Organic Justice: September 2012 Events at our Missional Community

 

Please share with others these upcoming events and reflections...

Make A Difference in our Far North Community and in Your Life, Connect with us, Donate To Our Mission, www.turleyok.blogspot.com

Hi all. Many opportunities coming up in the next weeks to help us as we seek to renew community, empower our residents on the northside, and grow healthy lives and neighborhoods; if we do these things, our other issues that more often make news headlines---school issues, crime issues---they will take care of themselves. It is about growing organic life. If we have school test scores much lower than they should be (though they are rising slowly), or if we have domestic violence, drugs, gangs, juvenile crime (though those are much lower than people stereotype), the way to focus on them is to focus on the soil in which they are planted: that is community life, neighborhood spirit, and justice for those most neglected, abandoned, wounded, left out. Let September be a month when we turn our attention and time and resources to making sure we have healthy soil in which to grow our communities.

Recently, some people visiting our area described our Turley and far northside area as "a dying community." If you look at the statistics, and the stereotypes, it is hard to counter that description. But if you look at the stories and the spirit of the people living in, moving into, resisting, and if you look at just this small glimpse of what is happening here in just one piece of the picture, it would better be described as a "resurrection community." Bless or curse, choose life or death, which vision of life calls out to you?

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 9 am to 2 pm, North Tulsa Farmers Market at TCC Northeast Campus, apache and harvard. And every Tuesday and Friday morning, 9:30 am to Noon, our Food Pantry, clothing room, community center. Also we are blessed to host the Legal Aid Society most Tuesdays and Fridays with us also during these hours. Free legal advice on a multitude of issues. Spread the word.

Wednesday, Sept. 5: At McLain High School 1:30 pm grant announcement of a $100,000 award for the school from AT&T. Lots happening in the next few months at McLain; see below. It is a privilege to serve on the School Foundation Board; we pray for the new principal Darrius Kirk and all there this year as they face many challenges of growth and change, serving more students.

Thursday, Sept. 6, GROW TURLEY deep planning meeting, 3:30 pm, at the community center, 5920 N. Owasso Ave. Focusing on disaster response, incorporation into a city research, abandoned buildings and connecting leaders to coordinate planning for this area.

Friday, Sept. 7 Day of Caring at our community center and community gardenpark and orchard, as we host people from Nordam, Hillcrest Medical Center, and Legal Aid Society of Eastern Oklahoma volunteering to make a difference with us. Come volunteer to work on our center and grounds, getting ready for our big fundraiser auction, and improving the gardenpark, 6005 N. Johnstown Ave. Come and see what's going on; come help us host; come serve alongside these helpers; thanks to the United Way. It all begins at dawn and goes to dusk; come for as long or as short a time as you can, and spread the word.

Saturday, Sept. 8, Community fundraising breakfast 8 to 10 am Odd Fellows Lodge, 6227 N. Quincy; 7 am on GardenDay at our gardenpark. Last day also to register for the Cherokee School reunion on Sept. 22; see below.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 6 pm at the Community Center, the first Turley Area Disaster Response Network Orientation Session and free dinner; come be a part of building our network of neighborhood leaders, begin mapping our resources, and helping prepare and spread the communications information our residents need for a multitude of potential disasters, natural or otherwise. Be a leader in your immediate area.

Wednesday, Sept. 12 I will be meeting in the evening at OU Tulsa Graduate Social Work class to help orient them to our service area and help them get started on this semester's service-learning projects. If you have connections with other universities and classes in all kinds of departments that might be interested in working with us to serve our area and educate new leaders, contact me.

