My52WOW-BK Update and TedX Lincoln Square

In June of this year, I began a second intentional round of spending a year visiting a different place of worship every week – this time in Brooklyn. 

So far, it’s been a delightful journey. I have been able to visit 23 new places in Brooklyn – from The Nigerian Muslim Association to the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture to the Zen Center of New York – some places that were completely new to me, and some communities of worship that I have visited before. Every visit, however, is different, and I continue to learn a great deal. Plus, I am learning more about my new home in Brooklyn. All good things.

Due to some business travel that took me from Brooklyn to California, to Washington DC to London and back, I spent a few weeks away from home. Thus, I have had to insert some flexibility into the program. The first 52 weeks of this project, I visited 61 places of worship in 52 weeks. This time, I find that I will give myself 61 weeks to visit 52 places of worship. It is just more difficult to find myself in Brooklyn every single weekend, especially since my life and work includes a fair amount of travel. Just today I revisited the Church of Apostles in Atlanta, which I visited for the first time in Week 8 of the first 52 weeks of this project…and I visited my very first Lutheran Church: St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. So today was My52WOW- Buckhead – 2 Christmas Eve services in one day, both completely different and delightful for different reasons.

I look forward to 2018, and continuing to learn more about communities of worship in Brooklyn.

I also am looking forward to 2018 as I have been selected to speak at TEDx Lincoln Square. Very exciting to have the opportunity to share the My52WOW story there, as part of a lineup of amazing professionals and performers. When I started this project in 2010, I had no idea of the journey that lay ahead. As I contemplate the journey, and how grateful I am for it, I am reminded of #52 in the 52 Things That I Learned During My 52 Weeks of Worship:

Sometimes when you start a journey, you have very little idea where you are going to end up. But with a little faith, you can end up having a more amazing experience than you ever imagined.

Happy Holidays to all of  you. See you in 2018!