Circle of Peacemakers Festival

If we are anything as a network at Circle of Hope, we are doers of what Jesus commands of us. How do we do these commandments, though? And, how we can be proactive peacemakers at the micro and macro levels? We've been asking questions like these as the newly formed Circle of Peacemakers team, a group that came out of the now-defunct Shalom House. We tried to answer some of these questions at our first annual Circle of Peacemakers Festival that happened on Friday, September 19th.

In preparation for the festival, Circle of Peacemakers asked questions of those who were connected to us via social media. Then, while we ate soup and desserts, we split into groups to discuss the church’s response to issues of peacemaking. One of those questions was, “A well-known journalist, James Foley, was beheaded by ISIS in Iraq. What do you think is the right response from the government? From the church?” One respondent succinctly and poignantly responded that the government should apologize for proliferating the war that Foley was covering and that the Church ought to pray and find ways to be at risk with people like him.

The task of peacemaking is humbling and sobering. It was necessary to have the five music acts from around our network to provide inspiration and soul healing as we thought through the many burdens of the world in our festival. The music acts featured everything from soulful harmonies to singer-songwriter styles and a hip hop performance by Jared Selby who got the whole crowd to be his “producer” by asking them to provide the beat by clapping rhythmically and singing backing vocals for him.

Finally, Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, director of the Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington told us about the often thankless job of working to influence lawmakers inside the beltway to make policies reflect a holistic Christian worldview. She reminded us that we need Sabbaths to continue working toward bringing the Kingdom to earth and not be too disappointed when it seems that our efforts are not effective enough. To quote Dr. King, as the Church we are neither masters nor servants of the State but rather the conscience of it and we must act accordingly. 

Our next quarterly meeting is Friday December 5 at 1125 S Broad Street. Bring yourself and your enthusiasm. See you there!

(By the way, Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and read our blog at www.circleofpeacemakers.com).

Reporting: Jerome Stafford

Around Our Network / September 17, 2014

What’s been happening among us? September 17, 2014

A few things happening in our community over the past week. Interested in anything you see here? Come join us for a public meeting or check out a cell, groups of ten that meet throughout the week.

Rod taught us about forgiveness and containment at the monthly training.
It was the best-attended training of the year. Our people take the main job of the Christian, learning to forgive, seriously. 

The Teen Mission Team made a deal with Molly McCormick.
She is a staff person that the team has been raising money to hire for quite some time. They are excited!

Vanessa and the Church Planting Core Team led us in an Imaginarium considering our mission to children.
Our Leadership Team also met as a whole for a time of mutual encouragement and reporting, as well as the Coordinators, and Capacity, Compassion, and Church Planting Core Teams.

The Marlton & Crescent Rental Team lined up their first full time renter!
An immigration attorney is ready to move into one of the vacant offices and is down with our Jesus centered mission. Keep praying for more connections (artist studio spaces are available!).

The pastors’ answered the question “Aren’t all disciplines spiritual disciplines?” in our weekly videocast. Link here. Can you help share it?

Our blogs were great places for thinking and encouragement
How can we follow Jesus at work? Rod answers. Joshua gave us Four Things for Christians to Never Forget on September 11 on his re-booted blog. Jonny got us thinking about the Development without Displacement team and Adrian Peterson and being transformed.

We hosted a benefit concert for Franny Lou’s Porch
As Blew gathers support for a new direct trade, organic coffee house five blocks from our FN site, we were there to celebrate and help the effort along. She raised over $500 at the door alone!

Around Our Network / September 10, 2014

Some things that happened this past week around our network! If you're interested in anything you see here, contact us via our website or come meet us in person at a public meeting or at one of our numerous cells around town.

• The pastors started leading us to consider our five year goals. Where are we going? Who will we become? cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.
• The pastors answered the question “Can I make a faith comeback?” in our weekly videocast (Link here) Can you help share it?
• Frankford and Norris hosted the new works of Kristen Moore at their First Friday.
• A crew of people at MC freshened up the whole building in preparation for the next season and the next person.
• For the Love of Childs Compassion Team showed up with Newbold Neighborhood Association to clean up the playground at GW Childs elementary just in time for the school year to begin.
• Our blogs were great places for thinking and encouragement: Rod wrote about feeling better about our ruined places and Jonny on going deep with God and Ray Rice and consumerism.

Around Our Network / September 3, 2014

What’s been happening among us? September 3, 2014

We started praying in relation to our conviction: “Generating justice and hope in our neighborhood must be at the heart of us.”cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.

A talented group from Broad & Dauphin led us in a variety show at BW.

Our community had numerous opportunities for Labor Day fun including a BBQ at the Frankford Ave. garden, BW’s Family Potluck, and drumming while giving out schools supplies with The Simple Way.

We deepened connections with caregivers and little ones at our weekly Baby & Toddler Playgroups.

Lauren got FN cells to get school supplies together for a friend who teaches kindergarten at H.A. Brown Elementary in the neighborhood.

The pastors’ answered the question “What’s the point of prayer?” in our weekly videocast
Link here. Would you help share it?

Circle of Peacemakers kept us engaged and learning about the plight of the Palestinians at the screening and discussion of With God on Our Side.

Our blogs were great places for thinking and encouragement

Rod wrote about our desire for ecstasy and Jonny on Jesus staying in community and how He might respond to the trouble in Ferguson, too.

We worshiped God, told the truth and made new friends at our PMs

At the Broad & Washington meetings -- Kirby and his fifth Sunday crew were getting us to go “wild.” The AMA brought up all sorts of good things we are still talking about. There were a whole bunch of people we met for the first time on Sunday.

At the Frankford & Norris meetings -- Our regular teams had the week off on the “5th Sunday” of the month, so Tiffany and Mariko brought together a talented group of women to lead us to worship and get into Psalm 139. Jess Mints finished our dialogue-heavy series exploring the Convictions That Drive Us and Sarah Holt got us praying for women (mostly Yazidi) being abducted and abused/sold by ISIS.

At the Marlton & Crescent meeting -- We celebrated last night in style! Our little BBQ was a great way to end the summer and launch into the next season (even when we had to run inside before the torrential rain)!

At the Broad & Dauphin meetings -- We had a brand new team up! Jonny, Bradford, Jenny, and Jen brought us as we discerned, shared, and confronted where God needs to move in us. We had a rich discussion about reading the Bible too.

Around Our Network / August 28, 2014

What’s been happening among us? August 28, 2014

 

We trained Network PM Leaders @ MC

The new PM Plan 2014 was unveiled. Even more important, the living “plan” known as the PM Teams got together to think and share. Every quarter this year we have become a more cohesive and loving team across the network.

