Cosplay Church?

[Sui Fong]

So there was cosplay church in 09, but it didn't come back in 10, will it be back in 11? I wanted to put this up to see if anyone else wanted it back, and to find out what's going on. 

[RemSaverem]

What is cosplay church?

[Washougal_Otaku]

Someone would have to fill out the paperwork in order for that to happen.  I have no idea who ran it in '09, or why they didn't do it in '10.  The forms should be available some time this month.

[EveofAbyss]

I'd definitely love to have it back. It was very nice in 2009, and has always been a part of Kumoricon I look forward to.

@Rem: Cosplay Church is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It is a time of church and Christian fellowship on Sunday morning of the con. Someone will lead with a sermon or lead a discussion, sometimes relating aspects of anime to aspects of faith and Christianity. It is basically just church for those who don't want to let the con keep them from seeking God, His teaching and fellowship.

[RemSaverem]

Is it something someone holds as an official panel? Or is it an unofficial meet-up?
I'm Jewish (and a few other things). However, at MEW Con, I created a panel in which attendees of any faith or philosophy were more than welcome, at which a cool young otaku and sci-fi geek, who is part of Creation Station and Eugene's Anime Friday but randomly also is an ordained religious Dominican priest, ran folks through all the details of what it takes for him to put on a Catholic Mass. He explained his vestments, ritual objects, posture, positioning, gave an overview of changes in canonic Mass diction over the years, etc. The aim, as I framed the panel, was for those involved in fan creations, from fanficcers to fan artists to fan filmmakers, theater set dressers, and cosplayers, who wanted to authenticate how they portray anything in a Catholic setting, to be able to do so. He provided a detailed handout, not only with the call & response but also with vocabulary and resources. The two of the twelve present who wished to do so were also able to take communion and have the panel "count" as their Sunday Obligation, and anyone who didn't want communion was welcomed to come get a different type of (verbal) blessing. The part that was most interesting to me was (1) now I can have a sense of whether a film has done its research or is anachronistic in what it portrays, and (2) there were prayers I immediately recognized as direct translations from Hebrew from Jewish services, particularly the prayer that starts "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" (Holy, holy, holy). In Hebrew in full that would be: Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh; Adonai tz'va'ot. M'lo kol ha'Aretz mi michomo. Anyway. That was MEW. I don't know if it would fly at KC. I don't know if Catholic is what folks were seeking. But. If so. I can certainly talk to this priest about it. Of note: I do not support conventions holding religious services that are restricted only to active members of certain religions. I would only support whatever emerges if anyone, of any faith or philosophy, could attend.

[EveofAbyss]

Cosplay Church was never a thing that was "closed off" to anyone, no more than a nondenominational church would be to anyone who wanted to come in and hear the sermon. It was just church in its simplest form.

It wasn't really a panel (technically it was, but that was just going by the schedule), it was a church service, with a Christian message. That has always been what Cosplay Church was, at least in my experience. It isn't like there was a sign on the door saying "Christians Only", but it should be known that this was to be a discussion of Christian topics, or Christian fellowship, or a Bible study of some kind, and anyone who wanted to come and join in, knowing that, was absolutely welcome.

It was just about encouraging fellowship, at its core.

[Sui Fong]

Yeah, like eve said, it was never closed off to anyone. It was just a church service for all us cosplayers!
So pretty much what it sounds like is we just need to find a pastor willing to hold a service and get him to fill out the paperwork... Guess I can see what I can do about that.

[RemSaverem]

Well that sounds very different than what my friend who is a Catholic priest held at MEW Con, which counted as a Catholic service but every two minutes or so was explication of the process and asking and answering of questions.

I don't know if the twain could meet, and I don't know if Catholic is what y'all are into, so I don't know whether to suggest this panelist or not.

I am personally much more comfortable with his approach than what you're proposing here, but what matters is what Jaki approves.

[Sui Fong]

Catholicism and Christianity are two different things, and it would be incredibly hard to merge the two. I never thought of it as being uncomfortable, so you've brought something new to light. I know there are a lot of Christians who go to Kumoricon though, and it's a very open thing, so we would never want to make anyone uncomfortable. You've given me something to think about.

