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 / 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.

Mark Van Steenwyk

Last Thursday about 50 people came together as we teamed up with the Alternative Seminary and The Simple Way to host our friend from the Mennonite Worker in Minneapolis in a time to consider "Liberation from the Gospel of Empire." Mark Van Steenwyk ran out of copies of his new book "The UNkingdom of God: Embracing the Subversive Power of Repentance." Mark was funny and sincere as he urged us to keep encountering Jesus as the center of who the church is while unmasking the powers that have co-opted the gospel as a tool for domination.

Reporting: Joshua Grace

Leadership Training: Getting Unstuck

On Saturday, Joshua Grace offered some wisdom to cell leaders (and anyone else interested in being trained!) on how to move through the "sticky places" in spiritual development and leadership. His goal was to convey that we get "unstuck" by participating in the work of the Gospel and by proclaiming the Word of God. He cited an example of Moses's persistent frustration with the wayward Israelites in the Genesis story and Moses's constant choice to either trust and obey God or be led by his limitations and frustrations.

Joshua guided us to consider different ways we perceive leadership when it is going well and when it is difficult. He reminded us of Jesus' instructions to his disciples to proclaim the good news of Him throughout every town, and he pointed out the difference between following Jesus and simply expecting Jesus to help us do "whatever." Joshua also explained the various ways by which we can proclaim that Gospel around us and how that loosens us up, gets us unstuck, to lead more effectively. He ended the training by suggesting simple practices for getting unstuck in our thinking and leading, as well as further reading for effective leadership.

Reporting: Luke Bartolomeo & Rachel Sensenig

Baby (& Kid) Goods Exchange

On Saturday, Sept. 21st, Circle of Hope FN congregation hosted it’s 3rd FREE Baby (& Kid) Goods eXchange of the year. What a beautiful day! Families swapped baby and kids clothes, items, toys and maternity clothes with each other. There were 160 neighbors and friends that came out to this glorious event; some new faces and familiar faces a like! Lots of redistribution going on and friendly connections!

Each month a Circle of Hope congregation hosts a FREE Baby (& Kid) Goods eXchange. Visit our Circle of Hope events calendar for the next one and/or ‘Like’ our Facebook page and invite friends.

Concert to Stop Fracking

DJ Robinson set up a benefit show at Circle of Hope Frankford & Norris for a forming grassroots group the Shalefield Organizing Committee (SOC), with the mission to "work to protect human and ecological rights for those living in the shalefield." DJ brought together musicians from the neighborhood who are all share similar passions about ecology and the dangers of fracking. Matt Sowell brought his rendition of American Primitivism and ragtime guitar, Dance Nook came off of a hiatus to bring soft and joyful folky prophecy, and Birds of Maya closed the night with heavy psychedelic rock. 

Over 80 people attended, including a bunch of families with kids, to raise $776 for the Sullivan County-Wide Listening Project where SOC will be "focusing on listening and relationship building, the project will help SOC learn how we can best support strategic, grassroots-led, movement building for human rights." We're happy to make more opportunities for people to learn about the dangers of fracking and to make partners with groups working on the ground in the currently most affected areas.

Reporting: Joshua Grace

Design Teams Summit

Our Public Meeting Coordinators organized a place for Design Team leaders to get resourced and grown into a deeper and more facile team. It was a treat to get together forty leaders and friends from around the network interested in worship to refine our skills and, of course, worship. The pastors and PM Coordinators all offered some training according to our common strategy as well as some space for worship and networking. We are hoping to make these summits more regular, maybe even quarterly. The cherry on top this time - those who wanted to were formed into a choir to sing together for a possible contribution to a future release by Circle of Hope Audio Art. Look for the next PM Design Teams Summit this Fall!

Debt Annihilation Team - Another Round

On Monday night, our second round of the Debt Annihilation Team officially commenced. Our first group launched in 2010 with five people - nine lines of credit totaling over $22,000 in consumer debt. With $8,000 of seed money, our plan would save thousands of dollars in interest to credit card companies, expedite freedom from debt, and teach a number of healthy financial habits and understanding through being formed into a little community within our church. This first group, whom we affectionately referred to as the "astronauts," took a lot of risks and courageously demonstrated that our ideas can work. We learned a lot along the way as people grew, their situations changed, and four of the five made it to the finish line and are nearly complete replenishing the seed fund - which will be most of the money we need to prospect for a third group.

