This Sunday - Community Night

We have decided to start a monthly activity that will be known as "Community Night." Essentially this will be a time for each person in the cohort to share any recent updates, minor or major, and for everyone to affirm and support each other in a casual, open, sincere, and meaningful setting. It will be a great time for people who have been a part of the cohort for months to continue to share life together, and also a great time for new folks to jump in, get to know everyone, and share a casual evening together.

We will have a sharing meal, prepared by one person (or couple) for that evening. This week, Kellye and I will be serving a chicken noodle casserole, salad, fresh bread, and an apple crisp for dessert. Please respond in the comments or through email to let us know you are coming so we can be sure to have enough.

We'll meet this Sunday evening (10/25), at 5:30 pm, at the Schroeder's house in Grove City. If you need more information or have any questions, feel free to email me at schroeder.jesse@gmail.com

Anglicans are welcomed by the Catholics

Just read this article on CNN that I thought I would pass along. It is called "Vatican welcomes Anglicans into the Catholic Church." Not a lot of details here, and I'm really not sure what I think about this just yet, but I thought I would put it out there.

Also, if you really want to put your finger on the pulse of religion in America, make sure you read the comment section. My favorite is this: "why do you people who dont believe in anything even comment. i will tell you why, you are possessed by the demon, satan. he is the ultimate in deception and will make you think you know everything, then he will torture you when you die and laugh at you burning. deny god and see for yourself."

I have very confused feelings after reading the story and these comments...I think I need a drink.

River Clean Up

For this Sunday's Emergent Cohort meeting, we chose to spend time walking along the river and cleaning up whatever trash we could find. Although we were a small group (only 4), we were able to pick up a lot of trash (about 15 bags). Here are some pictures:

Upcoming Events

Hi friends - (sorry for the long post!!)

A few things coming up, and some ideas I wanted to toss out there. "On Schedule" for this weekend is the "Walk Now for Autism" event - last year, Kara and I joined Noel and it was a great experience! It's a full day, but there are wonderful people there and it's a great cause for sure. I don't think we have anything formal planned as far as volunteering. I will be there with Step by Step Academy (my new job) but I'm not sure what I'll be doing. If you know you want to come and help out, contact either me or Noel.

Monday, Oct. 12th at 6:30pm is scheduled to be another planning meeting. In the past, this meeting has been REALLY helpful as it gives us an idea of what is coming up, a chance to put our heads together, and its an open time when everyone's ideas are welcome and included. So I'd like to encourage everyone who can possibly make it to come on Monday night, even if you have never come to a planning session before, or maybe not even a cohort meeting before. This is a great time to throw in your ideas and share, or get an idea of what is coming up in the next few months.

We will meet at the Newby's house. Anyone is welcome to bring light refreshments, like some apple cider or cookies.

I'd like to throw out two ideas to consider before the planning session, and then get feedback from everyone. The first is Tim Conder's book "Free for All" I haven't read it, but from what I understand, it is about getting away from a literal/fundamentalist interpretation of Scripture, and learning to let the Bible have a voice in your community. A recent Emergent Village email had an excerpt, which you can read here, and there was a podcast of Tim Conder speaking at a cohort meeting (you can find it on iTunes). Perhaps this book could be a resource for us in coming months? We could try to practice some of the ideas he suggests?

The second suggestion has to do with recent "changes" in Emergent Village. I have not really looked into these very much, but essentially the EV leadership has said they want more involvement and leadership from local cohorts. A recent post on the EV blog includes an invitation and talks about the future of EV. Does our cohort want to be more closely connected with EV? Do we want to join in the areas they are working in? Or do we enjoy being more independent? There are obviously pros/cons both ways.

These are just some of my thoughts! Hope to see you Monday night!

Wendell Berry

Come and share some reading and discussion of Wendell Berry Sunday afternoon as we share a cup of coffee or tea. We will begin at 3:00pm at Global Gallery.

Shameless Plug

Hi everyone. Sorry to clutter up the blog (and yes, we already sent an email about this), but we just wanted to mention that we have set up a blog to tell everyone about our journey through Europe over the next 9 months. It should be a nice way to stay in touch and maybe even discuss some spiritual matters as we encounter Europe's version or faith. The blog is here: http://9monthsofsolitude.blogspot.com.

