Post Emergent gathering Sunday lunch

Most of you likely know about the Emergent gathering that is happening this Saturday to determine the future greatness of Emergent. But maybe you don't know about the post-gathering-fiesta at Guapos in Bethesda on Sunday (4/26) at 1pm. Many folks from the gathering will be there to connect, relax, and let us know what strategy Emergent has decided for taking over the world! We wouldn't want the DC Cohort to miss out on that so consider yourself invited!

RSVP to jason, jason@collegeparkchurchplant.com.

grace,
j

April 14th Gathering being led by Kate Murray

So what exactly happened on the cross? What happened on Good Friday? On Easter Sunday?
Some say Jesus took our place, paid the price, and redeemed us in the eyes of an angry God. Others say he cured humanity of a great illness, the sickness of sin. Still others aren't sure.

Join us April 14th at the Front Page at 7pm as we discuss one of the most debated and discussed topics in Christianity - what happened on the cross and the various atonement theories. What’s helpful for understanding Jesus’ death and resurrection and what isn’t so helpful, possibly even detrimental to our faith.

Thanks to Kate Murray for leading the discussion this month. If you have a topic, book idea, burning question or even something slightly heretical that you'd like to take the lead on, let us know.

The Front Page
at Dupont Circle metro
7pm

See you there!

Jason and Sara

March 10 - Creeds; What are they good for?

Ever wonder why we have creeds, what purpose they play and why they haven't been updated in a while?? Join the DC Cohort Tuesday March 10 at the Front Page in Dupont Circle as we look at the internal and external meanings of the creeds and if they still have use in today's church. Are there other dogmas or tools out there we could use instead? Ryan Page will lead us in the discussion.

The Front Page Restuarant

at Dupont Circle

7pm

Tuesday March 10

See you there!

Sara and Jason

Next Gathering February 10

Hey gang - two things : 1) We will gather Tuesday Feb 10 at 7pm at the Front Page. 2) The suggestion was made last time that we find some space to do other things as a community than just have dinner once a month and talk to each other. We are planning a joint Ash Wednesday Service (location TBD) and hopefully this will be discussed along with the topic below on the 10th. Also we kicked around serving at a homeless shelter, or other equally wonderful ways to help those who have less. If you have suggestions on ways to do this, please send them my way ssheppard@wesleyseminary.edu and I'll compile them and send them on to Todd. We are also thinking about a picnic this summer in Rock Creek Park - maybe something that could include everyone from Restless Church??

So for Tuesday : The buzz on the cohort leader email has been about the tension between staying connected to a “traditional” church while also experimenting with Emergent. We are wondering how you all would respond to this question. To that point, I am including one of the latest posts for your reflection:

"Everyone's points have been helpful and very contextual (I've been burned before too)!

I'd say two interpenetrating principles lead me on this one:
A. Invention requires an artificial sense of objectivity- so to leave a community, self-differentiate, and then to focus on an alternative shaped community is crucial to any new vision being born.
B. But to love the greater whole requires an artificial sense of subjectivity- to belong to the church's destined transformation: In this case we are better for seeing ourselves as part of a larger whole, and not "othering" all the other/prior/disproven forms.

So as a presbyterian I'm better for to (B) acknowledging that we're part of larger arch of history, bigger than the "protestant reformation- with our solas, points, or marks of the true church". And as an emergent (B) I'm better for acknowledging that the $30k that is coming into our budget from the PC(USA) this year is material connection to all those old ladies in the presbyterian pews-- proof that we are more connected than I'd often assume. Yet as an emergent (A) I have to let go of Presbyterian forms and cliques long enought to be open to embracing what is taking shape organically in my neighborhood. And as a presbyterian (A) my healthiest posture includes calling all of my practices/confessions into question toward what they are being re-formed into.

At the edge/end of certitude lies this challenge: "hold to forms/particularities loosely without letting go of the poetics of the particular".

