This year the service project attached to the UUCF Revival will take place Friday, March 27, 3 to 4:45 pm, at the site where the UUCF offices are also located, in A Third Place, a Free Community Center, in Turley, OK, 6514 N. Peoria Ave (eight miles north of All Souls on the same street, easy to get to and we will have shared transportation). The Center was begun by The LivingRoom Church, a member of the Council of Christian Churches within the UUA, and an emerging UUA congregation. See these websites for more on the work being done here: www.livingroomchurch.net, www.turleyok.blogspot.com, The service project in Turley is open to all whether they are registered or not for Revival.
The Community Center, just two years old, operates almost solely, so far, on all volunteer effort and volunteer contributions. At the Center, there is: a health clinic run by the University of Oklahoma; a free internet center; free library; free clothing and more donation room; meetingspace with cable TV; food pantry; kitchen; a prayer table; community information boards; a Turley Resource Center sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Graduate Social Work Dept; a chance to order heathy, local food through the Oklahoma Food Coop; a 12 step recovery group; a nutrition class; Let Turley Bloom community gardening group; Saving Pets of Turley animal aid group; and The LivingRoom Church gatherings.
The Center and church, and church members, are located in the zip code area with the lowest life expectancy in the Tulsa area, 14 years lower than in the zipcode where the rest of our Revival will take place; only 7 percent of our neighbors have college education, only 37 percent have high school education; on the north side of Tulsa we have no hospitals, no movie theaters, no pizza delivery within our two miles radius, no entertainment venues, sparse public transportation with in our area no covered bus stations for folks during bad weather, and limited grocery options; we have an exorbitant percentage of vacant buildings with 40 percent of those being abandoned, much more so than the percentage available for rent or for sale. Within the last year in Turley we have lost our three main sit-down restaurants and have left only a very small (though good) burger joint that seats five people, and a morning donut store. Within our service area we have a high racially diverse area with 66 percent African Americans, 21 percent white, and remainder american indian and hispanic primarily. We are a crossroads of urban, rural, small town edges, mostly unincorporated and therefore ineligible for governmental block grants, services, etc. But the folks here resist both statistics and stereotypes and are striving to reshape the story of our community and lives. A Third Place Center, in its short life, has become the hub of the community and is crucial to the hope we nurture in each other.
Two years ago, in March 2007, there was no community center presence at all or almost none of the projects listed above; in the past two years there has been the exponential growth of community spirit, connecting, celebrations, and services provided, as well as coalitions formed with others in our area. The LivingRoom Church, few in number, took a risk in 2007 by moving out of its small rented space dedicated to church gatherings and moving into the much larger rented space just one block away and transforming it into the community center, giving it away to others, and meeting inside it. Our impact in the community immediately soared.
We are pleased to host folks to the Center during Revival and are greatly appreciative of those who take part in the "quick plunge" mission project of helping out at the Center. We will have optional projects for volunteers to do which, though not taking long, will make a big and lasting difference at the Center for its mission of "doing small things with great love to change the world." Weather permitting, these may include some projects outside the Center for those who like gardening, but others inside the Center such as helping to do an "extreme design makeover" of one of our areas, or helping organize and label the library materials, or other projects to choose from. Any donations can be made out also either to A Third Place Community Foundation or to The LivingRoom Church, same address, and will go to the same place.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Revival in Tulsa March 26-29
The UUCF has some scholarships available for seminarians or young adults to Revival in Tulsa. Contact me. Here is the abbreviated updated Revival schedule you can pass on to them, and to others in your churches who might be interested. Early registration discount is still available too. registrations will be taken at the door as well. See more at www.uuchristian.org. Follow the revival link on the home page. Don't miss this special event. Let me know if you have any questions.
What will happen during Revival held this year at All Souls Church, 2952 S. Peoria Ave.:
Thursday, March 26 1 pm registration begins.
Centering Prayer workshop from 2 to 5 pm.
Jesus in Film and livingthequestions.com DVDs at 4 pm.
Opening worship with Rev. Gerald Davis of North Tulsa's Church of the Restoration--UU, 7 pm.
Friday, March 27, 9 am Taize service with Rev. Felicia Urbanski, Canada, and Rick Fortner, All Souls Tulsa;
10:30 am Spirit of Life small groups, sharing personal stories, coordinated by Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger, New Orleans;
luncheon;
1 pm workshops: Piety in Daily Life, Rev. Tom Schade, minister, First Unitarian Church, Worcester, MA;
Walking the Labyrnth, Rev. Kelly Murphy-Mason, New York City;
Saving Jesus: From the Christian Right and the Secular Left: The teachings of Jesus episode from DVD curriculum by LivingTheQuestions.com, Rev. Melinda Foster, United Church of Christ, Owasso, OK;
Meditation and Stretching, Rev. Janet Parachin, Disciples of Christ minister, author of "Engaged Spirituality," co-founder Yoga Spirit Academy in Tulsa.;
3 pm service project at A Third Place Community Center in Turley;
5:30 pm dinner and hymn sing;
7 pm prayer and healing service, Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, First Unitarian Oklahoma City.
Saturday, March 28 (single day only registration available). 8:30 am small groups, prayer life; 10 am Keynote Worship Bishop Carlton Pearson, gospel of inclusion, new dimensions worship ensemble (this worship will be open to the public with a special love offering taken for the UUCF);
noon luncheon;
1:30 panel on emergent church with Rev. Susan Smith, southwest district executive; Rev. Thom Belote, Overland Park, KS, Rev. Ron Robinson;
3:30 pm workshops: Gnostic Christianity, UUCF Board member Peg Bartel, Alexandria Virginia;
Praying with Beads, from many traditions, Rev. Kelly Murphy-Mason, New York City;
Discernment and Vocations, Linda Ford, Phillips Theological Seminary, Tulsa;
The Book of Revelation, new perspectives,
Rev. Nancy Claire Pittman, assistant professor, Phillips Theological Seminary;
UU Christianity 101;
5 pm Communion Service, Rev. Lillie Mae Henley, Washington, D.C.;
6 pm small groups, affirmations and closings;
7 pm baptism service, Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, Cleveland, OH;
8pm dinners out together.
Sunday, March 29, 9 am closing circle worship, Rev. Suzanne Meyer, Cheyenne, WY; 10 am and 11:30 am All Souls worship, Rev. Tamara Lebak, All Souls Tulsa.
Type rest of the post here
What will happen during Revival held this year at All Souls Church, 2952 S. Peoria Ave.:
Thursday, March 26 1 pm registration begins.
Centering Prayer workshop from 2 to 5 pm.
Jesus in Film and livingthequestions.com DVDs at 4 pm.
Opening worship with Rev. Gerald Davis of North Tulsa's Church of the Restoration--UU, 7 pm.