We miss you all!

You Are God's Beloved

God has called you by name, from the very beginning. You are his Beloved, and on you his favor rests. He molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother’s womb. He carved you in the palms of his hands and hid you in the shadow of his embrace. He has counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step. Where you go, he will go with you, and where you rest, he will keep watch. He will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench all your thirst. He will not hide his face from you. You belong to him. Wherever you are, he will be. Nothing will ever separate you from him.

Jesus Christ, his only son, gave his life for you. Just like his life was taken, blessed, broken and given on behalf of your sin, your life is taken, blessed, broken and given to the glory of God the Father.

You are chosen.

Receive the blessing of the Father.

Rejoice in sharing in the sufferings of the Son.

And be free to give your life in service to others.

Celebration of the Faithful this Sunday

The Celebration of the Faithful this week will be at Zack and Eve's formerly Nick and Jane's place at 1270 Courtland Ave we will be eating a meal together the theme is Mexican food. Please post a comment with what you are bringing. We'll start at 6:00pm.

"We're Not In Kansas Anymore"

Over the weekend, I realized how deeply I miss feeling like I know what I’m doing with God; I miss having beliefs that I feel strongly about; and I miss having a story that I know how it ends.

Let me tell you that when I naively decided that I wanted more of God, I did not know how hard this would be. I didn’t know that wanting more of God would cause me to question so many of my beliefs and that I would essentially end up kind of like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz—a little lost, afraid and wanting to go back home.

There are so many critics of the Emergent Movement. Right now I can't really blame them—even I think this journey seems pretty irresponsible and too dangerous. What if I never find my way back? What if I never end up on solid ground again with real beliefs? What if I never have a way to live my life again that makes sense in the context of faith and the Kingdom of God and loving Jesus?

But Dorothy meets guides along the way, right? The personifications of wisdom, courage and heart. And after her ordeal of facing her worst fears, she does get back home. It is the same home, but better because she has changed. She is home and it is exactly where she wants to be.

Is that what I hope for--that I can somehow get back home? To be honest, because of this journey, nothing will ever be the same again.

And yet as I end this post, I realize I am exactly where I want to be.



Nancy

"Postchurch" Conversation

Frank Viola has two recent posts (here and here) on the Out of Ur blog. They are meant to be read together, and the bottom line is that he sees the "postchurch perspective" as unbiblical, unsustainable, and not genuine Christianity. In the first post, he says that "postchurch" is "built on the premise that institutional forms of church are ineffective, unbiblical, unworkable, and in some cases, dangerous. Institutionalization is not compatible with ekklesia" and ""any semblance of organization whatsoever . . . any semblance of leadership...is wrong and oppressive. Church is simply when two or three believers gather together in any format. Whenever this happens, church occurs." In the second article, he applies 6 characteristics of NT churches to "postchurches" and sees that postchurches fail all 6.

Viola has a very specific, NT idea of church (of ekklesia, the greek word for "church") in mind when he writes these articles. His ideal concept of church is an "organic" church. He writes, "By "organic church," I mean a non-traditional church that is born out of spiritual life instead of constructed by human institutions and held together by religious programs. Organic church life is a grass roots experience that is marked by face-to-face community, every-member functioning, open-participatory meetings (opposed to pastor-to-pew services), non-hierarchical leadership, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the functional Leader and Head of the gathering. Put another way, organic church life is the "experience" of the Body of Christ. In its purest form, it's the fellowship of the Triune God brought to earth and experienced by human beings."

In my opinion, the COEC is a very "organic" group of people, and we experience God in a variety of ways and settings. However, I would not say we are a church either. Are we "postchurch?" I'm not sure (mainly because I don't accept Viola's definitions as comprehensive).

Frank has also posted on his blog that "Some of the comments on the blog confirm my instincts to write this article, as a great deal of confusion abounds among those who have left institutional Christianity and have opted for “the convenient substitute” rather than the organic expression of the body of Christ." I think it would be interesting to get feedback from our cohort.

Are we "postchurch" or "organic"? Are these the same? Are there areas that Viola is missing?

Other thoughts? Post here, or on the Out of Ur blog.

