Love Feast: A time of reflection and covenants.

On Saturday, Circle of Hope had its quarterly Love Feast, a time of celebration for new baptisms, people making covenant, and a reflection on what Circle of Hope has done so far in the year.

The baptisms were done earlier in the day at the Wissahickon, and included: Gerald Lumarque, Wenson Georges, Amanda Johnson, Nick Schummer, Sarah Inman. Hannah Eshlemann was later baptized by Jonny Rashid at the Love Feast.

Following the baptism was a potluck across from the Frankford and Norris space where people from all congregations met and talked until the official start of the meeting.

The meeting was an energetic celebration that involved singing songs, several videos taking a glimpse at things happening in our community, and a sampler listen of the music that the Audio Arts team has been putting together for an upcoming album of Circle of Hope worship songs. Following that were the formal introductions of people wanting to make covenant with our community. They included: Sarah Inman, Steve Falkowski, Monda Mwaya, Gerald Lumarque, Wenson Georges, Mo Manklang, Preston Cabe, Naomi Sonne, Hannah Eshleman, Ruthie Carden, and Lexi Singleton. The night ended in more singing and joyful reflection. 

Retreat to the Woods

This past weekend, over sixty men gathered at Kenbrook Bible Camp for rest and bonding that also involved listening to several talks based on Richard Rohr's book, Adam's Return. Along with various provocative speakers from Circle of Hope, were also small group discussions and spiritual listening pairs. The topics ranged from not being in control of our lives to the inevitability of death and how this affects one's life now and how they act. There was also emphasis on Jesus' calling to be on a journey with him, one that teaches and molds men into something that transcends common stereotypes and cultural expectations. The retreat also served as a form of initiation, something that Rohr in his book states is strongly lacking in Western culture, an induction into solidifying one's identity in Jesus and relying on his wisdom throughout one's life.

The Imaginarium | Byte-sized Gospel?

On Monday night, about 30 people came out to the Imaginarium to discuss the role social media plays in individual lives and as a body of people, and how it is that we should use this tremendous and influential medium to reach out to those around us. The group went through a series of questions meant to challenge Circle of Hope's thinking on social media, as well as thinking of ways of using it to be able to resist and restore, and spread buzz about what Circle of Hope and our surrounding communities are doing for the city.


(On a side note: If you have twitter and want to spread word on things being done related to our community make sure to include #circleofhope as a tag in your tweet, as well as including hashtags not related to us but are part of the greater community of Philadelphia [i.e. #Philly, #Philadelphia, #Kensington, etc.]--that way people can see and come join!)

Free Baby & Kids Goods Exchange

This past Saturday was the Free Baby & Kids Goods Exchange at our Broad & Dauphin congregation. Moms, dads, grandparents, and caregivers all came out and swapped clothing, toys, and other necessities for their smaller loved ones. The previous night was a smooth set-up thanks to the help of several Circle of Hope volunteers. Some of the clothing also came from Circle Thrift which provided an extra boost in the number of items people could choose from.

Interested in the Free Baby & Kids Goods Exchange? Go here!

Covenant Meeting

On Monday, some people met at Frankford and Norris to explore God's covenant with us and ours with each other. It was a good time to consider how and why someone might want to be included in the local and global redemption project that we're part of in the metro. We prayed in hope that God keeps bringing us together in love and expanding the good work we can do together.

Creating a Missional Culture

On Saturday, numerous Circle of Hope attenders came together at our Marlton & Crescent congregation to discuss the art of creating a missional culture. Several people got up to speak and helped the group to develop a variety of ideas on the state of present culture and ways in which it spreads and operates. As a primary contributor, Nate Hulfish shared the key components of what creates a culture, from things such as language and narrative to rituals and institutions, and led the attenders in studying these components in smaller, deeper discussions. The training helped to formulate ways of bringing new dynamics to cells, as well as freshening Circle of Hope's perspective of culture and how to be an influential voice within it.