Friday, March 27, 9 am Taize service with Rev. Felicia Urbanski, Canada, and Rick Fortner, All Souls Tulsa;
10:30 am Spirit of Life small groups, sharing personal stories, coordinated by Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger, New Orleans;
luncheon;
1 pm workshops: Piety in Daily Life, Rev. Tom Schade, minister, First Unitarian Church, Worcester, MA;
Walking the Labyrnth, Rev. Kelly Murphy-Mason, New York City;
Saving Jesus: From the Christian Right and the Secular Left: The teachings of Jesus episode from DVD curriculum by LivingTheQuestions.com, Rev. Melinda Foster, United Church of Christ, Owasso, OK;
Meditation and Stretching, Rev. Janet Parachin, Disciples of Christ minister, author of "Engaged Spirituality," co-founder Yoga Spirit Academy in Tulsa.;
3 pm service project at A Third Place Community Center in Turley;
5:30 pm dinner and hymn sing;
7 pm prayer and healing service, Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, First Unitarian Oklahoma City.
Saturday, March 28 (single day only registration available). 8:30 am small groups, prayer life; 10 am Keynote Worship Bishop Carlton Pearson, gospel of inclusion, new dimensions worship ensemble (this worship will be open to the public with a special love offering taken for the UUCF);
noon luncheon;
1:30 panel on emergent church with Rev. Susan Smith, southwest district executive; Rev. Thom Belote, Overland Park, KS, Rev. Ron Robinson;
3:30 pm workshops: Gnostic Christianity, UUCF Board member Peg Bartel, Alexandria Virginia;
Praying with Beads, from many traditions, Rev. Kelly Murphy-Mason, New York City;
Discernment and Vocations, Linda Ford, Phillips Theological Seminary, Tulsa;
The Book of Revelation, new perspectives,
Rev. Nancy Claire Pittman, assistant professor, Phillips Theological Seminary;
UU Christianity 101;
5 pm Communion Service, Rev. Lillie Mae Henley, Washington, D.C.;
6 pm small groups, affirmations and closings;
7 pm baptism service, Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, Cleveland, OH;
8pm dinners out together.
Sunday, March 29, 9 am closing circle worship, Rev. Suzanne Meyer, Cheyenne, WY; 10 am and 11:30 am All Souls worship, Rev. Tamara Lebak, All Souls Tulsa.
Type rest of the post here
Ash Wednesday & More
Ash Wednesday message:
I recommend for your spiritual resources this season going to www.thechristianyear.blogspot.com for special Ash Wednesday and Lenten readings, and you can leave comments, reflections, and other Lenten resources for all there; also check out the daily and weekly readings and reflections for this season at www.textweek.com, and also through the Virtual Monastery site and selections and archives at www.uuchristian.org. You can also order for $15 a special packet of Lenten and Easter reflections from the UUCF by sending me an email request.
Today's lectionary selection for Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent draws from the book of Matthew's chapter 6, where Jesus calls his disciples to pay attention to how they meet God in private, and how God meets us in private, not just in how we put on a front and act in public. It is a call, though, not to have a wholly private religion or spirituality, because also in that selection Jesus tells us to pray what has become known as the Lord's Prayer which is a strong social gospel prayer where Jesus prays for God's will to come to earth, and for the ending of debts and for bread enough for all for each day and the ending of hunger. But Jesus is talking about meeting God in one's conscience, in the places where only the person and God know what is really real, in the struggles and cries and even celebrations not shared with anyone else--knowing the comfort that comes from knowing that in those times and moments God is there to receive our prayers, and thus to receive us. In mystery, for sure; but surely in love.
So this season, we don't have to make a show of what we give up for Lent or take on for Lent, but we should pay attention to our inner life, to how we are with family and friends, with recommitting to live a life of integrity, of what we can and should relinquish and/or take up, knowing we will fall short, but that the path of integrity stays open before us, even though it is a path that leads to the cross because a life of integrity and compassion in Jesus' way always leads to the crosses put up by Empire and the forces of culture that seem to so control our communities and our lives, a path that leads also to resurrection and celebration and communion and forgiveness and wholeness again....click on read more for more.
We will be joining Turley United Methodist Church, 6050 N. Johnstown Ave., at 6 pm tonight for Ash Wednesday service. All are invited to meet with us there for a brief service to begin the season of discipleship, reflection, service, and renewal of God's spirit in us and among us.
This Sunday, March 1, at 10 am as we meet at A Third Place Community Center, 6514 N. Peoria Ave., we will begin a Lenten series using the just released DVD program featuring contemporary biblical and religious scholars John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, called First Light: Jesus and the Kingdom of God. They go on site in Israel, from Galillee to Jerusalem, talking about and showing places crucial to Jesus' ministry. We will be showing, between now and Easter, the last six episodes of the program where they focus on Jesus taking his radical message and his radical way of living hospitality to Jerusalem, creating livingroom for all where forces of death and despair were all around, leading up to Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. This first program we will be watching and discussing during our holy conversation time is called "Jesus Is Lord."
On Sundays during Lent this will be our schedule: March 8, the First Light program is called "Substitutionary Atonement?"; on Sunday March 15 it is "Demonstrations in Jerusalem"; on Sunday March 22 it is "The Crowds and the Crucifixion"; on Sunday, March 29 as part of Revival (www.uuchristian.org/revival) we will be worshipping with All Souls Church, 2952 S. Peoria; on Sunday, April 5, America as the New Rome, and Easter Sunday, April 12, "Resurrection as Resistance". Holy Conversation time comes during our Morning Prayer and Song time that begins at 10 am. Followed by our time of cooking and eating lunch together. We will have more Holy Week events to announce as we draw near them.
Next week we will be gathering on Tuesday March 3 at 7 pm to keep planning and planting new community gardens in our area, and on Thursday, March 5 we will be at Cherokee School to help co-sponsor the Weathercall program with the school and with Channel 8 to sign people up for phone calls during severe weather for just 50 cents a month. Then Friday, March 6 at 5:30 pm we will have our monthly community coalitions meeting for North Tulsa at the Tulsa Community College, sponsored by State Rep. Seneca Scott.
Coming up. you are invited also on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 pm for a special program and conversation called Celebrating Diversity in the Turley Area as we talk about race and class and more in our area, sharing personal stories and struggles, and our hopes and dreams. This will be facilitated by our member Dr. Lisa Byers, who is also a graduate faculty at the OU Social Work Dept.
Then Friday, March 13, from 6 pm we will have a benefit spaghetti and chili dinner for A Third Place Free Community Center. This is a great way to come support our life-changing work here on North Peoria.
Also I encourage all to attend the Faith Matters series on Mondays at Phillips Theological Seminary. Go to www.ptstulsa.edu for more info.
