On The Table

Church,

In an unbelievable turn of events, we'll hit the mid point of July this week. Time to take stock of your summer and determine whether you're enjoying your full share of ice cream cones, outdoor play times, light-hearted reading, watermelon and afternoon naps in the shade. If you find yourself lacking in any of these areas, I recommend you prepare your "Out of Office" message immediately and begin to rectify the situation...

Our Common Table summer celebrations will continue this week with Karaoke at the Lamb Center on Thursday. Come on out to fellowship, laugh and share a meal with our friends there. We'll be there from 6:30 to 8:00, but if one night isn't enough for you this week, feel free to come on out again on Friday for movie night. Our friends at New Hope will be hosting movie night from 6:30 to 8:00 on Friday.

Sunday at 10:00 AM we'll find ourselves back at Jammin' Java for a particularly season-appropriate all-ages service. At our last all-ages service we discussed the idea of the "Abundant Life" that Jesus offers us. This week we'll take a look at some of the characteristics of an abundant life as we consider the Fruit of the Spirit. As usual with an all-ages service, we'll be asking everyone to contribute, so be thinking this week about those defining characteristics of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We'll continue our tradition of joining our kids on the floor, so feel free to bring blankets and/or cushions to make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Have a great week -- and don't forget to enjoy a summer treat,
Deanna

Labels: all ages, karaoke, lamb center, summer

Hi church!

I don't know about you, but I've been digging the cooler weather. This is what I call spring! And new life continues to bust out all over - which is, like, a pretty good metaphor for this ongoing season of Easter.

So please join us on Sunday morning (10am at Jammin' Java) for our All-Ages worship service, as we join together in looking at these themes of Easter, Resurrection, and new creation through the eyes of our kids. My guess? They'll see this stuff way more clearly than us old people do.

And then, if you're interested, everyone is welcome to come to Tina's and my place (13337 Feldman Pl., Herndon, VA, 20170) on Sunday afternoon for a combination Barn-Raising and Garbage Plate Cookout! (Say what, now?) "Barn-Raisings" are something we've been doing for a year or so (since Maranda had the genius idea - though we'd actually been doing them for years without the cool Amish-inspired name) where we come together as a church to help someone accomplish a "many hands make light work" sort of task. In our case, we'll be replacing flooring in our (very small) dining room, and also building a raised-bed garden box. And Garbage Plates? Well, just read this, bring me some meat, and I'll grill it and make ya a plate. Cool? Cool.

Work will probably begin around 2pm, and we'll shift into food/party mode between 5 and 6pm. You're welcome to join us at any time - there is no need to participate in the Barn-Raising to come to the party. It's a party, yo.

And that, as they say, is that. Happy Easter!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: all ages, barn-raising, Easter

Hi church!

Sorry for the lateness of your weekly guide to what's happening around the Table - the good news is, if you've been waiting with bated breath to find out what we're doing this weekend, we've got something really cool in store!

Sunday at 10am, we'll gather at Jammin' Java for the service that's at the heart of (and the inspiration for) our current worship series, "God Loves Us". Our All-Ages team has designed a service exploring God's love for all of us, in ways that all of us can enter into together - little kids, big kids, adults, and those of us who aren't quite sure where we fit on that spectrum. :-) We'll have the opportunity to help bless, and share a little of God's love with, some folks who are connected to us yet are experiencing loneliness, because they are apart from family and loved ones. Please join us as Commoners and friends of all ages celebrate God's love for every one of God' children! We'll be on the floor with our little ones again this week, so please bring a blanket and/or pillow to sit on.

After that, we'll be away from Jammin' Java for two weeks, and we're dreaming up some service projects and fellowship opportunities for those weekends - stay tuned for deets.

That's it for now - as we continue in this season of Epiphany, with days so short and really, REALLY cold, let's look for opportunities to share a bit of God's light and warmth with others. And stay safe and sane next week as DC celebrates a historic inauguration! If you're going into the city, bring us back stories! :-)

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: all ages, God loves us

This Sunday morning, 10am at Jammin' Java, we'll be treated to the unveiling of a new initiative at Common Table: The All Ages Service! (We'll be having one approximately every other month.) A crack team have been collaborating to bring a full-featured worship experience that will be accessible to all ages. They've been a little secretive regarding details, but we have reason to believe we'll see some fresh liturgy and hand-crafted visuals and stories and an engaging project to enact, plus a whole lot more. So bring your kids and/or your own inner child and let's see what we can learn and create together.

Next Thursday (November 20), we will be gathering at the Lamb Center for the LAST karaoke night of this year, as area churches will begin hosting homeless folks to protect them from the cold winter weather. So bring your best voice and your clearest eyes to see God at work, from 6:30 to 8pm.

Finally, we will NOT be meeting at Jammin' Java next Sunday, as the 2008 Common Table retreat will be held November 21st-23rd. You're invited! If you wanna come, let us know, pronto!

See you soon,
Mike Stavlund

Labels: all ages, karaoke, lamb center, retreat