[RemSaverem]

Catholicism and Christianity are two different things,

  
I imagine that would be news to a Catholic....(though I say that as a Jew, with a relative-by-marriage who taught Catholic school for 40 years, rather than as anyone personally affiliated with any form of Christianity).

and it would be incredibly hard to merge the two.

Are church services really that different? I imagine they are similiar at least with Episcopalian/Anglican? And I know there are some similarities with the Russian/Armenian/Greek Orthodox Church services, at least the Greek, having been to the Cave of the Apocalypse in Greece (where the Book of Revelations was written/channeled/received).

So I guess you mean it would be hard for you, from your personal denominational background, to figure out how to merge the two in a way that is comfortable for you.

I never thought of it as being uncomfortable, so you've brought something new to light. I know there are a lot of Christians who go to Kumoricon though, and it's a very open thing, so we would never want to make anyone uncomfortable. You've given me something to think about.

* nod *
Well, having been one of the panelists on Kumoricon's "Religion in Anime & Manga" panel for several years, I definitely support having safe space within con for expression of religious and/or philosophical views, feelings, reactions. Given what I just facilitated holding at MEW, I also support safe space for explorations of religious practices. However, IMHO, if they are not genuinely, fully open to everyone of any faith or philosophical orientation, they are not appropriate as an official con activity; whereas they could still be held at con, as an unofficial meet-up, akin to a photo shoot, if you want to be exclusive.

Please note that everything I say in this thread is my personal opinion, expressed as one who has actively sought to include convention-approved safe space for religious discussion in multiple cons, and that the opinion that really matters is what Jaki will approve as an official con event or panel, as Director of Programming.

<<EDIT>> I just read the thread from KC 2006. It was someone coming from Arizona who wanted to spontaneously throw an event outdoors in public space. Haven't read about 2009 yet.

<<EDIT>> I found Melchizidek's blog on KC 2009 church service. He said "only a handful" came (so obviously this is not an event that automatically requires a huge panel room; whereas we tend to run out of seats in a 55-75-seat room for Religion in Anime & Manga). He said it was run by a girl (which is cool) who looked to be a teen (also cool) and that almost everyone was in cosplay (and again, cool). Sounds much less formal than what I got the impression of above. Less formal = more comfortable IMHO.

[superjaz]

I also found this old thread about it

http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=12678.0

[Jamiche]

In '09, Cosplay Church as a last minute add-on, run by one of my staffers who asked if she could do so.  She wasn't able to last year.

If there is someone who would like to run it, all they need to do is submit an event panel form (they are located here), and I will consider it.  The advantage to having it as an event is that it is a) on the schedule, b) listed in the program guide, and c) you would have a space to meet.  The main point is that it would be need to be open to anyone.

[RemSaverem]

In '09, Cosplay Church as a last minute add-on, run by one of my staffers who asked if she could do so.  She wasn't able to last year.

If there is someone who would like to run it, all they need to do is submit an event panel form (they are located here), and I will consider it.  The advantage to having it as an event is that it is a) on the schedule, b) listed in the program guide, and c) you would have a space to meet.  The main point is that it would be need to be open to anyone.

Thank you for all the info and that affirmation.

[Sui Fong]

Sorry guys, been too busy with school to keep an eye on the thread.
Ok, so that's good information. I don't know of anyone as of yet that would like to run the panel, but maybe someone reading this does? And it's nice to know what happened to it this past year. Since 2009 was my first year, I didn't know that prior to that it didn't happen (other than '06).

[RemSaverem]

As I mentioned, my friend who ran Creation Station's walk through of a Catholic Mass for fanworks creators at MEW Con, who is a practicing Dominican religious priest, would probably be up for doing that again. However, if that is very different from what people in this thread had in mind, then anything could happen along the spectrum from a collaboration to two separate panels to just one or the other to neither, depending on where there is interest. As long as whatever is offered is equally open to patrons of all faiths or philosophies (not just my opinion but Jaki's statement, above).