I recommend for your spiritual resources this season going to www.thechristianyear.blogspot.com for special Ash Wednesday and Lenten readings, and you can leave comments, reflections, and other Lenten resources for all there; also check out the daily and weekly readings and reflections for this season at www.textweek.com, and also through the Virtual Monastery site and selections and archives at www.uuchristian.org. You can also order for $15 a special packet of Lenten and Easter reflections from the UUCF by sending me an email request.
Today's lectionary selection for Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent draws from the book of Matthew's chapter 6, where Jesus calls his disciples to pay attention to how they meet God in private, and how God meets us in private, not just in how we put on a front and act in public. It is a call, though, not to have a wholly private religion or spirituality, because also in that selection Jesus tells us to pray what has become known as the Lord's Prayer which is a strong social gospel prayer where Jesus prays for God's will to come to earth, and for the ending of debts and for bread enough for all for each day and the ending of hunger. But Jesus is talking about meeting God in one's conscience, in the places where only the person and God know what is really real, in the struggles and cries and even celebrations not shared with anyone else--knowing the comfort that comes from knowing that in those times and moments God is there to receive our prayers, and thus to receive us. In mystery, for sure; but surely in love.
So this season, we don't have to make a show of what we give up for Lent or take on for Lent, but we should pay attention to our inner life, to how we are with family and friends, with recommitting to live a life of integrity, of what we can and should relinquish and/or take up, knowing we will fall short, but that the path of integrity stays open before us, even though it is a path that leads to the cross because a life of integrity and compassion in Jesus' way always leads to the crosses put up by Empire and the forces of culture that seem to so control our communities and our lives, a path that leads also to resurrection and celebration and communion and forgiveness and wholeness again....click on read more for more.
We will be joining Turley United Methodist Church, 6050 N. Johnstown Ave., at 6 pm tonight for Ash Wednesday service. All are invited to meet with us there for a brief service to begin the season of discipleship, reflection, service, and renewal of God's spirit in us and among us.
This Sunday, March 1, at 10 am as we meet at A Third Place Community Center, 6514 N. Peoria Ave., we will begin a Lenten series using the just released DVD program featuring contemporary biblical and religious scholars John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, called First Light: Jesus and the Kingdom of God. They go on site in Israel, from Galillee to Jerusalem, talking about and showing places crucial to Jesus' ministry. We will be showing, between now and Easter, the last six episodes of the program where they focus on Jesus taking his radical message and his radical way of living hospitality to Jerusalem, creating livingroom for all where forces of death and despair were all around, leading up to Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. This first program we will be watching and discussing during our holy conversation time is called "Jesus Is Lord."
On Sundays during Lent this will be our schedule: March 8, the First Light program is called "Substitutionary Atonement?"; on Sunday March 15 it is "Demonstrations in Jerusalem"; on Sunday March 22 it is "The Crowds and the Crucifixion"; on Sunday, March 29 as part of Revival (www.uuchristian.org/revival) we will be worshipping with All Souls Church, 2952 S. Peoria; on Sunday, April 5, America as the New Rome, and Easter Sunday, April 12, "Resurrection as Resistance". Holy Conversation time comes during our Morning Prayer and Song time that begins at 10 am. Followed by our time of cooking and eating lunch together. We will have more Holy Week events to announce as we draw near them.
Next week we will be gathering on Tuesday March 3 at 7 pm to keep planning and planting new community gardens in our area, and on Thursday, March 5 we will be at Cherokee School to help co-sponsor the Weathercall program with the school and with Channel 8 to sign people up for phone calls during severe weather for just 50 cents a month. Then Friday, March 6 at 5:30 pm we will have our monthly community coalitions meeting for North Tulsa at the Tulsa Community College, sponsored by State Rep. Seneca Scott.
Coming up. you are invited also on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 pm for a special program and conversation called Celebrating Diversity in the Turley Area as we talk about race and class and more in our area, sharing personal stories and struggles, and our hopes and dreams. This will be facilitated by our member Dr. Lisa Byers, who is also a graduate faculty at the OU Social Work Dept.
Then Friday, March 13, from 6 pm we will have a benefit spaghetti and chili dinner for A Third Place Free Community Center. This is a great way to come support our life-changing work here on North Peoria.
Also I encourage all to attend the Faith Matters series on Mondays at Phillips Theological Seminary. Go to www.ptstulsa.edu for more info.
Go and Do Church vs. Come and Join Church
Because we have created the A Third Place center, even when members of our LivingRoom church aren't there, because we were there good things happen---two elderly women have been bringing us things to share because we don't sell them but we give them to those in need no questions asked...Family Dollar employee has been bringing us seasonal decorations to give away that they had been told to throw away; so we have "new" Christmas stuff now, and a month or so after each holiday we will get more of these to pass on...I love the symbolism of how we are out of seasonal step with the commercial marketplace culture; Jesus is always in season, I say....We help people get bus fare to get to shelters, even as we mourn with them that we can't yet offer it here...We help people find jobs through our free internet center...and more, these are only a few of the latest stories.
Church is different here, not only in being non-creedal, but in the sense that it is definitely more than a place, more than a designated people who sign a book and especially not a big group (we are small even for a small group lol), more than a set of bylaws or even a name, and more than a one-hour a week experience. We are not a "come and do like us, be like us" church; but we strive to be a "go and do" church; go and do likewise, the man said, and you will experience God if you are open to how God can be found in others and with others. Amen.
I am often asked when my church meets. Click on read more to see the answer...
When two or more of us get together to act as Jesus would, I say. So we are meeting...Tonight at 5:30 at Tulsa comm college to help others in north Tulsa.
Tomorrow Sat at 9 am at turley lodge for community breakfast, building relationships, helping raise funds for a community project or family in need. 6227 N. Quincy.
Tomorrow Sat. at 10 am at A Third Place Center for Acts of Kindness Day, weather permitting working on the reclaiming of the intersection at 66th and N. Lewis by O'Brien Park, and other random acts.
Sunday, Feb. 15, 10 am worship and morning prayer followed by cooking a meal together; this Sunday bring soups and more to cook, and eating in community. Invited to join me with All Souls Sunday Cinema and discussion Sunday afternoon at 2952 S. Peoria as I moderate the discussion of a newly released movie.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 7 pm free stress-reducing workshop at the Center, faciliated by OU grad student Margaret Zwicker.
Wednesdays 9 am morning prayer, 11 am bible study based on the lectionary, noonday prayer.
Anytime like Wednesday night when folks just hang out with others at the Center, helping others, as we do during the weekday.
Friday, Feb. 20, noon volunteer training; and 6:30 pm appreciation dinner and thank you reception.
