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.