Thomas Merton Discussion Starters

This Sunday we will have an open discussion about Thomas Merton and some of his main ideas. The discussion will be held at the Global Gallery in Clintonville from 6:30-8:30pm and is open to everyone. Below are a few ideas that I thought might spark some discussion:

• Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a scholar and a monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. He was a prolific writer and is best know for his work on the need for silence, solitude, and spiritual contemplation. Eventually, his work in these areas led him to interfaith discussions with Eastern religions.
  
• Merton writes about contemplation: "Contemplation is the highest expression of man's intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness, and for being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent, and infinitely abundant Source. Contemplation is, above all, awareness of the reality of that Source."
• Another quote on contemplation: "Contemplation is essentially a listening in silence, an expectancy. And yet in a certain sense, we must truly begin to hear God when we have ceased to listen. What is the explanation of this paradox? Perhaps only that there is a higher kind of listening...a general emptiness that waits to realize the fullness of the message of God within its own apparent void. In other words, the true contemplative is not the one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants or expects to hear, but who remains empty because he knows that he can never expect or anticipate the word that will transform his darkness into light. He does not even anticipate a special kind of transformation...He waits on the Word of God in silence, and when he is 'answered' it is not so much by a word that bursts into his silence. It is by his silence itself suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a great word of power, full of the voice of God."
• In the monastic tradition, the purpose of Christian life is very different from that of the evangelical. Rather than a call to "do" something for God - whether it be evangelism, social justice, worship or preaching - the monk believes that the most important thing a person can do is simply experience God's presence and love him deeply. This love for God, evidenced in regular prayer and the community within the abbey, is a witness to the rest of the world of how life could be lived. Also, the prayers of the monks are a powerful spiritual force in the secular world, although they are unseen.
  

Some possible questions for discussion:

1. What is your immediate reaction to the ideas of silence, solitude and contemplation?
   
2. What are your thoughts about the monastic tradition? Where do you see monasticism in postmodern life?
3. Merton (and all mystical/contemplatives) spend much time discussing the experience of God's presence and what it means to love God sincerely and deeply in human life. How do you experience God? How do you express love for God? Do you think contemplation could be another path for this?
   
4. Meditation/contemplation is not unique to Christianity. Where else have you experienced/practiced this mystical activity? What do you think about Merton's interfaith dialogs based upon mystical experiences of God?
   
5. What might evangelicals and American Christians in general learn from the monastic tradition?
   

A possible side discussion could be about the so-called "postchurch" position. Author Frank Viola wrote a few posts about it this week on the Out of Ur blog (first post; second post) . His primary point is that those who claim to be "postchurch" are actually lazy in their commitment to a spiritual community and this is not a biblical understanding of church. However, I think that alongside Merton's ideas of contemplation as being "fully awake" to God's presence in all of life, being postchurch could be a movement out of and beyond church, finding and rejoicing in God's presence in the rest of the Christian life, not just in the one or two hours of church.

For some additional reading, you can see some of the blog posts I have written on contemplation here.

Celebration of the Faithful

This week we are having a Celebration of the Faithful at Adam and Kara's house. We will meet at 5, then have the meal after the Celebration. The theme for the food this week is...local...which we will define as Ohio. (It can be hard to make a full dish locally, so try to make at least part of it that way, if not all.) We might be taking a walk, so wear your walking shoes...not your high heels :). See you at 5 on Sunday. If possible let us know what you are bringing, so we don't end up with plate upon plate of Ohio Sweet corn...though that might not be so bad. 

Thanks everyone!

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Doug Pagitt Live Occurrence event. It was a great time, and we really enjoyed meeting everyone and hanging out. A special shout out to the folks at Jacob's Porch for allowing us to use their space. Also, it was great to see our emergent friends from the Dayton Cohort and the Akron Cohort! Thanks for dropping by!

You can see a few more pictures from the event on our facebook page here:

Doug is coming this weekend!

In case you forgot, Doug Pagitt is coming to Columbus on Sunday, July 19th. You can see more information here, and I've embedded a video below that has a little preview. I'm really excited for this event and I hope you and all your family and friends will be able to make it.

Visiting church this Sunday

Our plan for this weekend is to try out a local church and get some lunch afterwords. As far as I know we haven't picked a place yet. So, if you have an idea post it below in the comments and whoever wants to can get together to go to the service.