On The Table

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

Our monthly attempt to 1.) mix up our schedules, 2.) get out of our Sunday seats, and 3.) engage with our neighbors, is doubly successful this month. We'll be gathering at the Doans' place in Chantilly to work on two separate projects:

1. As our regular Service-Worship Project, we'll be doing some mass prepping and freezing of some meals for a family with whom we're connected. This family of four recently lost their husband/father to cancer, and will be moving to Florida sometime next month. As that date approaches, we'd like to help them in packing up their apartment and getting ready for their move in other ways. But in the meantime, we thought it'd be nice if we could help them out with some simple and nutritious meals as they try to navigate their new and challenging life together.

2. At the same time, we'll be doing our second installment of our summer experiment in 'Barn Raising'. But since none of us have barns, we're planning to convene some crews to do some labor-intensive projects at our various places of residence. (It's also a thinly veiled effort to hang out with one another ;-) Tomorrow, we'll be replacing the boards on the Doans' deck. Bring appropriate tools if you've got 'em, or just bring yourself and your willingness to work.

If you're a morning person and/or you want to beat some of the heat, we'll be starting demo on the deck at 8:30am, and continuing work most of the day. If you'd like to come later, you'll be more than welcome to do so. And if you'd rather come to cook, the kitchen crew will be convening at 10am.

Hope to see you tomorrow (Saturday the 28th)!
Mike Stavlund

PS. It's not to late to vote: JfP!

Labels: barn-raising, Doan, Jesus for President, service-worship

As we continue to move through the season of Pentecost, we're chasing the Spirit in a couple of different places:

On Thursday night, we'll be enjoining our bi-weekly karaoke night at The Lamb Center in Fairfax, from 6:30 to 8pm. Pizza, soda, cookies, singing, and enough wholesome laughter to last you for two weeks.

Saturday brings us a "barn raising" at the Tennysons'. No, we're not actually building them a barn - "barn raisings" are a new tradition we just made up, based on the example of the Amish and other close-knit communities who come together to share work projects and fellowship with one another. For this Saturday, weather looks good - hot but dry...

Here is a tentative schedule and work list:

• Meet at 10:00 am
• Work until 1:00pm
• 1:00 Barbecue - Ken and Maranda can provide meat and juice for kids; BYOB

Work List:

• Cut up a tree that Sam will have cut down. Haul and stack rounds.
• Haul limbs and branches to recycling center (there are already a couple of loads worth on the property)
• Clean gutters
• Weed backyard beds (this could easily keep 3-4 people busy the ENTIRE time)

For those less outdoor inclined, Maranda will have several indoor projects to work on, and we will also need help with kids.

Come Sunday, I'll be taking a crack at one of our 'Grab-Bag June' Sundays with my offering: "Hiding the Gospel: A Preaching Clinic". Of course, it's not like I'm going to teach you how to preach-- who would ever want to preach?-- but we'll teach each other a little bit about the fine art of indirection. Think of it as a Pentecost season experiment in a radical expression of 'the priesthood of all believers,' where everybody who wants gets a turn in the pulpit. So bring yourself to Jammin' Java at 10am on Sunday morning, and let's just see what happens.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: barn-raising, karaoke, lamb center, preaching