Following the fall 2016 elections, the need and idea for an “Apocaloptimists” group emerged. The group met over the first half of 2017.
Feeling apocalyptic but want to have hope and be optimistic?
You are not alone.
Come for coffee and cookies, conversation and support.
APOCALOPTIMISTS*
Meeting for being heard without agenda. The last Tuesday of each month. Next meeting:
Tuesday, May 30, 7PM
Harrisonburg Mennonite Church
Room A-3, the first right, down the hall
1552 S. High St., Harrisonburg
Access the church NOT from S. High St. (42), but from Central Ave. that runs between Pleasant Hill Rd. and South Ave. parallel to S. High. Go up Emery St. to the top, then follow the detour around to parking and to the east door, which is what you’ll see when you get to the top of Emery St.
Come in front (east) door marked “SANCTUARY”
Hosted by the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley (CAAV)
Co-sponsored by the Creation Care Group of Harrisonburg Mennonite Church and Pastor Mark Keller
* Just what is an Apocaloptimist?
Apocaloptimist: one who knows it’s all going to hell, but still has hope that somehow, some way, everything will be just fine. Apocalypse + Optimist = Apocaloptimist
The Spirit: The Apocaloptimists’ Club is part social club, part support group for all those Apocaloptimists out there trying to make a difference in the world. The club aims to create an inviting, attentive space to connect with other folks who might find themselves feeling weary, isolated, or just plain bogged down with the world’s ills. The AC won’t necessarily be a place to follow an agenda or make plans. It will be a place to share laughter, tears, ideas, and–fingers crossed–hope. Because, if we’re really going to hell in a handbasket, we may as well try to get a little fun out of it along the way.
The Details: Sometimes it feels as though none of us needs one more thing to do or one more place to be. In honor of all of those filled-to-the-brim hours, here’s how the Apocaloptimists’ Club proposes to go: we’ll set a parameter of several months, say January to June, in which we’ll meet once a month. Meetings will last around one-and-a half hours (unless the crowd clamors for more!) and can be anything from a group conversation to a movie viewing, to a guest speaker, to sitting in silence. Perhaps food and drink will be involved. Perhaps not. The point is, this will be an evolving entity as we go along. Not totally free-wheeling (the meetings will have some structure), but evolving. Attendees can come to as few or as many gatherings as they like. Come June, we can all evaluate what direction the Apocaloptimists’ Club should take: do we all shake hands and say “thank you very much, it was lovely”, or do we carry on?
The Seed: The Apocaloptimists’ Club grew out of a CAAV-sponsored discussion of the film “How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change.” At that discussion, there was a palpable need for those present to share personal emotions raised by the film and what it means to live under the ongoing threat of climate change. It was then that CAAV realized folks could use an ongoing time and space to both express AND take a break from their woes.
If times feel bleak, remember, humor helps. If nothing else, you’ll be able to spell “Apocaloptimist” after all is said and done.
Resource page HERE.
Climate Action Alliance of the Valley 