On The Table

Hi church,

It was a relationship of affection and commitment, and we thought it would last forever: Jammin' Java + Common Table. But then this guy rolled into town, and before we knew it, his kiddish melodies were making Java swoon and sigh and...well...we just couldn't compete. Not with Ralph.

Just kidding - the Jammin' Java folks asked us a while ago if we wouldn't mind making way for the popular Disney Channel troubadour this Sunday morning, so for a variety of reasons we decided to postpone our annual church anniversary celebration for a month, and it's our pleasure to invite you to:


We'll do a potluck picnic/barbeque: please bring picnic food and utensils for your family, plus a little to share, and there should be plenty for everyone. We'll have a grill going, so by all means bring some meat or veggies to char.

For the labyrinth walk, we won't have any prepared verbal prayers or liturgy. Instead, we'll pray in two ways: we'll pray contemplatively, listening, receptive to God's Spirit as we walk the labyrinth. And we're also encouraging everyone to bring acoustic musical instruments, if you want to: guitars, drums, shakers, other percussion (we'll have some extras) - and we'll offer the music and rhythm we make as praise to God as we walk, listen, and open our hearts.

We'll begin music and walking at the labyrinth behind the church as soon as we can assemble there, and folks can begin preparing food at the picnic tables on the front lawn (near the awesome playground - kids and parents, take note!) as soon as they want to as well. It'll be a great time of worship and fellowship - hope to see you there!

But wait - before all that, we have the opportunity for another awesome time of fellowship and mutual blessing: Thursday from 6:30 -8, we'll be gathering at The Lamb Center for pizza and karaoke. Don't miss that chance to see God's Spirit at work and play in friends old and new!

It's a week for celebration - come join us as we party round the Table!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: karaoke, labyrinth, lamb center

Hi church,

Sorry for the late notice, but...here's what we're gonna be up to this weekend. It's the last weekend of the month, so as usual, we will not be gathering for a worship service at Jammin' Java on Sunday. Normally we would be gathering instead for a service-worship project, but we had the opportunity last weekend to help Neishia, Xander, and Nicholas with their move (many thanks to the folks who could help!) But it also seems like it's time to get together and talk about this core part of our church: Giving to Needs Unmet - the times when we gather, led by our GNU Team, to serve, help, and bless friends old and new. As this is an 'open-source' group, we're keen to see how to continue to see everyone involved in this effort.

So please join us at Tina's and my house (13337 Feldman Pl., Herndon, VA, 20170) at 2pm on Sunday. In Jackie's words, we'll engage in a "conversation reviewing the history of where we've come, what we've tried, and opening up for honest conversation about people's ideas and thoughts about what has worked well and what could be improved - and then move toward a focused heart about what it is that we together want to do with the GNU part of the heart of our church."

Thanks, all - looking forward to this conversation about the giving heart of our community!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

P.S. - Looking ahead, next Sunday (October 5th), we'll be gathering for our annual church anniversary picnic and labyrinth service. It's almost certain that we'll be gathering at (actually, outside) the Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna in the early afternoon - watch this space for details!

Labels: GNU Team, labyrinth

Last weekend, I managed to indulge in both the camping trip and the pool party. Like a good father, I won't say which one I might have preferred, but I will say something noncommittal about the gorgeous weather in both the city and the country, and how fulfilling it was to just hang out with my CT peeps. If you weren't able to make it out to one or the other, I hope you at least had a nice reminder of the great importance of doing nothing.

This weekend, we're back to doing something:

On Thursday night from 6:30-8pm, we'll be piling into The Lamb Center for pizza, snacks, and Karaoke. Our energetic leader Martha is back from the beach, and says that the folks at TLC have been buzzing all week in anticipation!

This Sunday morning, we'll return to our regularly scheduled Psalm series at 10am at Jammin' Java. Stacy will be taking us on an inspiring journey to the heart of Psalm 66, and engaging us in a discussion around this audacious Psalm.

As the final weekend of the month, next weekend is our regular time to leave the comforts of Java and do a service project. It's also the anniversary of our church, which is a traditional time to eat outdoors and walk a labyrinth. So stay tuned to see if we can squeeze all of that into one (long) weekend, or if we'll need to stretch things out a bit.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: karaoke, labyrinth, lamb center, Psalms, service-worship

Dear Church:

With apologies to the bunch of hard-working folk who braved the heat last week to do some landscaping at the Benedictine monastery nearby, it looks like we'll be enjoying some cooler temperatures and clear skies this Sunday morning, September 2 at 10am as we gather there to celebrate the anniversary of our church, and to walk a labyrinth together.

Immediately following the time of worship, we'll be having a picnic on the grounds there to extend our Eucharist. The Amazing Kate has graciously volunteered to coordinate the plans, and has asked everyone to bring some meat (or meat-like substance) for the grill, and a dish to share. You also might want to bring a chair or blanket to sit on, both for the picnic and the labyrinth.

So we hope you can join us at this beautiful oasis in the 'burbs of Bristow, VA . (a note about driving: Google maps produced a rather jacked-up, confusing route for me, but Israel-- the friendly man, not the nation-state-- suggested a more straightforward route: exit 66 at Lee Hwy/29, head south, then take a left onto Linton Hall Road/619. The monastery doesn't have any blatant signage, but you will probably notice the giant Baptist church with huge lettering on your right. The monastery is directly across Linton Hall. Once you get on the grounds, head left at the main building toward the twin white grain silos at the end of the property.)

Next week (September 9th), we'll be gathering at our place in Falls Church for a celebration of baptism! We'll be coming around Lucretia and Alyssa as they celebrate the new life they have been given, and to pledge ourselves to them as they continue to live after Jesus. Please pray that the pool stays relatively warm, and rest assured that there is a (brand-new!) Chipotle just up the hill. So our normal liturgy won't be interrupted that much.

Hope everyone has a nice, relaxing holiday weekend.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: baptism, labyrinth