Pastor Dick Staub of the Orcas Community Church said that the four-day KindlingsFest ’08 held last week at the church, was devoted to the art of slowing down, and through the work of Anglo-Irish writer C.S. Lewis, exploring the concept of being fully human.

Lectures by Dr. Jerry Root, author of “The Quotable Lewis,” entertainment by Britisher Nigel Goodwin, as well as comments and prayers from Orcas Island Executive Director Lance Evans, Emmanuel Episcopal Church’s Bishop Craig Anderson, and music from several performers and community members, both at morning lectures and evening “Bag End” cafes composed the festival that brought some 300 international and island guests together. From July 17 through 20, creativity and philosophy were interwoven with entertainment and humor, focused around C.S. Lewis work in philosophy, poetry and fiction, most notably, “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

“Creativity is not always welcomed in religious circles,” said Staub. Root explained Lewis’ two main tenets as the need to see reality as it is, not as you’d have it be and the iconoclastic nature of truth – “just as you think you understand it, it breaks into something else.”

Staub said he wanted “the richness of the group to be part of the event, and described Lewis as “an intellectual who had great capacity for friendship.”

Local artist Rita McKinney drew artwork from “the Elf language” as described in “The Lord of the Rings,” by J.R.R. Tolkien, a friend of Lewis.

Staub conceived of the first KindlingsFest as a way of advancing the Kindlings grassroots movement. This was its inaugural session, and brought worldwide “thoughtful creatives fro whom God is of central importance” to Orcas Island.

The morning lectures were taped and videographed and will be available for purchase. Podcasts of the event and other Kindlings talks are online at www.kindlings.com.