On The Table

Labels: context, karaoke, lamb center, retreat

Hi church,

Whoopsy - this week's update is going out a bit late - sorry!! Thankfully, the Wiser Mike put just about everything you need to know in last week's update. So here's the scoop, with some added details.

Our friends Ryan and Holly Sharp (aka, The Cobalt Season) are currently touring the country in their Prius (with their one-year-old!). They'll be doing a house show in DC on Friday, November 2 at 8pm. It promises to be a soul-stirring night of great music, and a chance to connect with interesting people from around the Metro area.

Saturday, November 3: We'll be hosting several FACETS families on a trip to Cox Farms from 10am to 2pm. It'll be the annual weekend of post-Halloween Pumpkin Madness, so you won't want to miss the big, splattery mess. Fun for the kids and the young-at-heart. We'll be meeting at the Breezeway Motel in Fairfax to pick up our guests ay 9:30 Saturday morning, and driving to Cox Farms in Centreville. We'll hang out (enjoying the Cox Farms activities, each other's company, and some bag lunches we'll bring) until 2pm, and then head back to Fairfax to drop off our guests. If you can help with transportation, please let Israel know (540-287-4154) ASAP.

Sunday, November 4, we'll be meeting at Jammin' Java to join Kriss and Ben Buss on an exploration of Holden Village for our current series on Christian communities and cultural context. Also: It's "Wear Your Boots to Church" week. Why? Don't ask me. Ask iPete.

Finally, a reminder:

November 16-18 - Common Table Retreat: Cost will be $50/adult, payable to the church (please write a separate check, as the retreat will not be tax-deductible).

I think that's all the news fit for pixels. Hope you had an appropriately spooky All Hallows' Eve, and may all saints - and all souls - be blessed this week.

Peace!

- Mike (Croghan)

Labels: context, service-worship

I just received a friendly call from a very nice lady inquiring about visiting our church. I kindly directed her to our website, gave her some cautionary warnings about our frequent, intentional displacement, and asked when she would be in town.

"This coming weekend!"

Oh. Sorry.

Which got me thinking... we might use a kind of tripartite division for our meetings:

1. Regular (though not exactly consistent or predictable): when we meet at Jammin' Java for worship.
2. Irregular (though kind of consistent, when you think about it): our off-site service worship projects, where we put our money where our mouth is in an attempt to give ourselves away.
3. Unregular: many meetings with "unofficial", but not "unimportant" status.

This week falls into the third category. Because our service worship project for October is more helpfully held the following weekend, and because it is our 'away' week from Jammin' Java, this weekend's events are a bit more free-form:

There's a great, super-affordable conference being organized by our friends at Fairlington Presbyterian Church, and held at Falls Church Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 27. The line-up of speakers is quite impressive (Sally Morgenthaler and Tony Jones), as is the gravitas of the assembled Common Tablers. If you'd like to get in on a lunch with Tony Jones, National Coordinator of Emergent Village, just show your Common Table ID card and jump on in ;-).

It's looking like a few social events are brewing for this weekend, as well. Keep your eye peeled for more information on that, or suggest your own!

Naturally, the following weekend will be a little more eventful:

Our friends Ryan and Holly Sharp (aka, The Cobalt Season) are currently touring the country in their Prius (with their one-year-old!). They'll be doing a house show in DC on Friday, November 2 at 8pm. It promises to be a soul-stirring night of great music, and a chance to connect with interesting people from around the Metro area.

Saturday, November 3: The GNU team is working out the details of hosting several FACETS families on a trip to Cox Farms from 10am to 2pm. It'll be the annual weekend of post-Halloween Pumpkin Madness, so you won't want to miss the big, splattery mess. Fun for the kids and the young-at-heart.

Sunday, November 4, we'll be meeting at Jammin' Java to join Kriss and Ben Buss on an exploration of Holden Village for our current series on Christian communities and cultural context.


Later,

Mike Stavlund

Labels: context, service-worship

**UPDATE: please note change of venue for Congregational Meeting

Hi, church--

After being away from home for several weeks (where I've heard plenty of praise for our small church!), I'm pleased to see so much fruit borne by our GNU team and others as we continue our effort to push ourselves outside our smaller circle to know and love and serve those in our wider community. One example of this is happening this Wednesday, when a bunch of us will be getting together at The Lamb Center to host a celebration of the rich cultural artifact known as Karaoke between 7:30 and 9pm. If you'd like to lend your applause or (better yet) your voice, be sure to stop by.

This Sunday, October 21, our own bona-fide expert on religious movements, John Bozeman will be leading us in a look at the Jesus People. This is a group which was founded in the early 1970's, and one that's found a way to develop a strong core (members actually live together in a high-rise in Chicago) and an expansive engagement with their community (both in outreach and in the operation of several businesses staffed by members). It promises to be a rich morning, as John shares from his wealth of knowledge and experience with this pioneering community.

**After first church, we'll repair to Jack and Pete's place to hold a Congregational Meeting, where we're planning to hear a financial update, talk about plans for Sunday mornings, get an update from our GNU Team, and anything else you'd like to discuss. Please plan to grab your Chipotle at the spot a block from their house, or dare to try a place which Pete hesitatingly describes as 'even better than Chipotle'. Take your food 'to go', and let's meet up to start our meeting at 1 or 1:30. Also, note that while their place is very kid-friendly, we don't yet have any formal child care plan organized.