Saturday Feb. 21 2 pm meeting of Saving Pets of Turley, and 3 pm meeting of Turley history chat and projects
Sunday, Feb. 22 11 am worship with Church of the Restoration, Pine and Greenwood
Monday, Feb. 23, 6:30 pm A Third Place Community Foundation Board planning and visioning session
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 pm meeting with Turley community Association at O'Brien Park to work with others to improve life in our area, meeting with area officials
Wednesday, Feb. 25, travel with us as we celebrate Ash Wednesday with another church in our area
Tuesday, March 3, 7 pm as our Let Turley Bloom hosts another community gardening meeting working toward our big event organizing local volunteers for community gardens and having our Seed Sharing and Green North Tulsa event on Saturday, April 4 from 10 am to 2 pm at A Third Place. Our partners, the OU Graduate Social Work students will have been canvassing our neighborhoods and helping find interested people in working with us, and sharing information about us.
And then we are proud to announce that on Thursday, March 5 we have spearheaded a collaboration with Cherokee School, our new partner in education, and with Tulsa Channel 8 to bring in meteorologist Frank Mitchell to do broadcasts from the school and with families at 4:30 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm and then he will do a weather safety program with the children at 6:30 pm and then meet with area residents at 7 pm to introduce people to and sign people up for WeatherCall in our area where people can get phone calls about severe alerts instead of having to rely on whether they or their loved ones can hear the sirens; just 50 cents a month, and we will be helping people as needed sign up. This is an idea that began from conversation with the managers of the local Daylight Donuts shop who thought we would be the ones to make it happen, and so we have been.
In April another OU graduate social work class will be working with us to nurture neighborhood leaders and help resource them to help their own areas within our two mile radius, a way to take our spirit outside of our Center and to the streets themselves, help them put on block parties, clean-up times, etc.
Church is different here, not only in being non-creedal, but in the sense that it is definitely more than a place, more than a designated people who sign a book and especially not a big group (we are small even for a small group lol), more than a set of bylaws or even a name, and more than a one-hour a week experience. We are not a "come and do like us, be like us" church; but we strive to be a "go and do" church; go and do likewise, the man said, and you will experience God if you are open to how God can be found in others and with others. Amen.
I am often asked when my church meets. Click on read more to see the answer...
When two or more of us get together to act as Jesus would, I say. So we are meeting...Tonight at 5:30 at Tulsa comm college to help others in north Tulsa.
Tomorrow Sat at 9 am at turley lodge for community breakfast, building relationships, helping raise funds for a community project or family in need. 6227 N. Quincy.
Tomorrow Sat. at 10 am at A Third Place Center for Acts of Kindness Day, weather permitting working on the reclaiming of the intersection at 66th and N. Lewis by O'Brien Park, and other random acts.
Sunday, Feb. 15, 10 am worship and morning prayer followed by cooking a meal together; this Sunday bring soups and more to cook, and eating in community. Invited to join me with All Souls Sunday Cinema and discussion Sunday afternoon at 2952 S. Peoria as I moderate the discussion of a newly released movie.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 7 pm free stress-reducing workshop at the Center, faciliated by OU grad student Margaret Zwicker.
Wednesdays 9 am morning prayer, 11 am bible study based on the lectionary, noonday prayer.
Anytime like Wednesday night when folks just hang out with others at the Center, helping others, as we do during the weekday.
Friday, Feb. 20, noon volunteer training; and 6:30 pm appreciation dinner and thank you reception.
Saturday Feb. 21 2 pm meeting of Saving Pets of Turley, and 3 pm meeting of Turley history chat and projects
Sunday, Feb. 22 11 am worship with Church of the Restoration, Pine and Greenwood
Monday, Feb. 23, 6:30 pm A Third Place Community Foundation Board planning and visioning session
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 pm meeting with Turley community Association at O'Brien Park to work with others to improve life in our area, meeting with area officials
Wednesday, Feb. 25, travel with us as we celebrate Ash Wednesday with another church in our area
Tuesday, March 3, 7 pm as our Let Turley Bloom hosts another community gardening meeting working toward our big event organizing local volunteers for community gardens and having our Seed Sharing and Green North Tulsa event on Saturday, April 4 from 10 am to 2 pm at A Third Place. Our partners, the OU Graduate Social Work students will have been canvassing our neighborhoods and helping find interested people in working with us, and sharing information about us.
And then we are proud to announce that on Thursday, March 5 we have spearheaded a collaboration with Cherokee School, our new partner in education, and with Tulsa Channel 8 to bring in meteorologist Frank Mitchell to do broadcasts from the school and with families at 4:30 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm and then he will do a weather safety program with the children at 6:30 pm and then meet with area residents at 7 pm to introduce people to and sign people up for WeatherCall in our area where people can get phone calls about severe alerts instead of having to rely on whether they or their loved ones can hear the sirens; just 50 cents a month, and we will be helping people as needed sign up. This is an idea that began from conversation with the managers of the local Daylight Donuts shop who thought we would be the ones to make it happen, and so we have been.
In April another OU graduate social work class will be working with us to nurture neighborhood leaders and help resource them to help their own areas within our two mile radius, a way to take our spirit outside of our Center and to the streets themselves, help them put on block parties, clean-up times, etc.
To Be Like Jesus
News and the View from the LivingRoom Church at A Third Place Free Community Center, 6514 N. Peoria Ave. 794-4637 http://www.livingroomchurch.net/ (recently updated) and http://www.turleyok.blogspot.com/ "Doing small things with great love changes the world".
Sunday, Feb. 8, 9 to 10 am visiting and checking in with one another as we arrive and set up and begin our time together; 10 to 11 intergenerational relaxed spirited worship and holy conversation (Question Box Time this Sunday) and children's ministry; 11 to 12 cooking together; noonday prayer and common meal...more on these changes below. But come and invite others to come.
First a quote about why we do what we do and how we do it: From a book that meant a lot to me as I was thinking through all this a few years ago, from Emerging Churches by Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs---"Emerging churches do not believe in evangelistic strategies other than the pursuit to be like Jesus in his interactions with others. They do not target people or have an agenda but rather seek to love all those whom God brings to them. They do not hope for a belief change for their conversation partners as much as a life change. Because of their high level of engagement with other cultures, the sacred/secular split is overcome as they practice the kingdom in their midst, in community."
To which Scot McKnight in his book, A Community Called Atonement, adds that this love, this praxis of healing as the kingdom of God is also called, occurs and comes as the church becomes itself by ever deepening 1. its commitment to fellowship or healing relationship one with another; 2. its commitment to justice or the healing of the world; and 3. its commitment to such a missional presence where others are drawn toward us for their own healing through the story of Jesus that comes through us.
All we do seeks to filter through one of those three gateways or portals. We do it imperfectly and we forget it, and we strive to do it more fully. Click on read more to see how...
