Fixing Up

On Saturday May 25th, twenty-five people from across the Network descended on the Marlton & Crescent space to get some crucial work done. It felt like an autumn day, but the cool breezes helped keep them moving! Parking lot cracks were fixed, trees and bushes planted in freshly weeded beds, and mulch was put everywhere. Marlton & Crescent is gearing up for the final push toward getting their Site Plan finished/signed off on and gaining their permanent certificate of occupancy. The additional love and effort went a long way! There were a lot of sore backs, dirty kids, and joyous smiles...well worth every second!

Imaginarium: Getting Free of Mammon

Joshua Grace speaking to us on sharing, saving, spending.

On Monday night, Circle of Hopers gathered for an hour to discuss money and how as a community we should use it. Among the personal anecdotes shared, there was also some insight that the common perspective of spending, saving, and sharing—a perspective that is rooted in how much one makes—should in fact be flipped to sharing, saving, and spending, and that sharing money was even reported by research studies to bring much more happiness than spending on yourself. 

The group also took an in-depth look at how Circle of Hope gives away our money and the various ways in which we are attempting to practice sharing, saving, and spending. The hour ended with Vanessa Caruso leading the group in pooling ideas that would help us take steps to getting more responsible with the way we spend and how we share. Some of those ideas included war tax resistance, sharing stories of giving, learning economic policy, tracking a congregation's spending, and practical workshops.

Rob Wetherington ended the hour by leading the group in a prayer toss where the group prayed for our wisdom in how to handle money, and as a symbolic action threw money at the wall.

Some of the results of our prayer toss.

 

Seminar: Sexuality, Spirituality, and the Politics of Identity

Jenell Paris brought some of her brilliance to us this Saturday. She’s an anthropology professor at Messiah College and wrote “The End of Sexual Identity.” She came to Frankford & Norris to teach about ourselves, sexuality, and our souls. She brought a great deal of eloquence and taught us to be conversant about such a so-called “controversial” topic. Jenell did the good work of deconstructing our bifurcated and compartmentalized sexuality identity and pointed us to an identity as the beloved of Christ. There was a great degree of universal praise for the seminar, and we had well over 100 people present. An MP3 recording is soon to come.

Written by: Jonny Rashid

Love Feast: A time of reflection and covenants.

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

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

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

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

Retreat to the Woods

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

The Imaginarium | Byte-sized Gospel?

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


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

Free Baby & Kids Goods Exchange

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

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