Our friends Ryan and Holly Sharp (aka, The Cobalt Season) are currently touring the country in their Prius (with their one-year-old!). They'll be doing a house show in DC on Friday, November 2. It promises to be a fun night of great music, and a chance to connect with interesting people from around the Metro area.

Saturday, November 3: The GNU team is working out the details of hosting several families on a trip to Cox Farms from 10am to 2pm. It'll be the annual weekend of post-Halloween Pumpkin Madness (my favorite methods of destruction being the trebuchet and the crane-drop), so you won't want to miss the big, splattery mess. Fun for the kids and the young-at-heart.


Later,

Mike Stavlund

Labels: congregational meeting, context, GNU Team, service-worship

Some people don't like midsummer, with all this heat and humidity, but I have to say it's OK by me - wait, it's the second week of October? Oy. Where's Al Gore when we need him? :-)


I have no idea how well this will work, but I'm intrigued to find out. :-)




Have a great week. Keep an eye out for autumn. It's got to happen eventually.


- Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, context, Quakeresque

Friends,

Pardon the tardiness of this post. It just occurred to me that both Mikes are out of town and I should probably get off my arse and get an announcement out if we expect church to happen this Sunday... because this is Common Table, and nothing happens in real life unless it makes its way through cyberspace first. So here's what's coming up, as best as I can tell:

Saturday at 7:30pm, Pete and Jackie are hosting an Iftar at their house (703 953 1297) as an opportunity to visit with our Iraqi friends and share their religious celebrations with them. All are welcome. If you'd like to attend, please coordinate that with Pete and Jackie.

Sunday, we'll be at Jammin Java at 10:00 AM, continuing our series considering the ways that God works in various contexts and cultures. This week promises to be especially intriguing and challenging as we look at Alcoholics Anonymous, an extremely contextual group that is defined not by its geography, but by its demographics. Jen Way will be leading us, which is always a treat, so plan to come on Sunday and share your perspectives.

Here are two other dates to keep in mind:

• October 21 - Congregational Meeting after church


• November 16-18 - Common Table Retreat: Cost will be $50/adult, payable to the church.

Have a great week everyone, and Happy October!

Deanna

Labels: context, iftar

Just a couple of items to accompany the lovely weather this fine September week. On Saturday afternoon, the Design Team will be gathering at 2pm at the Doans' to plan October (and maybe November) worship services. We'll be continuing to look at how Christian communities take different forms based on who forms them, and whom they seek to serve. If you think you might like to take even a small role (even in a single service) in planning worship for this fall, your voice is entirely welcome!



Peace,

Labels: context, DT4.0

Friends,


This is a week of remembrances. Today, across our country, people are remembering the events of September 11, 2001 and mourning the lives that were lost on that day. And for our church, this week marks the anniversary of the loss of Will Stavlund, Mike and Stacy's precious son and Ella's twin brother. Will touched our community in innumerable ways during his short life, so tomorrow evening we would like to gather to remember his life and to surround Mike, Stacy and Ella with our love and support during this difficult anniversary. Once again, the Sisters at St. Benedict's have graciously extended their hospitality to us. We're grateful for the opportunity to gather in this peaceful oasis in Bristow, VA.


We'll begin at 7:00 PM with a dedication ceremony in the Compassion Garden, a special place on the property that the Sisters have set aside for parents who have lost children. The garden is located at the top of the hill, near where the labyrinth is, but off to the left of the house. Because it will get dark quickly, we plan to start promptly at 7:00, so please leave yourself time to park at the school and walk up the drive. If you'd like to have time to visit, pray or walk the labyrinth, feel free to come early. We'll continue our time of remembrance in the small chapel at the top of the hill, so if you're arriving late, look for us there. If you have any questions feel free to contact Jackie Bulanow (703-628-3350) or myself (703-968-7349).


Sunday we'll find ourselves back at Jammin Java for the first time in three weeks. It will be good to return to our familiar surroundings and kick-off our fall series, where we'll be looking at how Christian communities take very different forms based on the people they seek to serve, the cultural context, and the gifts and passions of the community members. This week we'll begin by looking at Church of the Saviour, a local community that significantly shaped the Adams Morgan community during the second half of the last century and whose legacy still shapes the city today. Plan to join us at 10:00 AM.


And Sunday afternoon, will mark the triumphant return of "Beer+", our informal "connecting" time, when we gather to relax, hear each other's stories and look for opportunities to come alongside one another in forming spiritual friendships. This week we look forward to hearing the stories of those individuals we missed the first time around (Maranda, no lame excuses about being in Bangladesh this time!) and getting an update on our existing small groups. If you're interested in getting more involved or finding ways to connect with other Commoners, this is the place to do it. We'll gather at the Doans' at 5:00 PM for pizza (bring a few dollars) and then meet from 6:00 to 8:00.


Mike, Stacy and Ella, you'll be on our minds and hearts tomorrow.


~Deanna

Labels: Beer+, context, memorial