Broad and Washington got a “spruce up”

Some creative and hardworking people got the BW space ready for newcomers.

Broad & Dauphin got cleaned and a facelift

It can be hard to have an HQ in a temporary rental, but we are committed to making it work. We had an organization day and new lighting to welcome all the new people showing up!

Artists finally started contacting MC after a lot of prayer

We were wondering when people would begin discover our artist studios. Maybe our interesting rental space idea will catch on! Everyone is encouraged to “like” the Facebook page and spread the word.

We started praying in relation to this conviction: 

“Jesus is best revealed incarnationally.” cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.

The Children’s Team leaders from across the Network met!

They are doing their part to fulfill our Map. That’s the third meeting this year. They meet for development, encouragement, and community.

Our blogs were great places for thinking and encouragement

Did you see Rod’s post of Michiko’s revelation? Ben wrote all about puppies and togetherness. Jonny offered his reactions to Christian rock.

Another new video:

Someone Asked: "How can the body serve and be served by somebody who is sick?"

We worshiped God, told the truth and made new friends at our PMs

At the Broad & Washington meetings -- Togetherness. Boundaries. A new prayer corner in the middle of Circle Thrift stuff.

At the Frankford & Norris meetings -- Dawn Smelser & Jonny Szczesniak centered us on Psalm 46, praying about young black kids on bicycles and getting us to worship using a new song and open hands. We had a lively discussion around the Circle of Hope conviction “We must be doers of the Word.”

At the Marlton & Crescent meeting -- It was Monopoly money and the economics of God’s Kingdom in focus. Scott Sorrentino helped us invest in each other by “putting money” on the fertile soil we see in other people. Nate and the team helped us explore God’s abundance as we let go of our shame and received God’s peace. Rob Lairmore, Britani Nestel, Adam Nicely, and Donna Schmidt formed a panel that talked about sharing and spending and how to keep Jesus at the center. They talked about debt, sharing money with the church, radical trust, and having a plan. We were convinced that there’s more than enough to go around and to give out of the place of plenty. They were inspiring!

At the Broad & Dauphin meetings -- Movement. God is moving among us. We wondered if we could cause him to move through prayer too. We agreed we could and we might have through our discipline and prayer. We had a fun time “moving” with blown straws too.

Around Our Network / August 20, 2014

What’s been happening among us? August 20, 2014

Our PMs were times of worship, inclusion, and love.

At Broad & Washington -- It was a wonderful new night beginning our new season focused on “togetherness.” Many people said that it seemed like the Holy Spirit was moving many of us -- maybe it reached a peak with the shouts of “the Lord is my light and my salvation!” There were puppies here and there too. After the 7pm, quite a few men joined together for their BW men’s PM.

At Frankford & Norris -- Vanessa & Greg’s team used Psalm 42 to set the tone for the evening - including a brand new song! We considered our thirst for renewal, righteousness, and justice - and turned to Jesus at communion stations in response. Considering one of our Convictions That Drive US, Joshua got a lively discussion through We are meant to go deep with God. We prayed with our hands up about Michael Brown and racialized violence against black men.

At Marlton & Crescent -- The PM was engaging and expansive. New friends connected and the folks who were there made the meeting meaningful. We journeyed together as we worshiped and pondered the plight of migrant children and people who are being trafficked (specifically in the sex trade). Kat Bursky drew on her wealth of education and experience to give us the facts about sex trafficking in NJ and we all talked together about how to get Jesus into the mix. Rob Lairmore was particularly brilliant as he helped us pray for wholeness as we sang “Make Us Whole.”

At Broad & Dauphin -- The Body of Christ: diverse across the world and across time. We concluded our season being with the transnational body. Sarah led us as we observed a variety of liquids mixed together to create a beautiful harmon. For the first time ever, we had an Ask Me Anything panel discussion! Jonny, Tricia, and Sara were up. We are gearing up for something new, and I think our new folks really felt loved and included. 

The pastors kept experimenting with the videocast, this time: “Does God have a perfect match for me?”

Episode 6 is out! We’re trying to answer the questions that are out there. How are we doing? Do you have a question that you’d like us to answer? This week’s question is: “Does God have a perfect match for me?” See what you think, add to the conversation. Find it on our YouTube channel, here.

We met to imagine peace-making.

The topic of the Imaginarium this week was the “Ironic ‘Coercion of Being a Peace Church.” Strong stances about peace can seem coercive. What do we do? We went on to hone our peacemaking skills on the sizzling topics of the day: Ferguson, Gaza, Shalom House’s closing, and Iraq. We came away with practical ideas of what to do in Iraq and new thoughts and relationships.  

We used our "rolling Council" to approve a building purchase to expand Circle Thrift

Circle Thrift had a surprising opportunity to purchase a small building right next to their building on Frankford Ave. The owners wanted quick work and there was competition for the parcel. Martha Grace rushed us through the process and succeeded in getting the deal. We are in the “due diligence” period now before the process is officially concluded. We are weighing loan possibilities between the Brethren in Christ Foundation and Everence. This decision lept through our process: idea--team--Core Team/pastors--Leadership Team/Council. But we’re all catching up and agreed that the building will bring in even more money and opportunity to our already successful enterprise.

A new compassion team formed, the Development Without Displacement team

On the heels of the success of Take Back Vacant Land is a new interfaith and inter-organizational coalition that is forming around the complicated question of gentrification. Can development happen without displacing people? Or are we doomed to develop our neighborhoods with appropriate amenities and force long-term residents out? The Development Without Displacement team plans to advocate for positive legislation that allows for honest development.

We continued to journey with Robert Mulholland

The newest "voice" at Circle of Hope Daily Prayer is working with Mulholland’s book Invitation to a Journey. You can join in at cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, we celebrated Nicholas Black Elk.

Joe Hunter is a recent addition to the Church Planting Core Team

Jeremy Avellino’s Cell is multiplying

We will have the Jeremy/Lauren Snow Cell and the Kent Ellingson/Mike Master Cell!

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote about the power of peacemaking; favorite line: “I think we can risk walking in love with people whether we agree with them or even understand them.” Jonny followed up on the Theology of Influence, the U.S.’s bombing of Iraq, and how deeply he was affected by Robin Williams’ death.

Around Our Network / August 13, 2014

 

What’s been happening among us? August 13, 2014

WIND took over our Network as we asked “Why PMs?”