Friday, Sept. 14, 1 pm the real estate auction of the old feed store and old fire dept building and adjacent lots on North Peoria; an opportunity to turn abandoned blight back into places of community transformation or economic development; these are historic buildings in our area that have been neglected for years; we painted over graffiti and mowed the weeds and hope to see them put to good use. http://www.williamsauction.com/property-auctions/turley-lots/332563

Saturday, Sept. 15, 10 am. at the Center. Our Big Community Benefit Auction and Fun-Fest. Help us raise funds for our projects and our partners. Charity auctioneer Jay Litchfield will be coordinating. We have many wonderful items donated from law firms, homes, businesses; looking for more. Lots of items small to large. Everything goes so we can begin renovating the biggest part of our building space for community kitchen and other use. Children's activities and community information booths, refreshments.

Also on Saturday Sept. 15 we will have a crew at the gardenpark building our new tool and storage shed. And that day I will be speaking at Suburban Acres library on our sustainability and food justice work as part of the Library's year long Food for Thought focus.

Also on Saturday, Sept. 15 we will be making our big announcement about the next online voting event to help us win our kitchenshelter rain water collection greenhouse. Get your networks primed to turn out and vote for us again as you did when we won the orchard from the national fruit tree planting association.

Tuesday, Sept. 18, the Disaster Response Orientation Session at 6 pm at the Fire Dept building; again we provide free dinner for those who couldn't make the first session or wish to attend and connect and go deeper and help our resource mapping.

Friday, Sept. 21, McLain High School Homecoming Game and Event. Come support our local high school.

Saturday, Sept. 22, Cherokee School every four years Reunion, this one may be the last one in the school building at 6001 N. Peoria, from 9 am to 4 pm. (I am setting up a meeting between now and then, I hope, to talk further with TPS officials about a possible lease use of the school for our growing food justice center and as a site for community meals and events; if your non-profit or business is interested in partnering with us to turn this newly abandoned but wonderfully equipped building into community use again, contact me).

Sunday, Sept. 23, McLain all grades reunion picnic at Shelter 2 at Mohawk Park, an informal bring your own everything from 1 to 4 pm; a chance to build bridges and connect with old friends and meet new ones.

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 6 pm Disaster Response Orientation Session at O'Brien Park, free dinner, followed by the monthly 7 pm Turley Community Association TownHall; hear local officials report on activities in the community, your chance to ask questions.

Coming Up Not To Miss in October: We will again be a part of helping plan and put on the Fourth Annual Taste of North Tulsa event on Thursday, Oct. 11, 5:30 pm at McLain High School. Great local food, stressing healthy eating, with community fair, and great music. Free.

And Saturday, Oct. 13 our Far North Community Renewal Conference, featuring a tour of our two mile service area, questions and response, free lunch, keynote presentations by Ann Patton, author of Dan's War on Poverty about Father Dan Allen, founder of Neighbor for Neighbor, and by Terry McGee, community business leader and activist on the northside, followed by small group planning sessions focusing on the major issues facing our community, helping to move us forward as a community renewal organization and joining with others to become a movement for this far northside region, from 46th St. North to 76th St. North.

On the Welcome Table missional community side of things, August was splendid and fun. While I was on vacation and study leave, but enjoying worship with the group from time to time, we focused on worshipful support of the Leadership of Women Religious Conference, the "radical nuns" seeking justice for the poor and the oppressed; we visited and worshipped with St. Aidan's Episcopal Church here in north Tulsa, we worshipped with All Souls Church, and our new Board member and resident of Turley, Rev. Eliza Galaher, recently moved here from Austin, Texas, led worship and conversation at the community center...For September, we will be focusing again on a theme for the month: this time "The Spirit of the Bible and The Vision for the Church." Each Sunday I will take a pivotal story from the Bible and teach on its missional meaning and we will discuss a facet of our radical vision for what church is and can be. We gather at the community center, or the garden park, at 9:30 am and go with study and communion and common meal until the noontime hour, or so. We invite people to come be a part even of this one day only aspect of our missional community even if you are unable to be with us for our many communal gatherings throughout the week. On Sunday morning Sept. 30 I will be travelling to Stillwater to preach on "Inward/Outward: The Synching and The Salting of the Soul" and invite you to our missional road trip.

