On The Table

The Weekly Announcement of Common Table Church

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

February 25th through March 2nd

Hi church,

This week, we'll continue with the Lenten practices we began last month. On Sunday morning, we'll meet at Jammin' Java for another go at repenting of our lame and tame ideas about Jesus through listening freshly to his words. This time we'll look at what many call the parable of the unjust judge - but I like to think of it as a story of one reLENTless widow. Don't miss meeting her at 10am.

Afterward, we'll once again give up our customary Chipotle burritos (donating what we would have spent to a friend who can use it) and gather at Tina's and my house for simple fare - or possibly not-so-simple fare, depending on the success of our...uh...(sub)urban gleaning. (There will be non-gleaned options for the squeamish.)

In addition, please don't forget that our service-worship for this month is ongoing, and centers around the newest, smallest, and most red-haired Commoner, Cyrus Julian Doan, born six days ago as I write this! Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll be coming around our friends the Doans as they celebrate (and recover from!) the birth of their newest boy. We're looking for folks to bring hot meals, and for some adventurous souls to take the older boys (apparently, that includes Sam as well ;-) out to show them some fun times as the family finds a new equilibrium. So best wishes to one of our favorite families, and if you'd like to help out, please sign up here to bring a meal or get in touch with our GNU Team for more deets. The Doans would love to see you, and take it from me, you want to meet CJ. He is most adorable. :-)

Finally, please note that a wonderfully full and busy weekend is just a week away:

That same evening, some of us will be gathering in Vienna to experience some Deep Shift with Brian McLaren and friends. This event will continue on Saturday, March 8, as well.

And since they'll be in town for both of the above events, our friends The Cobalt Season asked if they could join us for our gathering on Sunday morning, March 9. Their music and message should make a wonderful complement to our Lenten series, and we're honored to have them aboard. Just don't forget that Daylight Saving Time begins that same morning - set your clock ahead and don't miss it!

And that's all, as far as I know. Seems like plenty to me!

Peace,

Mike Croghan

Labels: Cobalt Season, Deep Shift, Doan, lent, peace, service-worship

posted by Common Table Org # 6:30 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

February 11 through 17

Dear Church:

We'll be meeting at Jammin' Java at 10am this week, to continue our Lenten look at Jesus and his confounding teachings. This week, we'll dive into the collection of parables in Matthew 13, and see how they might upend our view of the world, and our lives, and even of Jesus. So bring your Bible, and your seatbelt.

Too, please mark you calendar for a wonderfully busy weekend in March:

On Friday, March 7, people from all over the country will be converging on Washington, DC to advocate for peace as we remember the anniversary of the War in Iraq. Some of us will be a part of a gathering of some friends of emergent at historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church at noon, followed by a processional as we gather with other faith communities at the Capitol at 2:30. More information on the larger event can be found here.

That same evening, some of us will be gathering in Vienna to experience some Deep Shift with Brian McLaren and friends. This event will continue on Saturday, March 8, as well.

And since they'll be in town for both of the above events, our friends The Cobalt Season asked if they could join us for our gathering on Sunday morning, March 9. Their music and message should make a wonderful complement to our Lenten series, and we're honored to have them aboard.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: Cobalt Season, Deep Shift, lent, peace

posted by Common Table Org # 1:18 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

January 21st through 27th

Hi church!

I want to extend a personal "thank you" to everyone who made me deeply, deeply regret going out of town this past weekend. The third worship service in our current "Space" series was, apparently, most righteously awesome. The good news is that thanks to the hard work of our rockin' Design Team, our sensational sound crew, and master blogcaster iPete, you and I can check out the virtual "Space" experience on our blogcast site, or listen to podcasts of the services on Gcast or through iTunes. (Your mileage may vary with that iTunes link.) And, we'll come back to Jammin' Java in two Sundays (February 3rd) for one more trek into Space before we begin the journey of Lent. And as cool as the blogcast is, I'm not missing that one!

But we won't be gathering at Jammin' Java this Sunday. Instead, this is the one weekend per month that we particularly set aside for extending the heart of our church outward and trying to bring a little of God's kingdom into the lives of our friends. Service-worship for this week will be held at chez Bulanow (1001 Elden Street, Herndon, VA 20170) this Saturday, the 26th, from 1 - 5pm. We'll be gathering there for an afternoon of fun with the children of some friends of ours (some of whom we've gotten to know through previous service-worship projects) while the parents get a chance to take the afternoon off. We will have organized activities (crafts, games, and snack-making) planned for the kids. If you can join us, please contact our GNU (Giving to Needs Unmet) Team. It should be a blast!

Looking ahead, on March 7, people from all over the country will be converging on Washington, DC to advocate for peace as we remember the anniversary of the War in Iraq. This year, various faith communities will be gathering in their respective places at noon, followed by a procession to the Capitol for a larger witness in the afternoon.

The organizers of the larger events have asked if a loose group of friends of Emergent would be willing to host a kind of artistic worship installation someplace near the Capital. Where other groups might do something more conventional (singing, a protest talk, etc.), we'd like to offer a more interactive environment of peace and hope. We've got a few church buildings that are available to us, though we'd like to explore the possibility of finding a more neutral space. So, if you'd like to lend your creativity or muscle to making this happen, please let Mike Stavlund know.

That same evening, some of us will be gathering in Vienna to experience some Deep Shift with Brian McLaren and friends. On Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, we'll be joining some like-minded friends to consider how Jesus' Kingdom message might be the most helpful response to the many varied global crises we face. If you'd be willing to help out with the effort, a conference discount and free book can be yours through the DC Emergent Cohort.

And that's all for now!

Peace,

Mike Croghan (with help from Jackie Bulanow, Mike Stavlund, Ctrl-C, and Ctrl-V) ;-)

Labels: blogcast, Deep Shift, peace, podcast, service-worship

posted by Common Table Org # 5:45 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

January 14 through 20

Hey, Church--

We're rolling right along with our Sunday series on Sacred Space, finding fresh ideas and experiences as we discover the space that is all around us. Last week, Maranda helped us to see that 'the healing is in the space', punctuating our time with a very memorable group exercise and a compelling experience of Eucharist (led straight from the heart by Jackie). Great times, coming to a blog near you if you'd like to catch up. This week, our friend Teo will bring his bass to talk about space and time and how music truly happens in the space between the notes. 10am, at Jammin' Java.

Next week, we will once again be off the map as our great GNU Team gets us out of our comfy, self-reflective seats and helps us to engage with our neighbors. Stay tuned for details.

Looking ahead, on March 7, people from all over the country will be converging on Washington, DC to advocate for peace as we remember the anniversary of the War in Iraq. This year, various faith communities will be gathering in their respective places at noon, followed by a procession to the Capitol for a larger witness in the afternoon.

The organizers of the larger events have asked if a loose group of friends of Emergent would be willing to host a kind of artistic worship installation someplace near the Capital. Where other groups might do something more conventional (singing, a protest talk, etc.), we'd like to offer a more interactive environment of peace and hope. We've got a few church buildings that are available to us, though we'd like to explore the possibility of finding a more neutral space. So, if you'd like to lend your creativity or muscle to making this happen, please let me know.

That same evening, some of us will be gathering in Vienna to experience some Deep Shift with Brian McLaren and friends. On Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, we'll be joining some like-minded friends to consider how Jesus' Kingdom message might be the universalizing response to the many varied global crises we face. If you'd be willing to help out with the effort, a conference discount and free book can be yours through the DC Emergent Cohort.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: Deep Shift, peace, space

posted by Common Table Org # 9:32 AM 0 Comments