At Broad & Washington -- Candace led us through stories of hope! Quadruplets in war-torn Gaza was a highlight. Forrest and Kirby led us through a set that brought our Audio Art records to life! Jonny offered his take on the Wind Day topic: public meetings--their purpose is celebration, evangelism, exhortation, encouragement, and maybe most of all, transcendence.

At Frankford & Norris -- Julius & Dan got us to consider the dangerous journey many people-- especially minors--take across the US Southern border into el Norte in both a journey around the space during worship and a prayer for their safety, as well as sane & humane immigration reform. We had the treat of Nate Hulfish with us to inspire us around how the public meetings help us rely on prayer, engage us in God’s reconciliation project, and give Holy Spirit opportunity to grow us in fruitful ways. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Our team of art directors connected us to the Living Water as they helped us explore reconciliation with God (and the gifts we receive when our spiritual waters seem murky), reconciliation with each other (and Detroit’s public water shutoffs and its effect on the poor), and reconciliation with the environment (and Toledo’s toxic water problem, not to mention fracking in our own backyard). We were led in communion as we connected to the River of Life. Joshua got us to consider how Jesus touches us at the Public Meetings, making a well of living water that others are looking for.

At Broad & Dauphin -- Ubuntu was the spirit of the evening. We are still wearing our gifts. The discussion was lively, as “wind day” encouraged us to look at the basics of why we have PMs. Even though our format was a bit different, and Rod is not there too much, the newcomers who were with us fit in pretty well. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

Want to get in on the metaphor and where it might take you? Check out “Wind” on The Way of Jesus website.

The pastors kept experimenting with the videocast, this time: Someone Asked: "Why are we so Jesus-y?”

Episode #5 is out! We’re trying to answer the questions that are out there. How are we doing? Do you have a question that you’d like us to answer? This week’s question is: “Why are we so Jesus-y?” See what you think, add to the conversation. Find it on our YouTube channel, here.

We considered the theology of influence: are you worthy of influence?

In a direct response to our map, we hosted the third Doing Theology time. This time BW was filled with people discussing New Thought and how we might influence someone antagonistic toward Christian mission. Key phrases people were pondering: "be all things to all people", "people are experiencing a lot of isolation", "we already have places (like the BGX, recovery groups and Game Night) where unconnected people gather" -- if you have a contact deficit, try Philly Jesus in the Metro.


The cell leaders and friends got trained on testing the age of their cells.

Is your cell too old? Jonny led us to answer this question, in what ended up being a fruitful and practical time for teaching. Joshua offered a book review of Confessions of a Beginning Theologian by Elaine Fraser.

We were invited into a journey with Robert Mulholland.

The newest "voice" at Circle of Hope Daily Prayer is working with Mulholland’s book Invitation to a Journey. You can join in at cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog celebrating the Transhistorical body, we celebrated Clare of Assisi.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod elaborated on PDA as publish worship. Jonny wrote about being the church, how technology manages to connect without community, and isolate without solitude, and also how Wes Anderson has mastered the power of aesthetic. Ben offered his thoughts on his Facebookless summer.

Around Our Network / July 30, 2014

 

What’s been happening among us? July 30, 2014  

 

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- We’re considering our Second Acts. How is the Spirit moving us into what’s next? What old ways of being and behaviors are we leaving behind? Dan McGowan and his team reminded us to hold on to each other as we hold on to our Heavenly Friend, using 90s hits, Puritan classics, and Circle of Hope originals. Rod encouraged us to stride right into our second act with Mary Magdalene whose story has been much maligned by history (particularly the patriarchy). She is the apostle to the apostles and to us. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Stephen began the night getting us to sit with the section of Psalm 16 that Peter proclaimed to the crowds in Acts 2. We pondered the wildflowers, microbes, and weeds as we worshiped together. Jonny led a team that revamped an older tune, and got us praying with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Gaza. We talked through our conviction “We are called out to be a living organism, building community together through love." Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Rob got us engaged with a full and creative team (Jamie Wasson joined for the first time and was awesome!). Jen helped us pray for suffering children in Gaza by reflecting on Handala and asking us to draw children as an act of prayer. CJ Reynolds spoke, the first time he’s done so in his 15 years as a part of Circle of Hope! On the 12th anniversary of his covenant with Circle of Hope, he spoke about Covenanting and Spiritual Growth. He told us how his commitment to covenant (and the covenant’s commitment to him) has carried him through some recent turmoil and he did a masterful job of storytelling (and healing).

At Broad & Dauphin -- We were wrestling with being grounded with God and being doubtful in the worship that Andrew Yang and his team led us in. We oscillated between songs of both “flavors,” and it was distinct and notable. Sarah Good helped us consider the saints from Down Under, in Australia and Oceania. Jonny answered, “What do I do when my faith doesn’t make sense?” Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

The pastors kept experimenting with the videocast, this time: “Someone Asked: Do I have to make peace to follow Jesus?”

It’s been three weeks now! What do you think of the videocast? Will you post your pastor with your thoughts? This week’s question is: "Do I have to make peace to follow Jesus?" Find it on our YouTube channel, here.

We shared in the struggle against evil when we gathered for baptisms and our Love Feast!

Our quarterly Love Feast is a great time for celebration, solidarity, and worship. Marlton and Crescent hosted us this past Saturday and we welcomed sixteen new covenant members and baptized six others! Awesome. 

We kept praying with Jesus in the Epistles

For the next few weeks the "voice" at Circle of Hope Daily Prayer will lead us to see Jesus in each of the New Testament letters, one a day. How about considering a summer season of study and prayer? cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog Celebrating the Transhistorical Body, we didn't have a new post - but perhaps it's a good time to look back at the past few weeks. 

The Audio Art Team released Patiently Impatient in print!

Our second full-length album of original and transcultural worship music is finally in print! Get the CDs at the PM spaces. 

Rachel, Jen, and Jonathan’s Coordinating Groups met

Our monthly cell leaders gather in their Coordinating Groups (they are like cells for cell leaders) to pray, share, and strategize together. They are special times that add to the many disciplines of our leaders. Three groups met this week.

Broad & Dauphin hosted an About Circle of Hope dinner!

Lots of people gathered at Sarah Good’s house to learn about Circle of Hope. Our Network is fascinating and we have a great story to share. It was all accentuated by Sarah’s miso, carrot, and ginger soup. 

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod offered his thoughts on the lack of difference between private and public--one of the many gems to come out of his doctoral studies. Jonny protested essentializing the Brethren in Christ’s core values and shared why not all violence is equal, specifically in Palestine.