Also being launched in September will be our Praying the Hours with The Welcome Table. Look on both www.progressivechurchplanting.blogspot.com and www.missionalmonastics.blogspot.com for more information coming, and for when you can join us either virtually on those sites, via Skype group, or with us in face-to-face contemplative centering prayer sessions to grow and deepen our inward lives to sustain us and shape us as we live our outward lives in mission in the ways listed above, and in the myriad of ways in our worklives, our families, and our times with friends that we "meet God and serve God wherever we go, especially to be with the abandoned places and people of the Consumer Market Empire. We are already developing this time to go deep together on our facebook; follow me at revronrobinson there; using resources from Thomas Merton, Rainer Marie Rilke, Joan Chittister and others.

blessings, thanks for all you do and hope you will find ways to do more of it in community with us, and more soon, Ron Robinson

Worship in Solidarity With "Women Religious"

Here is Our Worship Service yesterday in solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious meeting this week in discernment for their response to the Vatican. Thanks for Deb Carroll for leading it, and blending it with some of our weekly communion liturgy.


Communion Service for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious Meeting in St. Louis August 7-12

 Call to Worship

 Prayer Leader: We gather together in the Spirit of Jesus

     All:   In his Spirit of wisdom, love, and courage.

Prayer Leader: We gather, from places near and far,

     All:   uniting our own spirits with the women of LCWR.

Prayer Leader: We pray as one body, the Body of Christ

All:   That the Spirit of Jesus may be abundantly poured out upon the women of LCWR, to lead and guide them, to comfort and strengthen them for the good of our beloved world.  Amen   

Opening Hymn

“Gather Us In” text by Marty Haugen, tune is GATHER US IN, © 1982, GIA Publications, Inc.

 Verse 1

Here in this place new light is streaming, now is the darkness vanished away.

See in this space our fears and our dreamings, brought here to you in the light of this day.

Gather us in- the lost and forsaken, gather us in- the blind and the lame;

Call to us now, and we shall awaken, we shall arise at the sound of our name.

 Verse 2

We are the young- our lives are a myst’ry, we are the old- who yearn for your face,

We have been sung throughout all of hist’ry, called to be light to the whole human race.

Gather us in- the rich and the haughty, gather us in- the proud and the strong;

Give us a heart so meek and so lowly, give us the courage to enter the song.

 Verse 3

Here we will take the wine and the water, here we will take the bread of new birth,

Here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth.

Give us to drink the wine of compassion, give us to eat the bread that is you,

Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion

Lives that are holy and hearts that are true

 Verse 4

Not in the dark of buildings confining, not in some heaven, light years away,

But here in this place the new light is shining, now is the kingdom, now is the day.

Gather us in and hold us forever, gather us in and make us your own;

Gather us in- all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

 Prayer Leader: Let us pray. God of light and life, You are the source of all that is good in our lives. We give you thanks for Jesus our Savior and brother, Who sent women to proclaim the Gospel: St. Mary of Magdala, Martha, Mary, the Samaritan woman and so many others. We give you thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit, That bold Wisdom-Spirit who impels us today to proclaim your good news of peace and justice in our homes, communities and our world. We ask your blessings on our gathering here. In Jesus’ name we pray.

All: Amen

 Leader A: For the women of the Hebrew Scriptures, the women of the Christian Scriptures, for martyrs, mystics and saints, leaders, theo­logians, and pastoral ministers, for our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, children and friends, for all the holy women and men who have gone before us.

 All: Thanks be to God.

 Leader B: For all those women and men who have taught us and called us to strength and faith.

 All: Thanks be to God.

Leader A: For the holy women and men gathered here, especially the women who have answer the call to religious life.

All: Thanks be to God.

 Leader B: Let us join together to learn from and to celebrate women – es­pecially St. Mary of Magdala, the Apostle to the Apostles, and the women religious of today. May they give us wisdom and courage to be who God calls us to be.

