecovillage; a classroom for the Gqunube Green Learning Center's courses on aspects of sustainability so necessary for the ecovillage's, and the world's, collective future; a venue for an occasional wedding, one of which has already been planned by future residents for their daughter; and who knows what else this unusual building will witness. Perhaps it is fair to suggest that the Tricircle Pavilion will be at the heart of Gqunube Green's common life. I hope so. The building is meant to serve.

Yet any well designed hall, including the Tricircle Pavilion, could support the important functions listed above. But it is when "Tricircle Pavilion" becomes "Tricircle Church" that my heart quickens with the hope the battle for sustainability, at Gqunube Green and everywhere, might yet be won. The three overlapping circles speak of an understanding of God in which God's Son empties himself as a suffering servant for the good (redemption) of the world. And miracles happen when people respond with Christlike humility to serve in the cause of truth. Witness the lives of the four South African Nobel Peace Prize winners whose statues stand witness at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town - Chief Albert Luthuli, Presidents Nelson Mandela and F.W. DeKlerk, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Their sacrificial service helped rescue a nation by leading it in a different direction!

The world of the twenty first century faces a "final battle" of sorts. Victory - over the threat of environmental collapse promising devastating human consequences - can only be won as each global citizen learns to live sacrificially, like God's Son, for the good of the world. For that reason I find it thrilling that the Tricircle Pavilion design, depicting the iconic Christian fish, commends the earliest of creeds, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour." [Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, in Greek) means fish and is an acronym for this creed]. For in commending the one who lived, and died, for the greater good, the architecture itself points each Gqunube Green resident towards that same Nobel-Peace-Prize-quality seen in Christ Jesus of a life of serving the greater good. In this sense, as church, perhaps the Tricircle Pavilion might yet nurture the same commitment among ecovillage residents, to adopt One-Planet-Lifestyles even if it requires sacrifice.

Perhaps then the Tricircle Pavilion will become the heart of Gqunube Green ecovillage, and in showing the servanthood of God's way, contribute to the saving of the world.

A Tricircle Church.

Leavenworth, Washington. From a vision birthed during a communion service amongst rural Xhosa villagers in Soto, Mooiplaas, through two draft designs never implemented, an out-of-the-box church has finally emerged at Gqunube Green ecovillage to help unite heaven and earth. It will be dedicated by retired bishops Eric Pike and Norman Hudson on Sunday, 29 June this year. And what a celebration it promises to be!


In this tricircle church design the trinity of Christian orthodoxy - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - unites with the trinity of sustainability - People, Planet and Profit, (or Economic Capital, Social Capital and Natural Capital) - to ground the heavenly-mindedness of faith with the nitty, gritty challenge of caring for planet and people. In linking the Christian liturgical seasons, advent through kingdomtide, with creations' seasons, autumn through summer, services of worship will rehearse the ancient story of one God, one earth, and the unity of humanity in a fresh and creation-transforming way.

A blessing of the cattle herd after calving season, whose role in ensuring healthy grasslands is practised, reminds us they are partners in farming God's way; a blessing of seeds at springtime as gardeners prepare to plant, hoping for an abundant yield, presents our hopes and aspirations to a loving God; harvest festivals during autumn which give thanks to God for the fruits of the earth reminds us that life ultimately is a gift from beyond ourselves: all these will combine with the worship of God in Christ Jesus to help both shape a Christian spirituality which affirms that the "earth is the Lord's" and empowers the faithful to tackle the challenge of earth care facing us in the 21st century.

The Journey Continues -This Blogs Beginnings

Leavenworth, Washington. This inaugural entry continues a story that began in the Eastern Cape of South Africa 17 years ago in 1992. It's a personal tale of aspiring with friends and colleagues to a still better way - living life "profitably" while caring about people and planet. Not without struggle and frustration and heartbreak, the story continues to unfold on a magical property called Gqunube Green. Set on the Gqunube River, Gqunube Green ecovillage is a 97 hectare property of forests and grasslands and fertile bottomlands. It sports a breathtakingly beautiful view of the river's tranquil lagoon as it flows across a wide, sandy beach into the blue Indian Ocean beyond. People are settling this acreage of promise and arrive with the vision of "a still better way." The ongoing story promises to be an exciting one, at the very least an interesting one. This blog invites you to journey with me so that together we might learn.....and jointly aspire to the Gqunube Green's of our own futures and continents. Please feel free to comment by posting your own thoughts. - Roger Hudson