On The Table

Hi church,

We didn't carefully plan it this way - honest - but we're in the middle of a long stretch where we're mostly away from our usual location at Jammin' Java: we went camping two weeks ago, and had our church anniversary picnic this past weekend....weekend after next, we're camping again, and the week after that, we'll gather for our postponed quarterly Congregational Meeting, where we'll work on discerning where our communal adventure might take us next.

But this Sunday, right in the midst of all this gallivanting around, we'll gather at Jammin' Java at 10am for our only proper worship service this month. It'll be a Simple Service, and sort of preparatory for the congregational meeting: we'll spend some time exploring, together, some of the ideas that most excite and motivate us. And before that, at 9:30, we'll be making joyful noise with the 9:30AM Club, our pre-service, free and open worship music space (you're welcome to strum, drum, sing, dance, or just listen.) Please join us for one or both of those Sunday morning gatherings!

And that's the news on this lovely, breezy early-autumn week.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

P.S., Feel free to spare some prayers, and also some envy, for the Stavlund family and other friends who are outside Chicago this week talking theology with Jurgen Moltmann!

Labels: camping, congregational meeting, simple

Hi church,

This week, we'll gather for two events which will challenge us even as they allow us to sort of kick back and enjoy each other's company, and God's grace. It's summertime, after all - and also, we dig paradox. So here we go!

First, our monthly Karaoke Nights with our friends at the Lamb Center are moving to first Fridays as of this month, so please join us this Friday, from 6:30 to 8pm, as we sing some pop tunes (badly), nom some pizza (hungrily), and share fellowship and mutual encouragement (joyfully!) These gatherings are a fun time, and you can't miss the face and voice of Jesus as this eclectic crew harmonize (?) together.

Then, on Sunday, we'll gather at Jammin' Java at 9:30 for our new(ish) tradition of open-source worship music before the service. (Bring your instrument of choice, your voice, or just your ears to hear the joyful noise). Then for our Simple Worship service, beginning at 10, Brother Vinnie will be leading us as we watch and discuss the movie Frisbee, The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher. Here are Vince's words on it:

In a nutshell: Lonnie Frisbee was a hippy, an artist, and born gay. Lonnie Frisbee was used by God. When Lonnie ministered, people were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and healed of infirmities. New Testament stuff. Lonnie Frisbee basically started two denominations: Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard. Yet, he was basically disowned by both denominations. He died of AIDS, alone, discarded, and unacknowledged.

So please bring an open mind and heart and add your voice as we share our thoughts on this remarkable life.

And that's all I know, I think. Stay cool, cats and kittens.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: karaoke, lamb center, simple

Hi church,

Well, summer's in full swing, and here's the 4th of July, all of a sudden. Hope you're having some fun for the holiday weekend - as for Common Table Church, we're kind of chillin'. We'll be gathering at 9:30am on Sunday at Jammin' Java for free and open worship music (bring your axe, your pipes, or just your ears and join the joyful noise), and then at 10am for this month's Simple Worship Service.

We usually more-or-less ignore secular and "Hallmark" Holidays at CT, unless it's an excuse to have a party - but in this case, our country's Independence Day had me thinking about invading space aliens destroying the White House. Wait - no, that's not right. I mean freedom. It got me thinking about freedom, and what that word might mean. So on Sunday, we'll do a simple Celtic communion liturgy, and pepper it with diverse perspectives on "freedom" from Scripture, popular songs, and (of course) us opinionated Commoners. So join us, and let's find out what we think it means to be "free".

Or, if you're going to be out of town enjoying family, friends, the great outdoors, etc. - then you can just have fun demonstrating freedom. And let us know what wild and crazy stuff you got up to!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: simple

Hey church,

So did anybody else have one of those "rushing-wind-and-tongues-of-fire and speaking-in-tongues-till-people-think-you're-drunk" days on Sunday? No? Just me?

(Well, it was kind of like that. People seem to think that just because I'm an Irish Anglican, it's perfectly plausible that I'd be drunk at 9am. Apparently Galileans have to deal with the same sort of prejudice. 'Srude, if you ask me.)

But seriously, it seems like I have been blessed with some extra opportunities to see the Spirit at work since this season of Pentecost began. And I can let you in on a couple more!

This Thursday, from 6:30 - 8pm, we'll be at the Lamb Center again, among friends and neighbors in a wide range of economic circumstance. We'll be singing Karaoke, cheering each other on, and generally sharing God's love. And pizza. It'll be awesome!

Then, on Sunday (10am at Jammin' Java), we'll gather for our first official worship service of Pentecost. It'll be a Simple service in which we'll invite the inspiration of the Spirit and claim our creative identity as children of the Creator God. So please bring whatever might help you respond to inspiration: eg., if you're a musician, bring your guitar or doumbek. If you're a poet, writer, visual artist, or sculptor, we'll probably have you covered. If you don't think you're creative at all, then remember that you're made in the image of the Creator, and come see what happens!

And that's all I got for you. Remember that the Holy Spirit blows where she will. Stay alert.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: karaoke, lamb center, Pentecost, simple

Hey church!

Firstly! The cat's out of the bag on a joyful little (big!) news item. Welcome, Anna Lucia Katherine Stavlund!