Our second group, now underway, is five people again. This time with nine lines of credit and over $26,000 of consumer debt. Our $10,000 seed fund and improved relational structure would save over $7,000 in interest to predatory credit card companies over the next two plus years. After 21 months, the debt will be erased. After 38 months, the seed fund will be replenished for a future group to use. In July, we'll have our first meeting hosted by one of the Group members, a simple meal at their home to help foster love and enjoy hospitality and generosity as part of Christ's antidote to shame and scarcity.

Keep the Debt Annihilation Group members, their Everence-trained coaches, and our administrators in your prayers as we take some huge swipes at bondage while taking strides towards more freedom together.

Clandestine Fiddling

Clandestine Fiddling 2013 - Watch it now.

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. 

Fun with Redistribution

One of our Compassion Teams, the Free Baby (and kids) Goods eXchange or "BGX" Team held another profound time for redistribution last Saturday at Frankford & Norris.  Each month at one of our sites we begin with a base of Circle Thrift-donated items for youngsters.  Team members set the space with snacks and organize according to age and size.  Well over 100 people came through this time to bring stuff, take stuff, and make some friends.

Different kinds of people come together on these occasions and this time we had regular Circle Thrift customers, recent political refugees, people getting out of homelessness, Spanish-only speakers, people who showed up just to drive people home, expecting moms in crisis, neighbors, people looking for cute things for their infants, moms, dads, caregivers, and dozens of folks referred by our allied agencies.  To witness or be part of these events is joyful and rewarding.  We are grateful for all the donations - if you want to keep making these possible, you can make a donation to either Circle Thrift location.

Remembering Richard Twiss

I'm grateful for having known Richard.  Very few people have shaped me so significantly - especially in such a short amount of time.   While he was in Washington DC for the National Prayer Breakfast he got to visit the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) building where he and a bunch of other activists from AIM (American Indian Movement) had taken over the building a few decades before.  After suffering a major heart attack Richard went on to the other side on February 9th.



It had been only a few weeks since we had hung out.  He and I stopped by my house to meet my family and my favorite local spots - Leotah's Place, Pizza Brain, and our space on Frankford Ave.  We had plans to be together the week after he died at and around the Justice Conference as well as in April and June this year.

After spending a week on the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation together last summer, (if you want to check out the class I took for this year it's still happening!) Richard invited me to spend about a week at his house before bringing me along to the annual Mni Wiconi Wacipi Family Camp and Pow-wow where he introduced me to many inspiring people and deepening worship experiences.  If you didn't get to hear him speak in person, fortunately a lot of people made Youtube videos of his speeches and songs - here are some short ones.   Wiconi International, the ministry that he began with Katherine will continue and needs to despite severe financial hardship without Richard.  Here is more about what people around the world are trying to mobilize for the Twiss family.

Though many of us loved him and recognized his gifts in both the prophetic and in leadership globally and in the Portland area, Richard faced harsh critics from Christians (native and non-native) as well as other first nations people for his incarnational approach and teachings of the gospel taking root, growing, and flourishing  in people and cultures outside of European worldviews and paradigms.

Last weekend I participated in several mini memorials to Richard with a rich community of learners, leaders, relatives, and friends including the big one which lasted for about four hours or so.  I wept through the entire thing.  Thanks to my folks on the West Coast for your hospitality and for some on the east coast who made it possible for me to go.  Before we were all invited to join in the final dance (the snake dance aka transformation dance) two of our mutual friends ceremonially retired Richard's regalia.  A sense of finality washed over me.  In my grief, I moved towards the front to do what RT would have done - to go kick up some dust.

-from his obituary..."In the Lakota tradition, there is no word for goodbye. Instead, we say,
'Toksa ake (We’ll see you again), son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend!'"

Lent begins

On Wednesday, we began the journey of Lent by wearing ashes on our foreheads (made from last year's Palm Sunday palm fronds). Network-wide nearly 300 of us gathered to being this season of solitude and silence, with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving on our hearts. Journey with us at our public meetings, cells, and even on our Daily Prayer blog.