There will be two lyrics taped up on the windows of the Center on Sunday, Feb. 8 as we move back to worship and meal gatherings on Sunday mornings at 10 am. Two sets of lyrics that signal what we are about. One set by Kris Kristofferson and one set known as part of the Third Song of Isaiah from the Morning Prayer rite in the Book of Common Prayer. As we find others, we will put them up too. See them below.
This is the Sunday we become "the church that's cooking", cooking with God, living into reality beloved community one meal at a time. Stay tuned as we find our way following the way of Jesus, but here is a rough time frame: visiting and checking in and fellowship informally from 9 up to 10 am when we will gather near the stage to center and re-orient ourselves for worship, the bringing in to our lives of that which we find ultimately worthy and call God. We will sing songs of peace and welcome to all. We will light candles for ourselves and others and the world and we will pray. We will tell a story. We will have our free and open communion. We will sing children off to their time of learning and exploring. We will have a time of "Holy Conversation". This time it will be the annual Question Box Sunday when I field your questions on life and spirit. Then we will have closing prayer and move into our time of shared cooking together the common meal that, like the plate and cup of the eucharist, the thanksgiving, of communion, reminds us of our bonds with one another, with the earth, with those without food and drink, and with God, reminds us to live simply so that others may simply live. We rotate the chef for the week; on MLK Sunday it was Chris and an Italian meal; this time it will be Bonnie and a Mexican style vegetarian enchildas plus other ingredients that people bring to put into enchildas or add a side dish to make. As we go forward we try to use as much local homegrown as possible, or from the Oklahoma Food Coop of which we are a member. We make enough for our meal, for some to take to the homebound, and some to stay in the Center for others. Speaking of the Coop, Thursday Feb. 12 is the deadline for orders this month. Go to http://www.oklahomafood.coop/ and then you can order through us and pick it up the following Thursday.
We will repeat it on Sunday, Feb. 15 (Susan B. Anthony's birthday), but some Sundays we will still meet and then travel to worship with others, reminding ourselves of our connections and identity with others trans-church-wise.
We have begun again the Weekly on Wednesday morning prayer from 9 to 9:30 am this time, and then bible conversation at 11 am followed by noonday prayer.
If the weather stays wonderful this Saturday Feb. 7 and you are so moved, give me a call at 691-3223 and we may take advantage of it by working some more on our transformation of the intersection of 66th and N. Lewis by O'Brien Park; come spread mulch and plant and clean; and we will try to do it again depending on weather on Saturday Feb. 14 at 10 am during our monthly Random Acts of Kindness and Beauty events.
We had a great productive community gardening meeting this week and you will be hearing much more about this in the coming days as social work students from OU will be canvassing our community door to door telling people about our Center and about possibilities of community gardens and soliciting leaders and helpers for them; we had a great time at the local Cherokee School making our partnership with them official, and we will be looking for ways to continue working with and for them; the no smoking class had no shows but we will try again :), and will be taking a different more holistic approach focusing on exercise and diet and stress reduction and oh by the way here is how to stop smoking; we had a great time at the two Martin Luther King walks and parade and services last month and have nice TV clips and coverage and front page newspaper stories too that feature our folks; the health clinic is looking better and growing and we have created a more open and welcoming space for them during our work party last Sunday; we will have a planning party for a Turley Parade on Tuesday Feb. 10 at 7 pm, and we have our Saving Pets of Turley gathering Sat. Feb. 21 at 2 pm and the Turley History Chats that day at 3 pm. We will have a volunteer training and education at noon Friday, Feb. 20 and an appreciation dinner and thank you that evening at 6:30 pm.
Looking ahead: Be a part of the Progressive Christian Revival put on at All Souls Unitarian Church by the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship Thursday March 26 to Sunday, March 29. Just a dynamic rare opportunity in our area for this event, featuring Bishop Carlton Pearson and so much more. Go check it out and register at www.uuchristian.org/revival, tell others about it, and check back often because we have a lot of updates on workshops, etc. that will be going up. We are also looking for home hospitality for those coming in from around the continent, and for van drivers helping folks to and from the church and hotels. Great way to meet new friends. Check http://www.uuchristian.org/ for weekly meditations and whole lots more stuff too....Also looking for folks to join with me in Boston on Sunday, April 19 (well Weston, Mass. actually nearby) for the annual convocation of the Council of Christian Churches within the UU Association of which we are a member.
The two sets of lyrics that jumped out at me lately that seemed to sum up much of what we do: First from Kris Kristofferson, capturing much of the Turley landscape I would say, and why we seek to be a welcoming space for folks not only on Sunday morning, but now on that day too...
"Well I woke up Sunday morning,With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,And found my cleanest dirty shirt. An' I shaved my face and combed my hair, An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day. I'd smoked my brain the night before, On cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'. But I lit my first and watched a small kid, Cussin' at a can that he was kicking. Then I crossed the empty street, 'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken. And it took me back to somethin', That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone. And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down. In the park I saw a daddy, With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'. And I stopped beside a Sunday school, And listened to the song they were singin'. Then I headed back for home, And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.And it echoed through the canyons, Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned. 'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone.And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down."
Then, finally, on retreat last week when it was just me and the Episcopal priest doing morning prayer together in the midst of a big busy camp of folks, when she read from the prayer book these words of Isaiah, I thought of home and Turley, of you all, of the LivingRoom Church at A Third Place:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you the Lord will rise, and his glory will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. Your gates will always be open; by day or night they will never be shut. They will call you, The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Violence will no more be heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls, Salvation, and all your portals, Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day; by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
Amen. Thanks. Blessings. More Soon,
RonType rest of the post here
Sunday, Feb. 8, 9 to 10 am visiting and checking in with one another as we arrive and set up and begin our time together; 10 to 11 intergenerational relaxed spirited worship and holy conversation (Question Box Time this Sunday) and children's ministry; 11 to 12 cooking together; noonday prayer and common meal...more on these changes below. But come and invite others to come.
First a quote about why we do what we do and how we do it: From a book that meant a lot to me as I was thinking through all this a few years ago, from Emerging Churches by Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs---"Emerging churches do not believe in evangelistic strategies other than the pursuit to be like Jesus in his interactions with others. They do not target people or have an agenda but rather seek to love all those whom God brings to them. They do not hope for a belief change for their conversation partners as much as a life change. Because of their high level of engagement with other cultures, the sacred/secular split is overcome as they practice the kingdom in their midst, in community."
To which Scot McKnight in his book, A Community Called Atonement, adds that this love, this praxis of healing as the kingdom of God is also called, occurs and comes as the church becomes itself by ever deepening 1. its commitment to fellowship or healing relationship one with another; 2. its commitment to justice or the healing of the world; and 3. its commitment to such a missional presence where others are drawn toward us for their own healing through the story of Jesus that comes through us.