(You might also note that I use "artificial sense"- I think that the subjective/objective divide is a construct, but unavoidable. So it befits the church to use these categories in a more intentional, imagaintive, de/constructive way, instead of a place of pride/martyrdom/vigilantyism. The "remnant" language, the "protestant reformation" language, the "true church" language- they all require objective or subjective certainty- and they all fade in the face of new-creation-repentance-spirit-death-birth...)


All that said, I think... too many people stay at a particular church because of a narrow view of kingdom loyalty, and too many leave because of a shallow view of participation. Leave, stay, go start, quit... but do it all as a step into kingdom imagination, into deep practice. Anything you run from will end up sneaking into your next place on the coattails of your ideals."

So give this some thought. See you on the 10th!

Sara and Jason

January 13: Emerging Church 101

Ever wonder what this thing called The Emerging Church is?? Who's doing it and what they are doing?? Join us on Tuesday night January 13 at 7pm to hear more. Jason Mack will give a basic description of the emerging church movement and then we'll entertain any questions and try to debunk the myths.

We meet at the Front Page resturant at Dupont Circle directly across from the metro.

so - - see you at 7pm at the Front Page Tuesday January 13th.


(The weather peeps are calling for some "wintery weather " Tuesday so check back here before you come. If we need to postpone I'll post it here)

Peace and Grace,

Sara and Jason

December gathering - The Great Emergence

For December we will gather at the Front Page to discuss Phyliss Tickle's fab new book, The Great Emergence. Seems appropriate for Advent, don't you think?? Jason will lead the discussion and we'd love to hear from anyone lucky enough to get to Memphis the weekend before for the conference.

DETAILS:

December 9, 2008
7:00pm
The Front Page at Dupont Circle

Also:

Call to the River Retreat January 8 -10, 2009

Join us for a retreat to explore call; where you began and where God is calling you now. Marjory Bankson, formerly of Faith at Work and Rev. Rod Miller with lead us through the river and into transformational community.

We will gather at Manidokan Reteat Center near Harpers Ferry, WV beginning at 5pm Thursday until 12 noon Saturday for a retreat of reflection and sharing. Cost is $150.00 for meals and lodging. Some scholarships re available. For more information and to register click here.


Hope everyone's holiday is safe.

peace and grace,

Sara and Jason

November 11 - Pete Rollins lowdown

Hey - We will meet at 7pm at the Front Page Resturant on Dupont Circle in Tuesday November 11 to get the low down on the Emergent Mid Atlantic gather that took place over the weekend in Philly. Yours truly was not able to go, but I'm hoping that those of you who did (hint, hint) would be willing to give us and update of what happened, what was said, etc.

There are other activities of interest happening over the coming months. The first is an Advent reflection happening at Wesley Theological Seminary by Lauren Winner, author of Girl Meets God and Mudhouse Sabbath. Lauren is professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity School. The event will take place Friday December 5th from 10am - 3pm and is free of charge. We only ask that you RSVP with Sara Sheppard to reserve a spot. Please include your name, phone number, church affiliation and mailing address. This event is underwritten by the Lilly Endowment.

Join us Thursday January 8 -Saturday Janaury 10, 2009 for an exploration of call. Call to the River is a time for reflection and for looking forward; toward your call. What did it look/feel like in the beginning and what or where is it now? How has it changed and where has it led you??

We will gather at Manidoken Retreat Center near Harpers Ferry, WV. Cost is $150.00 for room and board. Register by going to http://www.calltotheriver.blogspot.com/ This event is co-sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Faith at Work, Wesley Theological Seminary and Sacred Fire Coaching.

Hope to see you soon and one or all of these events.

peace and grace,

Sara and Jason

October 14, 2008; DC Cohort gathering: Are you ready for the election??

The DC Cohort will meet TOMORROW Tuesday October 14th at 7pm at the Front Page. Jason Mack will lead us in a discussion about the politial times and the church. Seeing as the election for our next President: Commander and Chief is around the perverbial corner, we thought it would be good to flesh out what everyone is thinking about the state of things as it relates to the church.