Around Our Network / July 23, 2014

 

 

What’s been happening in the Network? July 23, 2014

We worshiped God and made new friends at our Public Meetings

At Broad & Washington -- Moses Ashaba taught us a song in his Ugandan dialect that means "Jesus gives rest” and Jerome Stafford gave us inspiration from Paul’s missionary adventures. Katniss Everdeen reminded us that sharing your heart can be costly, and we prayed for brothers and sisters in Detroit who are without water. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Greg & Vanessa got us into Psalm 19 in great ways - both a new song (totally excellent) and composing some of our own Psalms in the same form. We spent a lot of time in prayer - both personal and all together. Gerald got us to pray for literacy in Haiti (where he did a lot of work on this issue before fleeing to Phila) and Vanessa led us to pray for his political asylum next Wed - which could reunite him with his wife and sons. We also explored our conviction “We expect people to express their gifts, talents, art, and worship” - including stories and key insights. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- The Design Team literally had us bringing grace and experience into an unknown situation in order to make goodness out of what we’ve been given. We worshiped through conversation and cake baking (without recipes)! Such an inspiring time (and some of the cakes were amazing)! The whole night was a risk and Nate led us to think about risk, spiritual growth, and the factors that make it possible: the use of memory, the experience of community, and the exercise of perseverance.

At Broad & Dauphin -- Nate Wissler brought Bruce Springsteen to our PMs as we worshiped with North American Christians. It was fun! We thought about Christians across the nation and region, and considered how to include the best parts of their worship into our public meeting. “Should I vote?” was the FAQ we were working with and what followed was a stimulating discussion. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

The pastors tried made a fun second videocast, “Someone Asked: Is it OK to not like Paul?”

Everyone has a lot of good questions! The pastors are always in conversation about theology, sociology, politics, science, psychology, and a host of other things. So they want to engage others in some good thinking and teaching to help people grow and to stimulate our mission. Maybe you’ll find their responses to “Is it OK to not like Paul?” interesting. It is homemade, just like Circle of Hope. Find it on our YouTube channel, here.

Over 40 of us gathered as the Council at the Imaginarium

Broad & Dauphin hosted this month’s Leadership Team meeting and Imaginarium. The Imaginarium is our monthly gathering of the Council and this month we gathered to discuss our Map and Budget. We brainstormed new ideas and awarded some great people for their work in helping us along down our paths. Rachel Sensenig for her cell multiplication, Andrew Yang for his PM leadership, Kate Nicely for her work as the MC Children Team leader, Jess Mints for communicating about compassion, and Art Bucher for sharing his wisdom as we think about theology this year.

We started praying with Jesus in the Epistles

For the next few weeks the "voice" at Circle of Hope Daily Prayer will lead us to see Jesus in each of the New Testament letters, one a day. How about considering a summer season of study and prayer? cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, we didn't have a new post - but perhaps it's a good time to look back at the past few weeks.

Broad & Dauphin hosted a Baby Goods Exchange

A remarkable display of our generosity is always the result of our BGX. Saturday’s at BD was no exception. Dozens of people shared together. A beautiful sight.

Rachel, Ben, Nate, and Jonny studied BIC History in Exton

As part of their credentialing and licensing, several of our pastors traveled to Exton this week to study about BIC History and Values. We engaged in stimulating discussions about the Love Feast, peacemaking, and our history of mission.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote why we cannot care about Palestine. Jonny offered a review of Justin Lee’s Torn, and his thoughts on Louie C.K. and how he used reconciliation as entertainment.

The Audio Art Team has been preparing for this weekend

Our second full-length album of original and transcultural worship music is finally in print! We will have cds (with booklets) at all the sites this weekend, for a donation of your choosing.

Kate & Matt Abraham got dozens of people together to yard sale

The first annual Kensington Community Yard Sale (#kenzoyardsale) got people from Circle of Hope and tons of neighbors to collaborate on a summertime purge. It was a great way to connect, redistribute stuff, and share some money.

Jerry and the Circle of Peacemakers have been in action

As the world watches the conflict escalating in Gaza, our [peace] listserv has been active and our team prepares for the next installment of our film series about Palestine coming up next Tues, 7pm at FN when we’ll watch Waltz with Bashir. Our call to make peace gets louder.

Check it out and all their other social media connections:
Blog: http://www.circleofpeacemakers.com/.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/circlepeaceteam.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circleofpeacemakers

Around Our Network / July 16, 2014

What’s been happening in the Network? July 16, 2014

 

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- Matthew’s misfitting and scandalous party (see the gospel of Matthew, chapter 9), a full and rockin' team, strife in the Liberian enclave, and a surprising number of people, were all part of the evening. The AM PM rocked the morning at Chew Playground. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- We had some spirited dialogue, aided by real time remote-controlled polling, around our conviction “Fomenting diversity & reconciliation is at the prophetic heart of our gospel.” Dan & Julius taught us a beautiful song in Mandarin that got us considering Jesus’ love permeating the universe, a new song based on Psalm 36 and a chance to pray with Flatiron Wildcats (not a sports team!) We are enjoying meeting an influx of people looking for a connection, which makes the whole meeting full of inspiring hope. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Lots of good things abounded at MC. We took Paul’s prayer from Romans 15 and put it into practice. Nate led us to worship with songs about overflowing hope and the filling of the Spirit, and Scott Sorrentino helped us creatively take our tears and turn them into overflowing hope as we created something with God (and made a mess of water and watercolor on the floor). Kim Hewlett shared the story of Sojourner Truth as she talked about new rhythms and spiritual growth.

At Broad & Dauphin -- God is moving at Broad & Dauphin. We were encouraged as we worshiped with Southeast and East Asia this week. Luke taught us about the Japanese concept of space known as “ma.” Justin and his team led us to worship--traversing all sorts of emotions as we related to God in a variety of ways. Jonny answered the question, What if I'm too depressed or anxious to be in a cell? The talkback was particularly rich, as people shared very personal things. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

The pastors made a fun first videocast, Someone Asked: “Why is the church so stupid?"

Everyone has a lot of good questions! The pastors are always in conversation about theology, sociology, politics, science, psychology, and host of other things. So they want to engage others in some good thinking and teaching to help people grow and to stimulate our mission. Maybe you’ll find their response to “why is the church so stupid?” interesting. It is home-made, just like Circle of Hope. Find it on our youtube channel, here.

Marlton & Crescent hosted cell leaders and Ben White trained them

On Saturday, Ben White led the cell leaders to ponder how we lead people to Christ. Stories abounded and Ben taught us to be bold. Newest cell leader Ra Mendoza won the book The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith by Janet O. Hagberg and Robert Guelich.