Secondly! Like that awesome moment when the five robotic lions combine to form Voltron, representatives of the sundry Common Table Design Teams (who envision and create our Creative, Musical, All-Ages, and Simple worship services) will be coming together this Saturday at 11am at Casa de Maisel to talk about our plans for Lent. If you have thoughts on this topic, you are cordially invited to show up and share them, or drop us a line if you can't make it but have some ideas.

Thirdly! On Sunday morning, 10am, we'll gather at Jammin' Java for our February Simple Service, "Love Songs". It's a bit of a takeoff on the themes of this past Sunday's epic musical service, Love's Divine (which we'll be repeating at Convergence's Artist Lab at 5pm Sunday the 22nd of February - don't miss it!)

Here's the idea for this coming Sunday: Think of a love song that is meaningful to you. Doesn't matter what kind: secular or sacred, any genre - pick a song which speaks to you and helps you understand something about love. (As you may have heard, God is Love; and also, Love's Divine.) Bring your song on a CD, or on an MP3 player. We'll play each person's track, and then give you a chance to tell us what it means to you (if you want to). That's it! Bring tracks! Or we'll have to come up with something else to do! :-)

And that's all I know. May your winter days be blessed, as we look forward to spring, and Lent, and Easter.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: lent, simple

Hi church,

Happy New Year! Oh, that was last week. Well, happy...January! The holidays are over, life for many of us may be settling into some sort of winter routine, the days are short (but getting longer!), and - hey? Guess what? God loves us!

That's the theme of the worship service series we began this past Sunday and will be continuing for several weeks. So for our "simple" worship service this coming Sunday, we'll celebrate God's love with our take on a traditional Love Feast from the Moravian Christian tradition. We'll share coffee and yummy, yummy Love Feast Buns, sing some hymns, and tell each other about times when we've felt loved by God. Join is at 10am at Jammin' Java!

May your days and nights be blessed by the God of love!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: God loves us, simple

Hi church,

I'm getting this out to you as I'm still coming down from the high of the Great Emergence conference in Memphis last week. It was all kinds of awesome. Please grab Amy, Mojo, Mike, or me and we'll be glad to regale you with our tales of superlative people, ideas, and dry-rub ribs.

This week, we've got a couple things going on. First, we don't often mention them here, but some of us have been regular or occasional participants in our local Emergent Village cohorts. (These are just a place for local church practitioners to get together and chat over coffee or beer.) Both of them are meeting this week: Northern Virginia Cohort on Monday evening, and DC Cohort on Tuesday evening. Click through to their blogs for deets - if it works for you, it'd be cool to have more Commoners join the conversation.

Next, the musical service team will be meeting on Friday at 7pm at Pete and Jackie's place (12644 Stoa Court, Herndon, VA) for a jam session intended to produce music for our next Musical Worship Service on 12/21. If you have musical gifts, please join the jam! And if you have other gifts (poetry, dance, etc.) or if you just want to hang out and soak up the vibes, you're welcome too! Just be aware (as Pete said) that anything inspired you come up with might become a part of the service.

Finally, next Sunday, we'll gather at Jammin' Java at 10am for our Simple Advent service. It will be a variation on a traditional service of Advent Lessons and Carols - we'll use the traditional nine Scriptural lessons, but follow each one with a musical track chosen by one of us, and then a meditation, poem, piece of art, or other gift from that same Commoner. It should be a great time of sharing our Advent dreams with one another - hope you can join us!

And that, as far as I know, is it. May you be blessed in this season of Advent - Come, Lord Jesus!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: Advent, cohort, music, simple

Hi church,

Well, if you made it to one or more of our gatherings this past weekend, I hope you had as much of a blessed blast as I did! Cox Farms Pumpkin Fest with a whole mess of kids (most of whom wouldn't have been able to go without the help of our fine friends at FACETS), a spooky Halloween party at the haunted Tennyson Manor, and finally an awesome collaborative All Saints service at Church in Bethesda with saints from a variety of local communities. It was a God-blessed weekend full of friends!

And we have more opportunities this week to bless others, enjoy friends, and praise God, starting with karaoke night at The Lamb Center (6:30 - 8pm on Thursday) - limber up your vocal cords and prepare to join friends old and new, in all kids of life circumstances, in songs of thankfulness and celebration. Possibly to include something by Rick Astley. But it's all good, really.

Then, on Friday, a bunch of us are road trippin' to Philly for the Emergent Mid-Atlantic Conference, featuring the Irish theologian/community-practitioner/provocateur Pete Rollins. The conference is taking place all day Saturday, and it's not too late to join this wagon train, so let us know if you want to hop aboard.

Those of us who are in town Sunday morning will be coming together at 10am at Jammin' Java for one of our new "simple" worship services. This service will be simple indeed, the idea being that all we really need to worship God together are two things: us, and the Holy Spirit. In this case, we'll gather for a contemplative time of Lectio Divina, followed by Holy Eucharist.

And that's the plan for this week. Finally, don't forget that the 2008 Common Table retreat is coming right up, November 21st-23rd. You're invited! If you wanna come, let us know, pronto!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: conference, karaoke, lamb center, simple