Our next gathering will take place after the election so at that time we will really be able to take stock and talk about what the future might hold.
We hope to see each of you at the Page at 7pm TOMORROW night, Oct 14th.

(The Front Page is across the street from the Dupont Circle Metro. We are the motley crew with the large table in the corner)

peace and grace,

Sara and Jason

September 9 - Church Leadership and Governmental structures: How can we become more post-modern??

Hey All!! We will gather next on Tuesday September 9 at the Front Page in Dupont Circle. We'll have a free-wheeling discussion of church leadership and government structures. Denominations? Hierarchies? Boards of elders? Pastors? To what extent are these cultural constructs, and how might these structures change as our culture becomes more and more postmodern? What forms might leadership take in tomorrow's emerging church?

Thanks to Crog for suggesting the topic! Write in if you have thoughts that you want to be included in the discussion.

Also coming this fall is Pete Rollins - speaker at the Emergent Mid-Atlantic gathering

November 7-8 in Philadelphia, PA

Registration and info at http://www.emergentmidatlantic.com/

See you 9/9 at 7pm at the Front Page!

peace and grace,

Sara 'n Jason

Roadshow a hit! Next DC Cohort gathering August 12 7pm

Hi all - we had a bunch of fun at the Church Basement Roadshow Thursday evening July 31. A really "hooten-nanny"! Come and hear about the event and reflections from those who were there. There is also an interesting post at the Las Vegas Cohort's blog "The depressing art of ru(i)nning a church" that could be a good jumping point off point for discussion as well.

So come on out - The Front Page Restaurant at the Dupont Metro

August 12, 2008
7pm

Blessings,

Sara and Jason

DC Cohort Updates

• Two Weeks until the Road Show! July 31
• Volunteers needed for set-up and tear down
• Next cohort meeting August 12 at the Page 7pm
• Jim Walker of Hot Metal Bridge publishes his first book, Dirty Word.
  
  
  Hey all! The Church Basement Road show is just two short weeks away. We are hoping that you are planning on coming out for this - it has gotten really good reveiws.
  
  When: Thursday July 31, 2008
  Where: Kay Spiritual Life Center on the campus of American University 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
  ( Look for the roundish building on the corner at Ward Circle (Nebraska and Massachusett Avenue's) with the gold flame coming out of the top)
  When: 7pm
  Why: Because we want to spread the love of Christ!
  
  Not sure what I'm talking about??? Check these out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seuS5w_xDgg&feature=relatedhttp://www.churchbasementroadshow.com/

Wesley is one of the sponsors of the event, so you can also find a link on our webpage. http://www.wesleyseminary.edu/

or the Wesley Blog http://blogs.wesleyseminary.edu/About/AWordfromWesley/tabid/75/EntryID/13/Default.aspx
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Volunteers are needed for set-up an tear down of the event on July 31. I already have a few folks, but could use a few more. Please let me know if you would like to help. I will give details as I get volunteers. Thanks!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next Cohort Meeting will be August 12 at the Front Page in Dupont Circle. We will discuss the Church Basement Road show. Come out for the last cohort gathering of the summer before schedules take over. 7pm right on metros red line.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pastor Jim's new book Dirty Word is now available for purchase. The book is a kind of "behind the scenes" documentary about the ministry at Hot Metal. Jim uses many of the amazing stories that have come out of our faith community to share the good news of the Kingdom of God.
You can buy signed copies for the list price of $20 from Jim. On September 6, we will have a book-signing party at Joseph-Beth Booksellers on the South Side. Details on the party TBA at a later date.

The book is also available for sale through Amazon, cokesbury and other fine booksellers.

Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community
email: hotmetal@hotmetalbridge.com
phone: 412-481-4010
web: http://www.hotmetalbridge.com/v2/

DC Cohort Meeting July 8, 2008

We will meet Tuesday July 8 at the Front Page at 7pm. We will debreif on Shane Claiborne's Jesus for President tour, get updates on the Church Basement Road show that will swing through DC on July 31at 7pm at American University and otherwise carry-on.