Vanessa Caruso led a crew of people in the “Get a renter into MC” charge

Marlton & Crescent needs to get some of their space rented. Amongst other things, they have a great plan to turn their garage spaces into artist studio space. After the monthly cell leader training, Vanessa (who leads the Church Planting Core) gathered a group of people to pass out fliers at a local art festival. They met a lot of people and got the word out. What a great team!

We sent a delegation to the Brethren in Christ General Conference in Lancaster

Every two years, our extended church family gathers to dialogue, worship, and pray together. Over the weekend, BIC churches from all over the country (and others parts of the world) descended on Lancaster, PA where we engaged in four days of discussion, discernment, and decision-making. We were well-represented and our reputation for honesty, dialogue, compassion, and for making a safe space, went ahead of us!

Jerome Stafford inaugurated a new blog for the Circle of Peacemakers

Check it out and all their other social media connections:

Blog: http://www.circleofpeacemakers.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/circlepeaceteam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circleofpeacemakers

A new Audio Art choir started practicing

Cameron DeWhitt and Joseph Mahoney are spearheading our ever-refining efforts to develop our artistry and offer worship resources. It is a talented (and loud, when they need to be) group.

We started praying with voices from Australia and Oceania @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. And on our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, July 11 was Benedict of Nursia day.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote about the movement of the Spirit in the Kingdom of God as he reflected on the BIC general conference and “the state." Jonny offered a review of Frank Viola’s Pagan Christianity (the author actually commented on it!), and his thoughts on the BIC General Conference. Rachel wrote about four Brethren in Christ distinctives that she doesn’t want to lose.

Around Our Network / July 10th, 2014

This note is about how God has been moving in our Network. It doesn’t include all of the things that are happening, but hopefully it is a good compilation.

What’s been happening in the Network? July 10, 2014

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- The whole evening was centred around questions -- the ones God asks of us and the ones we ask of God, or just ask. We had an interesting time for an AMA. Rod opened the floor to “ask me anything.” Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Cameron & Tiffany got us to exercise our honesty, in the spirit of Psalm 112., including a new jam. We spent time with our conviction “Sharing our resources brings freedom and unleashes power” and prayed with our Debt Annihilation Team. Diana & Jess told stories about a forming group of people who meet with full financial transparency to help one another’s financial actions match their values. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- The entire evening came together beautifully as we were led by several people to ponder the barriers that prevent us from staying close with Jesus. Rob Lairmore and Jen Hulfish helped get us into a good space for reception and change. Part of Nate’s speech centered on a small idea from the book Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard. People have been talking about it all week!

At Broad & Dauphin -- Andrew Yang, one of our Design Team leaders, led us masterfully. Sarah Good drew us closer to the Christians on the Indian Subcontinent as we tried a short time of guided meditation. For the first time, we had an time for open prayer. It was amazing to hear an entire room utter “Lord, hear our prayer.” Finally, after Jonny gave a speech about village parenting, a rich and diverse discussion followed during talkback. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

Marlton & Crescent was bustling with prospective covenant makers

On Monday, Marlton & Crescent hosted the quarterly About Making A Covenant meeting. We had time for dialogue in large and small groups as we considered what it means to make a public commitment with Circle of Hope.

Ben brought the Summer Tour to the Parkway

While many in Philadelphia were at the Parkway on July 4 to see Nicki Minaj and the Roots, BW’s Development Pastor Ben was representing us there. He passed out hundreds of flyers, which isn’t so easy to do, to folks hoping to help someone connect with our expression of the Body of Christ.

Luke put all of talks from the PMs into one consolidated podcast

After being charged by the Church Planting Core Team to figure out a way to put the talks given on Sundays online, Luke has created a podcast consolidating all of them. You can subscribe via iTunes or the regular stream.

The Broad & Dauphin Coordinators met, prayed and thought together

The Coordinators of each congregation meet monthly. This past week Jen Danforth and Jonathan Ziegler met and prayed for Broad & Dauphin, the Network, and our cells. Jonny joins them.

The Frankford & Norris PM Design Team leaders met

Each month, the leaders of our four Design Teams (musical leaders & art directions) meet up for encouragement, development, and planning.

We started praying with voices from Subsarahan Africa @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. On our blog celebrating the transhistorical body, July 6 was Jan Hus day.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod wrote about the importance of finding our spiritual resources, in a world that overemphasizes individuality and a reaction toward community, instead of reliance on God. Jonny wrote, albiet tentatively, about what he loves about the U.S.; he also protested the redemptive violence that Orange Is The New Black teaches. Rachel declared how and why she is grateful for Anabaptists.

Around Our Network / July 3, 2014

What’s been happening among us? July 3, 2014

We worshiped God, told the truth, and made new friends at our PMs

At the Broad & Washington meetings -- We considered Second Acts in the Old Testament and pondered our own, as well as how Scarlett O’Hara just couldn’t get into hers (no matter how long Gone with the Wind is!). Ra, Rod, Rachel, and Sarah tried a brand-new team with an acoustic style for leading us in worship and prayer. There was a spirit of healing, and people have been talking about how God is moving us. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At the Frankford & Norris meetings -- Dan Snook got us organized for our first Public Meeting outside in the “Positive Space.” Gail, Nicole, Charles, Becca, and Rob especially helped facilitate the night, which included a potluck as the beginning of the one-meeting “5th Sunday” celebration. Brooke Hoffman facilitated a panel discussion on mentoring & being mentored as applying our proverb “Dialogue keeps us connected and protects our gravity.” One of her former students came by, serendipitously, and participated in the rest of the meeting. Sara Keel, Leann Gorman, and Michael Heneghan also shared stories of mentorship as Dan led an open time of worship. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At the Marlton & Crescent meeting -- There was such creative engagement at the MC public meeting, it's hard to describe! Our new design team (Sara, Adam, Matthew, Brit, Kathy) got us engaged with the Wendell Berry poem and song: When I Rise. We told stories of rising and falling, meditated in silence, and were led to create origami birds and leaves representing our stories and meditations which we hung throughout the room. Scott Sorrentino drew from his years of deep experience to talk about prayer and spiritual maturity. Some of us adventured out into a public space during the time when our other congregations have their 7:00 public meeting... We used the time to meet new people and deepen relationships as we try to connect the next 50 people to our meeting (or maybe even start a second PM!).

