a revival, really?

Yes, a revival . . . well, sort of. So here's the deal, there are three guys, all friends and all leaders of the emerging/emergent conversation. They've all written books, they all speak at events and worship services regularly and they all have really great ideas about the future of the church. Their names are Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones and Mark Scandrette and as of today, they've begun a national road tour that they are calling the "Church Basement Roadshow: A Rollin' Gospel Revival." Here's what their promo says:

"A biodiesel-fuled RV loaded with three of the most outspoken emergent church leaders/authors will crisscross the country this summer with a message that combines old time revival flair with a 21st Century gospel. Controversial for their 'nothing is to sacred to be questioned' doctrine, Jones, Pagitt and Scandrette are part of the emergent movement, a decade-old phenomenon of pastors, missionaries, artists, theologians, authors and 'regular people' who are rethinking church and Christianity for a globalized world."

The revival is on July 11 at 7pm at Solomon's Porch, 100 W. 46th St., Mpls., but those wishing to meet beforehand for a bite can meet at The Malt Shop, 809 W. 50th St., Mpls. Please let me know if you're interested in attending the revival and/or dinner. Also, this will be the first event where members of other groups from our network will be participating, so plan on meeting some new people! If you can, bring a friend!

As for the very near future, we'll be meeting for our 3rd Tuesday of the month gathering this coming Tuesday, June 17 @ the Common Roots Cafe (address below). Let me know if you can make it.

-Tyler

New Service Ops.

Hey Gang.

Our next gathering is just around the corner. We'll meet again at Common Roots at 7 PM on Tuesday, May 20.

Between now and then - actually up until June 9 we'll be collecting used or new telephones and answering machines for the Simpson Shelter. Here's some info. from their website.

Simpson Housing Services is moving women who have experienced many years of homelessness into housing. We can hook them up with reduced rate telephone service, but we do not have telephones and answering machines. You can coordinate a drive for gently used telephones and answering machines. We are looking for simple and basic equipment that is clean and in good working condition.

Sounds easy enough right? Well, let's start getting the word out. Bring in any phones or answering machines you collect to our next gathering at Common Roots or drop them off at Lake Harriet UMC (4901 Chowen, Mpls.).

I'm also looking into other service opportunities for our group. One option that I'm excited about is doing some tutoring for children. We'd be helping them with their homework and also some basic computer skills. I'll keep you posted on that. In the meantime, spread the word about the phones and answering machines and I'll see you on the 20th.

Brother Damian was priest and missionary to the leper colony on the island of Molokai in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. His story was the catalyst for our conversation on Tuesday, April 15 at the Common Roots Café. As we spoke about the sacrifice and compassion of Damian, we also talked about mission work and how we find God and spiritual meaning in our lives.

Our group’s next regularly scheduled gathering is on May 6 at 7pm, once again at the Common Roots Café, 2558 Lyndale, Mpls.Some of us will also be attending a lecture by John Spong on April 24 at 7:30 at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Mpls.

Our last gathering on Tuesday, April 1 was great. We met at Gigi's Cafe in Minneapolis and began by checking in with each other and getting up to speed on each other's lives.


We also took time to discuss some issues and topics that emerged after hearing Tony Campolo speak at Lake Harriet UMC last week. Finally, we shared some ideas for topics and outings for the future. If you have additional thoughts, please respond to this post below.



I just learned today that John Spong will be in town for four days later this month. He's preaching at Hennepin Ave. UMC, giving lectures at United Theological Seminary and giving a lecture on Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. The suggested donation for this event is $10. I'm hoping that we can go hear him that evening. For those unfamiliar with Spong, check out these sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Shelby_Spong & http://www.johnshelbyspong.com/index.aspx


Let me know if you want to attend his lecture by sending me an email at emergingnetwork@gmail.com

Our next regularly scheduled event is going to be at

Common Roots Cafe http://www.commonrootscafe.com/index.htm
2558 Lyndale Ave. S, Mpls.
April 15 @ 7pm.

All are welcome to attend.

Our next gathering

Hola.

Last week we met at Gigi's Cafe in Uptown. It's a great place for a cup of coffee, a pastry and some good conversation. We liked it so much that we'll be meeting there again on April 1.

We hope to see you there!

Next up,
April 1, 7pm
Gigi's Cafe http://gigisuptown.com/
822 W 36th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55408-4106

All are welcome to attend.

Sumthin' New

Greetings.

At our last meetin on 3/4/08 we talked a lot about a syndicated article that appeared in last week's papers by Neela Banerjee of the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/us/26religion.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

We discussed the article and such topics as what constitutes a worship experience, why we've gravitated to the church and why LHUMC in particular has appealed to us.

We also decided that even though we like the Independent, for our next gathering we're going to try a quieter venue.

Next up,

March 18, 7pm

Gigi's Cafe http://gigisuptown.com/

822 W 36th St.

Minneapolis, MN 55408-4106

All are welcome to attend.

Next up . . .

Yes, the Emerging Ministries group is up and running on our new schedule. Our first meeting was great. We discussed Jesus' miracles and whether or not they happened; and if not, does that matter for our faith?

Our next gathering is on Tuesday, March 4

7pm @ The Independent (Calhoun Square / Hennepin & Lake)

Everyone's invited.