Hope you can come out!

The Front Page is located at Dupont Circle http://www.frontpageresturant.com/

Blessings!

Sara and Jason

June 10, 2008 - the conversation continues...

Greetings! Hope everyone is staying cool in this tropical heat wave.

The DC Emerging cohort is meeting next June 10 - 7pm at the Front Page in Dupont Circle.

We will be discussing emergent; who were are, where we are going and how we worship. We would love to hear your prespective, so come on out.

This summer has some emergent events coming through our area.

June 27: Shane Claibourne will be at Calvery Baptist Church. 7pm - Register for free tickets here.

July 31: The Church Basement Road Show aka Tony Jones, Doug Pagit and Mark Scandrette at the Kay Spiritual Life Center at American University 7pm $10 at the door. Wesley Seminary is the acamedic sponsor for the tour - so come on out. More info is available here.

There is a rumor Pete Rollins that will be swinging through this fall - I'll try to keep you all posted on that one.

So hope to see you at the Page in Tuesday June 10 7pm

Blessings, Sara and Jason

Next Gathering Tuesday May 13 - something different

Greetings! We (Jason, Todd and 2mikes) have been talking and have decided to do something a little different this time. Yes we will still meet at Dupont Circle and Yes still at 7pm. BUT... This time we will do something for the environment instead of talking, talking, talking...

Meet us (those of us with bags picking up trash) in the middle of Dupont Circle and pick-up trash for a while and then head off to get a bite to eat, coffee, whatever. Word?? Let's help make DC a little cleaner. BYOB (bring your own Bag, please)

Questions??

Let me know!

Sara

ssheppard@wesleyseminary.edu

DC Cohort Meeting Tuesday April 8th

Hi!! We will gather at the Front Page at Dupont Circle on Tuesday April 8th at 7pm. Topic: Debrief on Deepshift event last month.

Come and share your learnings and connect with the folks you met at the event. We are looking forward to seeing you! reservation will be under "Jason Mack."

Blessings,

Sara

The Front Page resturant is located across the street from the Dupont Circle metro stop.

Potato Drop at Wesley Seminary March 26th

Hi! Plumbline, the social justice group on campus, is planning a potato drop at Wesley Theological Seminary on March 26th. I hear that they are expecting 45000 lbs of loose potatos to be dropped to be bagged up by great volunteers like you. Never seen Mt. Potato before?? Now's your chance!

Time: 9:30am until we finish
Where: 4500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington DC
Who: YOU! and the Wesley Theological Seminary community
When: Wednesday, March 26th - there is a slight chance that this won't happen due to a potato shortage - I will post some if that's the case.

Questions?? Give me a jingle - 202-885-8688

Blessings!!

Sara

March 11, 2008 Paul Nixon to visit us

Greetings! This is an exciting weekend in DC - full of terrific actitivites including the Deep Shift conference. For a detail of the events this weekend, see the previous post.

On Tuesday night we will meet at the Front Page in Dupont Circle to debreif about the weekend and to hear from Paul Nixon, pastor and church planter. Hope you can join us and help us to welcome any new cohorters that may join us as a result of the Deep Shift experience.

7pm at the Front Page
Dupont Circle Metro stop

Blessings,

Sara

Deep Shift, Christian Witness for Peace and the DC Cohort

Folks, The weekend of March 7-8, 2008 is a busy one for emergentizers like us. Please see the fab info put together by our own Mike Stavlund. Thanks Mike!! The cohort will meet next on Tuesday March 11 at the Front Page at Dupont Circle 7pm. We will unpack the weekend's events. Come see us at Deep Shift. You'll find me at the cohort information table. Blessings! Sara and Jason

In a few weeks, there will be a fascinating and multi-faceted weekend in Washington, DC, which may be of interest to those engaged with Emergent Village:

March 7, noon. A worship service in conjunction with Christian Peace Witness for Iraq at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. A group of friends of emergent, including Brian McLaren and The Cobalt Season, have been collaborating on a service to lament the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq. This will be a unique event: less a shaking of our collective fist at the Powers that Be, and more an appeal for imagination and determination in the pursuit of the way of peace, both for ourselves and our leaders.