At the Broad & Dauphin meetings -- Aaron Foltz spoke at our public meeting. The question he was answering: “Why do we sing on Sunday nights?” Megan Jackson took over for Nate Wissler and led us adeptly. It’s not always easy to lead, pray, and talk in front of everyone, but she did a great job. Beth moved us as we considered Latin America and the oppression the region faces, by and large, because of U.S. policies. Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

Dozens traveled to Wild Goose to lead hundreds in worship

Wild Goose is a Christian festival in North Carolina. Many people from among Circle of Hope traveled down to the festival to lead people in worship. Joshua reports that many people were moved by their leadership, and that it is also a great time to retell our story and get inspired again.

Our Coordinating Groups met and inspired one another

This time of month is when many of Coordinating Groups meet. They are like cells for our cell leaders. Their purpose is mainly mutual support, accountability, and encouragement.

We host three substance abuse 12-step groups each week

If you or someone you know needs these groups, please get connected. Alcoholics Anonymous -- Sunday, 9:30am and Wednesday, 7:30pm, both at Frankford and Norris. Narcotics Anonymous – Friday, 11pm at Broad and Washington.

We host two playgroups for babies and toddlers

They are both from 10-12am on Fridays at Broad and Washington and Frankford and Norris. Along with just being fun, these are great ways to meet new people and include them in our life together.

The Pastors enjoyed their monthly “all-Pastors” meeting

“All-Pastors” means Rachel Sensenig, the Administrative Pastor, and Ben White, the Development Pastor, are also invited. This was a remarkable meeting because it looked into 2015. We are beginning to imagine how we can loosen up new territory for church planting and mission-focused leadership.

We started praying with voices from South, Southeast and East Asia @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. We have been hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod distilled some important thoughts from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, especially regarding getting the right people on the bus, so to speak. Jonny shared some church planting lessons from planting his lawn, and was inspired to write about worship and speech-making after the PM Plan Refresh.

Around Our Network / June 25, 2014

This note is about how God has been moving in our Network. It doesn’t include all of the things that are happening, but hopefully it is a good compilation. Read it like a newspaper.

What’s been happening in the Network? June 25, 2014

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- Raleigh and Kathryn led an inventive time for meditation and worship, including a lament based on trying to make an appointment while someone is walking around distracted on their phone. A memorable moment was being a “poor wayfaring stranger” in relation to David’s and Absalom’s tragic relationship. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- We had some loving and talented friends (Martha as Art Director, Julius & Snook joined the team) augment our design team, as the regular leaders were preparing to lead worship or the Carnival de Resistance at the Wild Goose Festival. Alexia Salvatierra was in town from LA and challenged us to help with encouraging our reps for sane and humane immigration reform in the next 42 days. She also gave us some good heartwork considering Christ’s call to the twelve apostles to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves; it’s too easy to “other” someone with whom you have antagonism. Acknowledge the worst parts of them and the system (serpents) as well as the best in them (doves), and that they could even be your sibling in Christ! We also gave a prayerful sendoff to the Sowell family who are moving to Minnesota in the next few weeks. We prayed for Heeding God’s Call, and for less hand gun violence in our city. Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Some new musicians joined the Design Team for the first time and they helped to make our time full and deep. Nate spoke about career advancement and spiritual growth and helped us get into the economic realities of South Jersey. Did you know that the median yearly household income in Camden County is $48,097, while the average yearly projected cost of living for the Camden County towns that Marlton & Crescent represents is $50,150? Most people statistically are falling behind and making career decisions that they think will help them catch up…that’s fertile ground for discipleship.

At Broad & Dauphin -- Justin led us adeptly. He is our PM Coordinator and also leads a team. Justin and Jonny helped teach the congregation a new song in Arabic too, as Luke helped us pray with and for Middle Eastern Christians. Speaking about race is never easy, but we were able to create a safe place to answer the question, “Am I racist if I don’t like living in my neighborhood?” Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

We refreshed our PM Plan together

Responding directly to our Map for this year, we gathered on Tuesday and spent all day refreshing the PM Plan. It was fun and stimulating! Pray for it to impact our PMs in positive ways and give us new energy for what God has for us.

Our record, Resist and Restore, got a glowing review

The Brethren in Christ History and Life's review of our record was highly favorable. We really couldn’t have asked for a better one! Here's a copy you can access. Have you donated for a copy?

The Broad and Washington block party welcomed neighbors and friends

Ben White, BW’s development pastor, organized a block party and it came to fruition this last Sunday. Rod wrote to some leaders this week: “We had a loving time of connection with about 150 people!” Awesome.

We gave away free baby (and children’s) goods at the BGX at FN

One of the most radical things we do is give away stuff to parents and families with children that are in need. The monthly Baby Goods Exchanges are great opportunities for meeting neighbors and sharing the love of Jesus. They are also great opportunities for people to give away the stuff that they no longer need. A win-win.

Marlton & Crescent’s Rental Team kept up its good work

The team at MC is working hard to get our building rented. We need rental income to make our Common Fund budget agreement. There’s a lot of space to rent and a lot of people beginning to check the space out. They’ve got two offices available for full time renters, ten good-sized artist studio spaces for artist looking for a place with 24-hour accessibility and great natural lighting, and their main “hall” (PM space) is available for all kinds of events.

Broad & Dauphin’s next site team prayed and pondered new locations for the congregation

On Monday, a handful of BDers gathered in Brewerytown to think and pray together about what God has in store for us regarding a new space. It was a fun time, to be sure.

Jerome Stafford began service as a summer service worker

He will be working with the Circle of Peacemakers, primarily, helping them transition after Shalom House.

We started praying with voices from Central and South America @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Rod continued our study of marriage and offered some of our recent theology on it. Jonny thought about our culture’s obsession with antiheroes and how it can infantilize us.

Around Our Network / June 18, 2014

Dear friends,

This note is about how God has been moving in our Network. It doesn’t include all of the things that are happening, but hopefully it is a good compilation. Read it like a newspaper.

What’s been happening in the Network? June 18, 2014

We worshiped God and made new friends at our PMs

At Broad & Washington -- Our very inventive team led us in the first evening of our season of “Second Acts.” Steve Falkowski worked around our internet issues. Mike Furfari stepped in to the art director’s role with some creative stuff. Most of all, the room felt alive with the Spirit. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- We began using the Psalms and Circle of Hope “proverbs” to frame our new season’s call to discipleship. The holiday, summer tour, and other plans made room for Dan Snook, our PM Coordinator, to call together a unique team to lead music alongside Vanessa’s creative rendering of Psalm 27. We prayed for 4,000 foster youth in Philadelphia, including Ashley, Alyssa, Vincent, Clarissa, Dylan, Sam, Mya, Alyssa, Loius, Kierra, and S’mirrior (suggested by our social workers). Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Our network’s teaching pastor, Gwen White, helped us sit with our boredom and find the blessing in it. Her encouragement was to embrace it so that connection with the Truth of Jesus can be found. What a blessing she is!

