An Awakening of Hope Here: Ten Events In Search of You

 

Two Views of the Same Land Here, before and now during our Miracle Among The Ruins community work.

 

Hi all. First, from the new book, "The Awakening of Hope" by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: "The mission of the church is always to connect God's story with society's deep need...True revival is not something you can plan and orchestrate on five successive weeknights with a guest preacher from out of town. Still, revival happens when hope grabs hold of you and won't let go. When justice begins to flow down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, the river of faith swells its banks and you do what you can to hold on for the ride. You've been caught up in something bigger than yourself--something you can't explain."

It feels like a revival stirring new movements and new creations all over our neighborhoods here...Come and see for yourself...The week ahead highlights, links to sermons and more: See these glimpses of what it means to be in a missional community.

....And don't forget we need your online vote every day until Oct. 9 to the Facebook page of Tom's of Maine 50 States For Good contents which will reward one nonprofit with a $50,000 grant or five more with $20,000 grants. Support our Miracle Among the Ruins Project for our community kitchengarden park and orchard where abandoned houses once dotted a block. For more info on voting and the project go to: http://turleyok.blogspot.com/2012/09/here-is-why-we-at-athird-place.html.

1. Saturday, Sept. 29, 10 am to 5 pm a Community Art Day at our Welcome Table Center, 5920 N. Owasso Ave., for all ages, come and imagine and help create our Artspace, and find its healing touch, with Clara Corn, a graduate art therapy student from Kansas beginning a series of events this year with us....At the same time we will be having a special work day for any at the Welcome Table Community KitchenGardenPark and Orchard; constant harvesting for our food pantry and helping others grow food for their families.

2. Saturday, Sept. 29, 11 am to 3 pm Grand Opening Ceremony and Festivities at the new Tulsa Health Department Wellness Center for our area, 56th and N. Cincinnati. I will be bringing the blessings for the facility. See it at http://turleyok.blogspot.com/2012/09/blessing-of-new-tulsa-health-dept.html

3. Sunday, Sept. 30, come to church on the road as we leave the community center at 8:30 am for Stillwater Unitarian Universalist Church where I will preach and lead worship on new monasticism, Thomas Merton's example, and the Inward/Outward life of the Spirit. This past Sunday I preached on "The Servant Church" at the Turley United Methodist Church. That sermon is linked to here: http://www.progressivechurchplanting.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-servant-church-sermon-for-this.html

4. Tuesday, Oct. 2, free meal at 6:30 pm at the Community Center followed by a 7 pm showing of the film about fighting poverty, "The Line" and then a 8 pm livestreaming discussion from Sojourners in Washington, D.C. Get more on the film and national discussion here: http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/09/06/watch-line-most-important-film-youll-see-year. Come for any or all and bring friends and partners.

5. Wednesday, Oct. 3, 5:30 to 7:30 pm come welcome a class of OU Tulsa Graduate Social Work students who will be doing projects in our far north and Turley service area; talk with them about the issues and conditions facing our neighbors. Free meal.

6. Thursday, Oct. 4 3:30 pm at the Community Center, the Grow Turley Planning Meeting open for all partners and residents: we work on city incorporation of the area to provide self-government and resources here; we will update all on our news about putting together a partner cooperative to purchase and provide programming and services at the abandoned Cherokee School on North Peoria Ave.; we will address the abandoned houses and environmental hazards in our area, and the next steps underway in our Turley Disaster Response Network organizing; as well as hearing updates from our partners and coordinating programs.

7. Thursday, Oct. 11, 5:30 to 8 pm, we are co-sponsoring and will have a booth at the Fourth Annual free Taste of North Tulsa event at our neighborhood McLain High School, 4929 N. Peoria Ave. Great local healthy food from area restaurants and others like our partners, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, with great music, and health screenings and more community partners. Also we need your support for the McLain School Foundation we partner with; both as partners, volunteers for the Taste of North Tulsa event, and for the many projects filling in the gaps, the very large gaps, for projects at McLain: send donations to McLain School Foundation, c/o Principal Kirk at the school, or to me and I will pass them on. Our McLain meetings are the third Friday of each month at 4 pm at the school library.

8. Saturday, Oct. 13, 9 am to 4 pm, we are inviting and strongly encouraging all our partners and local residents and those who want to work in our area with us or to go deeper into the life of our area to join us for a Far North Tulsa Renewal Conference. Come take a tour of our area, find out about the many transformations underway and also the continuing struggles and issues faced here, learn our history, hear keynote presentations from Ann Patton, author of Dan's War on Poverty about the birth of our northside Neighbor for Neighbor organization and the vision and ministry of Father Dan Allen, and from our community business leader and activist Terry McGee, with take home sessions afterwards about how to continue partnering with us and our partners. Free lunch.

9. In October our Sunday missional community worship gatherings will focus on the Shane Claiborne book, Jesus For President. And Oct. 7 our worship will celebrate World Communion Sunday. Each Sunday we have check-in, study, communion worship, and common meal. In November and December, our Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas gatherings will explore the new DVD curriculum and book mentioned above, The Awakening of Hope. For more on it go to: http://jonathanwilsonhartgrove.com/

10. Come to our Food Pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to noon, check in with our legal counselors from Legal Aid Society of Eastern Oklahoma, and with our spiritual counselor, the Rev. Debra Garfinkel. Explore our many items we still must sell left over from the auction. Use the library or computer center or free clothing room. Consider joining a crafts coop and sewing circle. Keep our community art going. Find out how you can volunteer to clean up and transform our area.... Special events will include the Sat. Oct. 13 community breakfast by the Odd Fellows Lodge at 8 am, a good kick off meal before our Renewal Conference. Go to their building at 6227 N. Quincy Ave....And stay tuned or let us know if you want to help plan our biggest event of the year, the Community Old Fashioned Halloween Festival to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 pm.

To support these important events, and the life of our community focused group, as we take each month and put all our resources into mission for others and go broke by intention each month, in radical trust and grace, make donations at www.turleyok.blogspot.com. or send checks to A Third Place Community Foundation, c/o The Welcome Table Center, 5920 N. Owasso Ave., Turley, OK 74126.

To be with us in prayer, daily, go to www.missionalmonastics.blogspot.com or www.progressivechurchplanting.blogspot.com or www.missionalprogressives.blogspot.com Return often as we grow our resources to grow our souls and the soul of our community. Support also the ministry of www.uuchristian.org and www.ptstulsa.edu and you support us.

Follow us daily at facebook through friending me at www.facebook.com/revronrobinson or our page at www.facebook.com/athirdplace

Thanks, blessings, and more soon, Ron

918-691-3223, 918-430-1150