The LOGOS Poetry Collective is a missional community created by Rev. Travis Helms and is described as a ‘poetry-church’ congregation that seeks to cultivate an exploration and experience of God through poetry, theology, community, and the imagination. Twice a month this gathering provides 40-60 people who would not normally experience liturgy, or engage in theological exploration, an invitation to gather and connect with God and each other through a shared love of poetry and transcendence. 

Rev. Helms spent two years engaged in extensive research with a variety of poets who identify as Christians, agnostics, and atheists. He began to recognize an “immortal longing” (Shakespeare reference he quoted) that a certain contingent of un-churched people, particularly artists, are experiencing. He met with undergraduate and graduate creative writing students and professors, as well as non-academic published and aspiring poets, to gain a sense of what type of liturgical experience may help un-churched people connect meaningfully to God in a way that seems accessible and non-threatening. By incorporating this research with feedback from local Episcopal clergy, Lay-Leaders, and Seminary Professors, he crafted a liturgy that seems to connect with many people. This growing missional community meets twice a month at the Lazarus Brewing Company in Austin, Texas.