At Broad & Dauphin -- We started our new series all about the transnational body! It was all about Eastern Europe and Northern Asia; it was fun to try to speak in the emotive language of Russian. Naomi Sonne led us well, and so did Sarah Good. We also strived to answer the question: Do I have to tell people about Jesus? (Find the summary here.) Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

We were trained on how to Love with Purpose

One of our pastors, Rachel Sensenig, lead the Monthly Cell Leader Training at Frankford and Norris on Saturday. We talked about intentionality in relationship-making. Our strategies for authentically including the next people are Spirit-filled and important. It’s really fun to be on mission together!

Our Imaginarium focused on being agents of transformation and our Leadership Team met

On Monday, we gathered at Marlton and Crescent for our version of the “rolling Council meeting.” We pondered the question, “Are we agents of transformation?” and generated some ideas about movement into deeper transformation. Following our time of imagination, the three Core Teams (Compassion, Capacity, Church Planting) and the Coordinators all met. At the end of the night, we all joined together to pray for each other and our transforming mission.

We started praying with voices from the Middle East and Northern Africa @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com.

St. Anthony’s voice was particularly inspiring:

“I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, ‘What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.’”

The Broad and Washington Monthly Game Night traveled to Marlton and Crescent

A scheduling conflict at Broad and Washington turned into a missional opportunity. The regular BW gaming crowd showed up at MC and more people got in on the fun and friend-making. Eric Bursky hosted the last-minute event and I hear he was putting pictures on social media well past midnight!

Our blogs were great places of sharing and thinking...

Did you see Rod’s post about Don’t take my coffee away, Jesus! Pondering our addictions is a good place to start thinking about justice. Jonny got us thinking about the U.S.’s new interest in Iraq (new war, meet the old war) and pondered whether or not Christians were straining out gnats, and swallowing camels.

The The Way of Jesus website received more upgrades.

It is an organic trip from the start of faith to the finish using the oldest metaphor on the planet: earth, wind, fire, and water. We have begun to collect resources for every era of the journey. The site gets more complete and useful all the time.

Aaron Foltz is the new manager at Circle Thrift Broad

Aaron (who has an MTS from Palmer) is charged with not only making the store work, but making the mission work. He is hired for extra time than our managers usually get in order to figure out how the store helps us plant churches.

Around Our Network / June 11, 2014

Dear friends,

This note is about how God has been moving in our Network. It doesn’t include all of the things that are happening, but hopefully it is a good compilation. Read it like a newspaper.

What’s happening in the Network? June 11, 2014

 

• We heard how people were filled with the Spirit in our Pentecost PMs

It was Pentecost this Sunday! Our congregations were on fire! The Spirit has descended and we were celebrating the church’s birthday. We creatively worshiped God at our public meetings.

At Broad & Washington -- Everything looks happy with the rainbow tongues of fire descending. Rod, Sarah, and the team sang to us and we sang back. Lots of sharing and fire. Listen to BW’s public meeting here.

At Frankford & Norris -- Elements of Mariko’s talk were evident throughout our meeting: unity was expressed through diversity; the message was clear about the wonders of God; it was an efficient work of our living temple; and it was wild and risky with love at the center. The highlight was the kids leading us in a creative action under their glittery tongues of fire installation! Listen to FN’s public meeting here.

At Marlton & Crescent -- Scott gave us a Pentecost shock when he did the entire welcome in Japanese. He helped us wrestle with the unfamiliar, and as we sang, we prayed through the words we gave and the words we received. We finished out the book of Colossians in step with Acts 2 as we pondered prayer, action, and openness (all Pentecost themes)!

At Broad & Dauphin -- Beth led us to light candles together, Jonny helped us consider the six streams of faith that have influenced us throughout the ages. Megan led us to sing the Newsboys, circa 2006, and she sounded way better than Peter Furler! Listen to BD’s public meeting here.

• The love of Circle of Hope spilled onto Frankford Ave when we celebrated Circle Thrift

The party last Friday on Frankford Ave. was a great incarnation of the success and blessing that our network of thrift stores have enjoyed over the last decade. They have blessed people locally, and globally, as well as our Network. Thank God!

• Our Design Teams discerned the languages that our region understands

Last Monday, our Design Team leaders were trained about languages that our region speaks. We want to lead people to worship God in a way they understand. This is a direct response to one of the goals we have for our Map this year. Nearly 40 of us gathered at Frankford & Norris for a very stimulating time.

• We started praying with voices from Europe and Northern Asia @ Circle of Hope Daily Prayer

In honor of Pentecost and the movement started in that one room in Jerusalem, we are remembering all of the places that the Spirit has moved across the world. Look forward to hearing from voices both past and present on our blog: cohdailyprayer2014.wordpress.com. This week is all about Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

• Philly gathered at PrideDay, and so did we

Ben, Anthony, and Michael had a table at the PhillyPride event at Penn’s landing. We just want to be where Philly gathers. Our love and hope are felt just by our presence. Contact Ben White to find out where the Circle of Hope Summer Tour stops next.

• BD folks asked and learned about Circle of Hope

Some people interested in connecting to BD gathered in north Brewerytown for dinner and a dialogue session about Circle of Hope. The pastors sometimes host congregational times that are specifically intended to help people learn about our Network.

• Several of our pastors challenged us to be the media:

From Rod’s blog: Someone said, “Why don’t we just desert [Facebook] and stop using the medium and focus on being the medium? We already have a great communication system. It is called living in community. Let’s focus on being the media, not on conforming to some other rubric. Let’s be face to face, not Facebook.”

From Jonny’s blog: I’ll admit, it took me about a day to think about getting off social media, but I’ve decided to be the media instead of bend my knee to it. For the summer I’m going to stop posting on Facebook, stop Tweeting (and receiving push notifications every time Seinfeld tweets), and stop taking pictures of the food I’m making and posting them to Instagram.

From Nate’s weekly email to cell leaders: What social media like Facebook really does to me is that it draws me into an endless loop of meaningless information without my conscious realization. I consume it, I like it, I have my say... but I don't create anything. When I get to that place, I move from being proactive to being reactive. And I think I'm far more reactive these days than I am proactive. I realized that I'd rather create. I realized that I'd rather take you out for coffee than like your status (being face to face is far a better use of my time than being in front of a screen). I realized that I'd rather pray than check my device to see if anyone liked me enough today.