 ALL: Jesus, may your Spirit, present in the lives of these women leaders, enlighten us today.

 The Word

A proclamation of Luke 15:1-3, 8-10

 The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable.

 “Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 Introduction by the leader:

Many Sisters have been like the woman with the lost coin- or some might say, the pushy woman with the broom  -  sweeping and searching the houses of their Orders, since the Second Vatican Council

        To discover and recover their founding mission…

• To read the “signs of the times”…
• And to bear their gifts in service of those most in need, of those often on the margins of life today.

In doing this, it is essential to recall that Jesus intends to present this woman as an image of God.  For in Luke’s Gospel, she is sandwiched in between two other prominent images of God -  the Good Shepherd and the forgiving (or prodigally loving) father.  Her story follows the same pattern as theirs.  Therefore, she, like they, truly point to the seeking, restoring, joyfully celebrating nature of our God. 

 So remembering the woman with the broom, let us take a few moments to also remember religious women who have touched our lives, and let us share those stories now, stories of other women who have searched carefully until they find the lost coins … women near and dear to our hearts …

 Leader: And now we lift up our voices in prayer at this time…   

  Please respond: “God of Love and Compassion, hear our prayer…”

·         For Sr. Pat Farrell, Sr Janet Mock, CSJ, and the  Leadership Team of LCWR, as during this week, they prayerfully discern their response to the Vatican mandate, we pray…

·         For all 57,000 Sisters who fall under the umbrella of LCWR, that they continue on their discipleship path of courage and integrity, we pray…

·         For our beloved Church, the People of God, that we will continually grow in fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we pray…

·         For all prophets today, who… out of love for the world… non-violently challenge the abuses of power stemming from any and all places, we pray…

·         For what else, for whom else, shall we pray?

 Leader: Spirit of the Living God, we pray You guide us all- Sisters and Brothers of one another- toward the creation of lives that bring joy, hope, and healing for the broken corners of our world, thereby giving You glory and praise.     Amen.

 Communion Prayer:

 We prayerfully ask this day that God would fulfill in us all, that divine promise of a hundredfold harvest given to all those who would dedicate themselves, body and soul, to the work of the kingdom of God. We give thanks for the witness of those whose lives are guided by Spirit’s call to be possessed by the Divine Presence and dedicate them­selves, body and soul, to the work of the reign of God.

 We remember all those who have given Love the ultimate trust and the last word and who have worked to create the beloved community of renewed and abundant life.  Help us to remember with this meal especially all those who are hungry, and may we treat all our meals as sacred and to be shared.

 Here is the bread of life, food for the spirit.  Let all who hunger come and eat.  Here is the fruit of the vine pressed and poured out for us.  Let all who thirst now come and drink.

 All:  All are worthy.  All are welcome.

Sharing the Bread of Life and the Cup of Hope

Song:  Eat This Bread, Drink This Cup

Leader:  As we close, let us remember the Leadership Conference of Religious Women and all of us gathered here.

 All:  May we go forth with the Spirit of God within us, not a spirit of cowardice and fear, but rather, a Spirit of power, a Spirit of love, and a Spirit of self-discipline.

 Leader:  Also as we go forth, we pray that the Sisters of the Leadership Conference of Religious Women will listen deeply to the Spirit of Truth over the next few days

 All:  So that all will emerge, fully prepared to go forth to serve God and God’s People with all our treasured gifts, as God sees fit.  Amen 

 Closing Song:

 We Are Called (David Haas © 1988 GIA Publications # 518 in Gather)

 Verse 1: Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord! We are called to be light for the kingdom to live in the freedom of the city of God! Refrain

 Refrain: We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are called to serve one another; to walk humbly with God!

 Verse 2: Come! Open your heart! Show your mercy to all those in fear! We are called to be hope for the hopeless so all hatred and blindness will be no more! Refrain

 Verse 3: Sing! Sing a new song! Sing of that great day when all will be one! God will reign, and we'll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love! Refrain