If you can make it, please join us afterward for the walk to the Capitol, where we will assemble at 2:30pm with other groups from various faith backgrounds to bear witness to our governmental leaders about the ongoing devastation of ourselves and our 'enemies'. This will culminate with representatives from our interfaith group meeting with the offices of Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to deliver our appeal to support the troops, to end the war, and to stop torture.

March 7-8. A similar (though much broader) conversation will be happening at Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change/DeepShift conference outside DC in Vienna, Virginia. Brian and other artists will be exploring the ideas presented in his new and thought-provoking book of the same title. If you've even perused this book, then you know that this event promises to be an amazing invitation to creativity and Kingdom vision.

March 8, 7:30pm. A coffee house event with Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, also at NY Ave. Presbyterian Church. The Cobalt Season will be performing, along with David LaMotte and several other artists.

March 9, 10am. Since The Cobalt Season is in town, noted emergent church The Common Table will be hosting them for their morning worship service, also in Vienna, Virginia.

I hope to see you at one or more of these events!

Mike Stavlund

CANCELLED: February 12 - Paul Nixon from Epicenter will Speak

Folks, due to the weather we are canceling this gathering. We'd rather you be safe that ice skating in your cars on the way home. Paul will join us next month, March 11th and we will discuss the Deep Shift event the weekend before. Stay Safe!! Sara and Jason


Hey, Good News! I have received confirmation that Paul Nixon from Epicenter Charge will be our speaker at the next cohort meeting. Paul is currently in the process of planting multiple locations of his congregation across Northern Virginia. Come and hear his story, what his vision is and how things are going so far. http://www.epicenterdc.com/





We will meet at the Front Page at Dupont Circle at 7pm.





ALSO: Don't forget that Brian McLaren will be in town for the Deep Shift Tour March 7th and 8th at the Vienna Presbyterian Church. Please e-mail me if you are able to volunteer and let em know what you would be willing to do (book table, kitchen, general helper). One of the foci of this conference will be on the cohorts; how they are formed, what we do, recruiting, etc. So, come on out and support your favorite cohort group! Registration and info can be found here -http://deepshift.org/site/





COMING THIS SUMMER: There are two other speaking tours swinging through town we want to let you know about.





Shane Claibourne will come through June 27th - location TBD (but I'm working on it!) to promote his new title; Jesus For President. This promised to be an interesting, interactive event. http://www.jesusforpresident.org/





Tony Jones and Friends will be through July 31 at American University's Kay Spiritual Life Center for the Basement Tour aka the RV Tour. Tony Jones will be available to sign his newest title, The New Christians: Dispacthes from the Emergent Frontier. Details are still being worked out, but we will post them as they become available. http://tonyj.net/ To my knowledge there is no specific tour info on-line yet - watch this space!





Let us know if you have any questions.





Peace, Sara and Jason

Happy New Year!!

Hi Cohorters! We are gathering Tuesday January 8th at the Front Page in Dupont Circle at 7pm. I am hoping to have a surprise speaker join us, but in the event that doesn't materialize, we will talk about what we are reading, doing, preaching - ya 'know - the usual. :)

Thanks to Mike Croghan, we now have a Face Page presence. We'd love to have you join the group and continue to grow in the virtual realm.

Also to add to your calendars; Brian McLaren will be in town promoting his newest book, Everything Must Change March 7th and 8th. The conference will take place in VA. For more info, go to http://deepshift.org/site/ . The DC Cohort and other area groups will have chance to help out with the conference. If you are interested in volunteering, please let me know. As part of the cohort you will be eligible for a discounted registration rate, and free stuff. (aka books - who doesn't like free books!) Let me know (Sara) so I can provide the registration code to you.

Hope to see you on the 8th at 7pm.

Blessings!

Sara and Jason

Front Page Restaurant

Dupont Metro Station

7pm