• And while you’re over at the blogs…

Did you see Rod’s post about his embarrassment of riches? Or Jonny’s about the best scene he’s seen on TV all year? The two of them also riffed on the trending Al Jazeera article about hipster gentrification and the new Amtrak mural. Jonny said he’s not waiting for economic justice. Rod wrote, “The hipsters I know are much more likely to be a good neighbor than Amtrak.”

Shalom House Film Series

On Tuesday May 27th, Shalom House presented the second film in our Israeli/Palestinian Film Series, "Little Town of Bethlehem" (2010). 'Little Town of Bethlehem" is a documentary featuring how Israelis, Palestinians, Israeli Defense Force members, civilians, Jews, Muslims and Christians are using non-violent resistance to oppose the occupation of Palestine in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Over 25 people came to the screening and film discussion. Shalom House will be showing a new film in the series every last Tuesday of the month through September at 7PM at Frankford & Norris. The June film is "Budrus," a documentary about how one small Palestinian town used non-violent resistance to oppose the building of the Separation Wall through their town and their ancestral olive tree groves.

Career Day at G.W. Childs School

This past week, Circle of Hope's compassion team, For the Love of Childs, organized several Circle of Hopers to volunteer on Career Day at G.W. Childs School. Megan Rosenbach, the team’s leader, spoke to 4th and 7th graders about working at a non-profit organization that is helping to make Philadelphia a more bike friendly city. Nic Justice talked to a 5th grade class about film making. And LeeAnn Wood got some of her co-workers from Urban Outfitters to speak to the kids about careers in fashion. Ben White (Circle of Hope’s Development Pastor) and Anthony So, a computer/web programmer, were also present at the event. Several other members of the neighborhood group that the compassion team started, Neighbors Investing in Childs Elementary (NICE), also spoke with students about their careers throughout the day! It was a terrific opportunity to inspire children with ideas and dreams of the future.

For more information, visit our compassion teams blog for how to get involved.

A Lenten Story

A Lenten story from one of our Circle of Hopers:

I don't remember last Easter. Most Easters of my adulthood have been spent studying for finals, so we could assume that's what I was doing. Perhaps I was a little more aware and involved this year, as I at least knew Lent was on the horizon. As giving up something seemed weird and overwhelming, I fell into the phrase: "just participate." It seemed like a good enough stretch, a focus that wouldn't stress me out too much; plus, I had never really participated in Lent before, so it was new. What followed in the next six weeks ended up being nothing short of overwhelming and life-changing. As I walked with Jesus in the wilderness, I identified my own wilderness: a combination of sorrow and grief from traumatic losses in the past year, the loneliness and social isolation that are natural products of my medical education, and the feeling of being busy all of the time as I tried to balance school, church, and long distance relationships with family and friends. If the run-on sentence didn't clue you in, my wilderness felt vast, overwhelming, and unchangeable. But Jesus was meeting me in that wilderness that I was now aware of, as I read the daily prayer before getting out of bed each morning, and as I walked home in the dark after (an equally dark) PM and cell.

In the middle of Lent, I felt a transformation. In the course of one week I went to the PM, went to cell, had a breakfast meeting with my cell leader Aaron, and went to a cell coordinating group meeting. It wasn't until I was sitting in that last meeting that I realized the change. I hadn't given any of these "time commitments" a second thought. There was no juggling, no added stress, no debating whether or not I should go, and absolutely no fear that I was sacrificing valuable study time. Gwen White said during the women's meeting (which also happened about this same time) that her litmus test for knowing if something was from God or if she was making it up was whether or not she was surprised. Well, I was certainly surprised. My survival mode, the paradigm that I thought was necessary to "do my life right now" was shattered. I was elated by the freedom God had given me, a freedom I hadn't asked for and didn't think I needed. I continued to walk with Jesus and participate, praising him as King, as they did when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. And then I was with Him as Holy Week went on, participating in his frustration and despair, trying to further understand his relationship with his disciples while I was sharing a meal with other Jesus followers. Perhaps my participation some 2000 years later helped me understand some of the feelings Jesus had too.

I knew what was coming. As transformed as I felt, and happy to be following Jesus, I knew what it meant to "participate" on Friday. And as enriching as it was to dine with Jesus, witnessed in the faces of my church family on Thursday, Friday I had to walk with Him as he suffered and bled, carrying the cross that he would then be nailed to. I didn't really want to do it, but I walked the stations of the cross. As I felt self-conscious praying on the street corner and strange men said weird things to me as I passed by, I felt humiliated, stupid, and I wanted to turn back. But I continued, determined to finish, to witness the sacrifice and love of the One who had transformed my life, had made me new, and who was now dying for all of mankind, slowly and painfully. This year of my life has made me familiar with death and mourning, and as I participated in Jesus' death and the mourning of those close to him, the raw sorrow of grief and loss was renewed within me. Then Saturday was quiet. There was nothing to do except my normal stuff, and I thought, "What now?" I had been following Jesus, walking with him, witnessing His love. But now he was dead. The day had a new silence—and I imagined how the disciples felt, the disappointment and despair, not to mention the fear of being tied to Jesus following yesterday's events. I was isolated—retreating into my wilderness because I didn't know what else to do.

Sunday morning I stumbled out of bed, my body confused by the darkness and lack of sleep. As I walked down Locust street to meet my ride to Lemon Hill (thanks Michiko!) I became a little incredulous. It was 5:30 am, a time of day I rarely acknowledge, and I was walking the empty streets of the city alone, listening to hymns on my phone in the darkness. This was crazy. My sleepy intellect quickly succumbed to what I felt in my heart: I was walking the steps of Mary Magdalene to the grave. Still shocked by grief, disoriented from lack of sleep, and feeling alone without Jesus there. On Lemon Hill, as the drums reverberated through my chilled body wrapped in a blanket, I saw the sun rise slowly, gloriously, and there in the midst of energetic children, stories of transformation, and cheerful greetings, Jesus was THERE. With us, resurrected, alive! He was among us—at brunch with friends and new people to meet, at the PM where there was dancing and singing and joy, with more stories of resurrection and transformation.

All I really did was show up. At the beginning it felt so passive, but then Jesus transformed my attendance into a meaningful journey, one that I am still walking now. All I really can say to that is, "Hallelujah! Christ is risen!"