All we do seeks to filter through one of those three gateways or portals. We do it imperfectly and we forget it, and we strive to do it more fully. Click on read more to see how...
There will be two lyrics taped up on the windows of the Center on Sunday, Feb. 8 as we move back to worship and meal gatherings on Sunday mornings at 10 am. Two sets of lyrics that signal what we are about. One set by Kris Kristofferson and one set known as part of the Third Song of Isaiah from the Morning Prayer rite in the Book of Common Prayer. As we find others, we will put them up too. See them below.
This is the Sunday we become "the church that's cooking", cooking with God, living into reality beloved community one meal at a time. Stay tuned as we find our way following the way of Jesus, but here is a rough time frame: visiting and checking in and fellowship informally from 9 up to 10 am when we will gather near the stage to center and re-orient ourselves for worship, the bringing in to our lives of that which we find ultimately worthy and call God. We will sing songs of peace and welcome to all. We will light candles for ourselves and others and the world and we will pray. We will tell a story. We will have our free and open communion. We will sing children off to their time of learning and exploring. We will have a time of "Holy Conversation". This time it will be the annual Question Box Sunday when I field your questions on life and spirit. Then we will have closing prayer and move into our time of shared cooking together the common meal that, like the plate and cup of the eucharist, the thanksgiving, of communion, reminds us of our bonds with one another, with the earth, with those without food and drink, and with God, reminds us to live simply so that others may simply live. We rotate the chef for the week; on MLK Sunday it was Chris and an Italian meal; this time it will be Bonnie and a Mexican style vegetarian enchildas plus other ingredients that people bring to put into enchildas or add a side dish to make. As we go forward we try to use as much local homegrown as possible, or from the Oklahoma Food Coop of which we are a member. We make enough for our meal, for some to take to the homebound, and some to stay in the Center for others. Speaking of the Coop, Thursday Feb. 12 is the deadline for orders this month. Go to http://www.oklahomafood.coop/ and then you can order through us and pick it up the following Thursday.
We will repeat it on Sunday, Feb. 15 (Susan B. Anthony's birthday), but some Sundays we will still meet and then travel to worship with others, reminding ourselves of our connections and identity with others trans-church-wise.
We have begun again the Weekly on Wednesday morning prayer from 9 to 9:30 am this time, and then bible conversation at 11 am followed by noonday prayer.
If the weather stays wonderful this Saturday Feb. 7 and you are so moved, give me a call at 691-3223 and we may take advantage of it by working some more on our transformation of the intersection of 66th and N. Lewis by O'Brien Park; come spread mulch and plant and clean; and we will try to do it again depending on weather on Saturday Feb. 14 at 10 am during our monthly Random Acts of Kindness and Beauty events.
We had a great productive community gardening meeting this week and you will be hearing much more about this in the coming days as social work students from OU will be canvassing our community door to door telling people about our Center and about possibilities of community gardens and soliciting leaders and helpers for them; we had a great time at the local Cherokee School making our partnership with them official, and we will be looking for ways to continue working with and for them; the no smoking class had no shows but we will try again :), and will be taking a different more holistic approach focusing on exercise and diet and stress reduction and oh by the way here is how to stop smoking; we had a great time at the two Martin Luther King walks and parade and services last month and have nice TV clips and coverage and front page newspaper stories too that feature our folks; the health clinic is looking better and growing and we have created a more open and welcoming space for them during our work party last Sunday; we will have a planning party for a Turley Parade on Tuesday Feb. 10 at 7 pm, and we have our Saving Pets of Turley gathering Sat. Feb. 21 at 2 pm and the Turley History Chats that day at 3 pm. We will have a volunteer training and education at noon Friday, Feb. 20 and an appreciation dinner and thank you that evening at 6:30 pm.
Looking ahead: Be a part of the Progressive Christian Revival put on at All Souls Unitarian Church by the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship Thursday March 26 to Sunday, March 29. Just a dynamic rare opportunity in our area for this event, featuring Bishop Carlton Pearson and so much more. Go check it out and register at www.uuchristian.org/revival, tell others about it, and check back often because we have a lot of updates on workshops, etc. that will be going up. We are also looking for home hospitality for those coming in from around the continent, and for van drivers helping folks to and from the church and hotels. Great way to meet new friends. Check http://www.uuchristian.org/ for weekly meditations and whole lots more stuff too....Also looking for folks to join with me in Boston on Sunday, April 19 (well Weston, Mass. actually nearby) for the annual convocation of the Council of Christian Churches within the UU Association of which we are a member.
The two sets of lyrics that jumped out at me lately that seemed to sum up much of what we do: First from Kris Kristofferson, capturing much of the Turley landscape I would say, and why we seek to be a welcoming space for folks not only on Sunday morning, but now on that day too...
"Well I woke up Sunday morning,With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,And found my cleanest dirty shirt. An' I shaved my face and combed my hair, An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day. I'd smoked my brain the night before, On cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'. But I lit my first and watched a small kid, Cussin' at a can that he was kicking. Then I crossed the empty street, 'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken. And it took me back to somethin', That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone. And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down. In the park I saw a daddy, With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'. And I stopped beside a Sunday school, And listened to the song they were singin'. Then I headed back for home, And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.And it echoed through the canyons, Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned. 'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone.And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down."
Then, finally, on retreat last week when it was just me and the Episcopal priest doing morning prayer together in the midst of a big busy camp of folks, when she read from the prayer book these words of Isaiah, I thought of home and Turley, of you all, of the LivingRoom Church at A Third Place:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you the Lord will rise, and his glory will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. Your gates will always be open; by day or night they will never be shut. They will call you, The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Violence will no more be heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls, Salvation, and all your portals, Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day; by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
Amen. Thanks. Blessings. More Soon,
RonType rest of the post here
Thursday, February 05, 2009
More From The Plant: Cooking Together, Return to Sunday morning, A Community Called Atonement
Here is the latest news and commentary on our group. Click below to read more about the News and the View from the LivingRoom Church at A Third Place Free Community Center, 6514 N. Peoria Ave. Turley OK. 794-4637 http://www.livingroomchurch.net/ (recently updated) and http://www.turleyok.blogspot.com/ "Doing small things with great love changes the world". Feel free to forward on to others who might be interested...
Sunday, Feb. 8, 9 to 10 am visiting and checking in with one another as we arrive and set up and begin our time together; 10 to 11 intergenerational relaxed spirited worship and holy conversation (Question Box Time this Sunday) and children's ministry; 11 to 12 cooking together; noonday prayer and common meal...more on these changes below. But come and invite others to come.
