Glad to see so many of you visiting here at Thebaid.org!
Many thanks to Byzantine, TX Blog for re-posting the video and intro text for the North American Thebaid Project! The word is getting out, and I hope for more such shares soon…
For you joining us from Byzantine TX (and elsewhere), I hope you’ll linger a while, explore the Blog, Project and Video pages, and share with your circles via Facebook, email and other means.
As always, sign up for email updates at right, Like us on Facebook, and watch for the official launch of our crowdfunding campaign very soon.
Icon of the Synaxis of All Saints, celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost
We are officially in the “Pre-Launch” phase of the North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage Project.
The initial crowdfunding campaign will be launching very soon now, as the last components are put in place this coming week.
I think it is especially fitting that my first public presentation on the Thebaid Project — to my home parish Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in Cincinnati — was on the Sunday of All Saints. The icon of All Saints is one of the most vivid visual expressions of the Church, and conveys a sense of what the Thebaid Project is all about.
I’ve chosen Indiegogo to be our crowdfunding platform, due to its established reputation for creative projects, and its flexible funding options, and am currently putting the finishing touches on the Thebaid Campaign Page.
What is crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a paradigm shift for anyone launching a project, introducing a new product, etc., from creatives to charities, from inventors to startups to realtors or artists. As the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo puts it,
Crowdfunding is “the process of raising money online through contributions made by many different people, sometimes hundreds or thousands, who share the same passion for your project.”
Supporters of crowdfunded projects typically receive rewards, or “perks”, in compensation for their contributions. Since the Thebaid Project is about photography, even the entry level donors (at $10 and $25) will receive valuable photographic rewards. Beginning at the $50 level, supporters will receive first edition copies of the finished book. (More details when we launch – we think you’ll be excited about the different perks at all donation levels.)
It seems to me that the Church has always been about crowdfunding, ever since St Paul collected donations during his missionary journeys to help the church in Jerusalem (cf. 1 COR 16:1-3). Now, through the internet and social media, it is easier than ever before to reach large groups of supporters to help fund endeavors such as the North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage Project.
Here is a deeply inspiring contemplation (podcast) of the life of St Brendan the Voyager, the Irish monk who set out on his epic pilgrimage with no destination, yet who found his eternal, spiritual destination, and made an enduring impact on Christianity in the British Isles, Ireland and Scotland as a result. He has quickly become an inspiration to me for the North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage Project, and perhaps will be for your Christian walk as well! I hope he inspires you to follow along with me as we prepare to launch the Thebaid Crowdfunding Campaign, which will enable travel and photography to begin later this Summer!
St Brendan: the Questioning Heart
Through a Monk’s Eyes Podcast, Ancient Faith Radio; Fr. Seraphim Aldea of the Mull Monastery of All Celtic Saints shares about the life of St. Brendan. Audio Podcast: Length: 23:57
Many thanks to Byzantine, TX Blog for re-posting the video and intro text for the North American Thebaid Project! The word is getting out, and I hope for more such shares soon…
The North American Thebaid 