First a quote about why we do what we do and how we do it: From a book that meant a lot to me as I was thinking through all this a few years ago, from Emerging Churches by Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs---"Emerging churches do not believe in evangelistic strategies other than the pursuit to be like Jesus in his interactions with others. They do not target people or have an agenda but rather seek to love all those whom God brings to them. They do not hope for a belief change for their conversation partners as much as a life change. Because of their high level of engagement with other cultures, the sacred/secular split is overcome as they practice the kingdom in their midst, in community."
To which Scot McKnight in his book, A Community Called Atonement, adds that this love, this praxis of healing as the kingdom of God is also called, occurs and comes as the church becomes itself by ever deepening 1. its commitment to fellowship or healing relationship one with another; 2. its commitment to justice or the healing of the world; and 3. its commitment to such a missional presence where others are drawn toward us for their own healing through the story of Jesus that comes through us.
All we do seeks to filter through one of those three gateways or portals. We do it imperfectly and we forget it, and we strive to do it more fully.
There will be two lyrics taped up on the windows of the Center on Sunday, Feb. 8 as we move back to worship and meal gatherings on Sunday mornings at 10 am. Two sets of lyrics that signal what we are about. One set by Kris Kristofferson and one set known as part of the Third Song of Isaiah from the Morning Prayer rite in the Book of Common Prayer. As we find others, we will put them up too. See them below.
This is the Sunday we become "the church that's cooking", cooking with God, living into reality beloved community one meal at a time. Stay tuned as we find our way following the way of Jesus, but here is a rough time frame: visiting and checking in and fellowship informally from 9 up to 10 am when we will gather near the stage to center and re-orient ourselves for worship, the bringing in to our lives of that which we find ultimately worthy and call God. We will sing songs of peace and welcome to all. We will light candles for ourselves and others and the world and we will pray. We will tell a story. We will have our free and open communion. We will sing children off to their time of learning and exploring. We will have a time of "Holy Conversation". This time it will be the annual Question Box Sunday when I field your questions on life and spirit. Then we will have closing prayer and move into our time of shared cooking together the common meal that, like the plate and cup of the eucharist, the thanksgiving, of communion, reminds us of our bonds with one another, with the earth, with those without food and drink, and with God, reminds us to live simply so that others may simply live. We rotate the chef for the week; on MLK Sunday it was Chris and an Italian meal; this time it will be Bonnie and a Mexican style vegetarian enchildas plus other ingredients that people bring to put into enchildas or add a side dish to make. As we go forward we try to use as much local homegrown as possible, or from the Oklahoma Food Coop of which we are a member. We make enough for our meal, for some to take to the homebound, and some to stay in the Center for others. Speaking of the Coop, Thursday Feb. 12 is the deadline for orders this month. Go to http://www.oklahomafood.coop/ and then you can order through us and pick it up the following Thursday.
We will repeat it on Sunday, Feb. 15 (Susan B. Anthony's birthday), but some Sundays we will still meet and then travel to worship with others, reminding ourselves of our connections and identity with others trans-church-wise.
We have begun again the Weekly on Wednesday morning prayer from 9 to 9:30 am this time, and then bible conversation at 11 am followed by noonday prayer.
If the weather stays wonderful this Saturday Feb. 7 and you are so moved, give me a call at 691-3223 and we may take advantage of it by working some more on our transformation of the intersection of 66th and N. Lewis by O'Brien Park; come spread mulch and plant and clean; and we will try to do it again depending on weather on Saturday Feb. 14 at 10 am during our monthly Random Acts of Kindness and Beauty events.
We had a great productive community gardening meeting this week and you will be hearing much more about this in the coming days as social work students from OU will be canvassing our community door to door telling people about our Center and about possibilities of community gardens and soliciting leaders and helpers for them; we had a great time at the local Cherokee School making our partnership with them official, and we will be looking for ways to continue working with and for them; the no smoking class had no shows but we will try again :), and will be taking a different more holistic approach focusing on exercise and diet and stress reduction and oh by the way here is how to stop smoking; we had a great time at the two Martin Luther King walks and parade and services last month and have nice TV clips and coverage and front page newspaper stories too that feature our folks; the health clinic is looking better and growing and we have created a more open and welcoming space for them during our work party last Sunday; we will have a planning party for a Turley Parade on Tuesday Feb. 10 at 7 pm, and we have our Saving Pets of Turley gathering Sat. Feb. 21 at 2 pm and the Turley History Chats that day at 3 pm. We will have a volunteer training and education at noon Friday, Feb. 20 and an appreciation dinner and thank you that evening at 6:30 pm.
Looking ahead: Be a part of the Progressive Christian Revival put on at All Souls Unitarian Church by the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship Thursday March 26 to Sunday, March 29. Just a dynamic rare opportunity in our area for this event, featuring Bishop Carlton Pearson and so much more. Go check it out and register at www.uuchristian.org/revival, tell others about it, and check back often because we have a lot of updates on workshops, etc. that will be going up. We are also looking for home hospitality for those coming in from around the continent, and for van drivers helping folks to and from the church and hotels. Great way to meet new friends. Check http://www.uuchristian.org/ for weekly meditations and whole lots more stuff too....Also looking for folks to join with me in Boston on Sunday, April 19 (well Weston, Mass. actually nearby) for the annual convocation of the Council of Christian Churches within the UU Association of which we are a member.
The two sets of lyrics that jumped out at me lately that seemed to sum up much of what we do: First from Kris Kristofferson, capturing much of the Turley landscape I would say, and why we seek to be a welcoming space for folks not only on Sunday morning, but now on that day too...
"Well I woke up Sunday morning,With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,And found my cleanest dirty shirt. An' I shaved my face and combed my hair, An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day. I'd smoked my brain the night before, On cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'. But I lit my first and watched a small kid, Cussin' at a can that he was kicking. Then I crossed the empty street, 'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken. And it took me back to somethin', That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone. And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down. In the park I saw a daddy, With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'. And I stopped beside a Sunday school, And listened to the song they were singin'. Then I headed back for home, And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.And it echoed through the canyons, Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned. 'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone.And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down."
Then, finally, on retreat last week when it was just me and the Episcopal priest doing morning prayer together in the midst of a big busy camp of folks, when she read from the prayer book these words of Isaiah, I thought of home and Turley, of you all, of the LivingRoom Church at A Third Place:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you the Lord will rise, and his glory will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. Your gates will always be open; by day or night they will never be shut. They will call you, The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Violence will no more be heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls, Salvation, and all your portals, Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day; by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
Amen. Thanks. Blessings. More Soon,
Ron
Sunday, Feb. 8, 9 to 10 am visiting and checking in with one another as we arrive and set up and begin our time together; 10 to 11 intergenerational relaxed spirited worship and holy conversation (Question Box Time this Sunday) and children's ministry; 11 to 12 cooking together; noonday prayer and common meal...more on these changes below. But come and invite others to come.
First a quote about why we do what we do and how we do it: From a book that meant a lot to me as I was thinking through all this a few years ago, from Emerging Churches by Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs---"Emerging churches do not believe in evangelistic strategies other than the pursuit to be like Jesus in his interactions with others. They do not target people or have an agenda but rather seek to love all those whom God brings to them. They do not hope for a belief change for their conversation partners as much as a life change. Because of their high level of engagement with other cultures, the sacred/secular split is overcome as they practice the kingdom in their midst, in community."
To which Scot McKnight in his book, A Community Called Atonement, adds that this love, this praxis of healing as the kingdom of God is also called, occurs and comes as the church becomes itself by ever deepening 1. its commitment to fellowship or healing relationship one with another; 2. its commitment to justice or the healing of the world; and 3. its commitment to such a missional presence where others are drawn toward us for their own healing through the story of Jesus that comes through us.
All we do seeks to filter through one of those three gateways or portals. We do it imperfectly and we forget it, and we strive to do it more fully.
There will be two lyrics taped up on the windows of the Center on Sunday, Feb. 8 as we move back to worship and meal gatherings on Sunday mornings at 10 am. Two sets of lyrics that signal what we are about. One set by Kris Kristofferson and one set known as part of the Third Song of Isaiah from the Morning Prayer rite in the Book of Common Prayer. As we find others, we will put them up too. See them below.
This is the Sunday we become "the church that's cooking", cooking with God, living into reality beloved community one meal at a time. Stay tuned as we find our way following the way of Jesus, but here is a rough time frame: visiting and checking in and fellowship informally from 9 up to 10 am when we will gather near the stage to center and re-orient ourselves for worship, the bringing in to our lives of that which we find ultimately worthy and call God. We will sing songs of peace and welcome to all. We will light candles for ourselves and others and the world and we will pray. We will tell a story. We will have our free and open communion. We will sing children off to their time of learning and exploring. We will have a time of "Holy Conversation". This time it will be the annual Question Box Sunday when I field your questions on life and spirit. Then we will have closing prayer and move into our time of shared cooking together the common meal that, like the plate and cup of the eucharist, the thanksgiving, of communion, reminds us of our bonds with one another, with the earth, with those without food and drink, and with God, reminds us to live simply so that others may simply live. We rotate the chef for the week; on MLK Sunday it was Chris and an Italian meal; this time it will be Bonnie and a Mexican style vegetarian enchildas plus other ingredients that people bring to put into enchildas or add a side dish to make. As we go forward we try to use as much local homegrown as possible, or from the Oklahoma Food Coop of which we are a member. We make enough for our meal, for some to take to the homebound, and some to stay in the Center for others. Speaking of the Coop, Thursday Feb. 12 is the deadline for orders this month. Go to http://www.oklahomafood.coop/ and then you can order through us and pick it up the following Thursday.
We will repeat it on Sunday, Feb. 15 (Susan B. Anthony's birthday), but some Sundays we will still meet and then travel to worship with others, reminding ourselves of our connections and identity with others trans-church-wise.
We have begun again the Weekly on Wednesday morning prayer from 9 to 9:30 am this time, and then bible conversation at 11 am followed by noonday prayer.
If the weather stays wonderful this Saturday Feb. 7 and you are so moved, give me a call at 691-3223 and we may take advantage of it by working some more on our transformation of the intersection of 66th and N. Lewis by O'Brien Park; come spread mulch and plant and clean; and we will try to do it again depending on weather on Saturday Feb. 14 at 10 am during our monthly Random Acts of Kindness and Beauty events.
We had a great productive community gardening meeting this week and you will be hearing much more about this in the coming days as social work students from OU will be canvassing our community door to door telling people about our Center and about possibilities of community gardens and soliciting leaders and helpers for them; we had a great time at the local Cherokee School making our partnership with them official, and we will be looking for ways to continue working with and for them; the no smoking class had no shows but we will try again :), and will be taking a different more holistic approach focusing on exercise and diet and stress reduction and oh by the way here is how to stop smoking; we had a great time at the two Martin Luther King walks and parade and services last month and have nice TV clips and coverage and front page newspaper stories too that feature our folks; the health clinic is looking better and growing and we have created a more open and welcoming space for them during our work party last Sunday; we will have a planning party for a Turley Parade on Tuesday Feb. 10 at 7 pm, and we have our Saving Pets of Turley gathering Sat. Feb. 21 at 2 pm and the Turley History Chats that day at 3 pm. We will have a volunteer training and education at noon Friday, Feb. 20 and an appreciation dinner and thank you that evening at 6:30 pm.
Looking ahead: Be a part of the Progressive Christian Revival put on at All Souls Unitarian Church by the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship Thursday March 26 to Sunday, March 29. Just a dynamic rare opportunity in our area for this event, featuring Bishop Carlton Pearson and so much more. Go check it out and register at www.uuchristian.org/revival, tell others about it, and check back often because we have a lot of updates on workshops, etc. that will be going up. We are also looking for home hospitality for those coming in from around the continent, and for van drivers helping folks to and from the church and hotels. Great way to meet new friends. Check http://www.uuchristian.org/ for weekly meditations and whole lots more stuff too....Also looking for folks to join with me in Boston on Sunday, April 19 (well Weston, Mass. actually nearby) for the annual convocation of the Council of Christian Churches within the UU Association of which we are a member.
The two sets of lyrics that jumped out at me lately that seemed to sum up much of what we do: First from Kris Kristofferson, capturing much of the Turley landscape I would say, and why we seek to be a welcoming space for folks not only on Sunday morning, but now on that day too...
"Well I woke up Sunday morning,With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,And found my cleanest dirty shirt. An' I shaved my face and combed my hair, An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day. I'd smoked my brain the night before, On cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'. But I lit my first and watched a small kid, Cussin' at a can that he was kicking. Then I crossed the empty street, 'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken. And it took me back to somethin', That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone. And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down. In the park I saw a daddy, With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'. And I stopped beside a Sunday school, And listened to the song they were singin'. Then I headed back for home, And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.And it echoed through the canyons, Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday. On the Sunday morning sidewalk, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned. 'Cos there's something in a Sunday, Makes a body feel alone.And there's nothin' short of dyin', Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin' city sidewalks: Sunday mornin' comin' down."
Then, finally, on retreat last week when it was just me and the Episcopal priest doing morning prayer together in the midst of a big busy camp of folks, when she read from the prayer book these words of Isaiah, I thought of home and Turley, of you all, of the LivingRoom Church at A Third Place:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you the Lord will rise, and his glory will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. Your gates will always be open; by day or night they will never be shut. They will call you, The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Violence will no more be heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls, Salvation, and all your portals, Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day; by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
Amen. Thanks. Blessings. More Soon,
Ron
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