On The Table

Hi church,

Well, talk about your loosey-goosey summer (as I did last week)...it turns out that the plans we had for this weekend have had to be delayed. This weekend, we had planned to help our friend Eric with some work that needs to be done on his hand-fashioned chapel in the woods - a sanctuary for folks in our area who live outside (aka homeless folks). Instead, that'll be happening next Saturday morning (August 6th).

And, because it's the fifth Sunday of the month (and not the first, second, or third), we won't be gathering at Jammin' Java this Sunday (the 31st).

So - got any other ideas for this loosey-goosey summer weekend? Give us a shout. At least it's not quite as hot as last week!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Happy loosey-goosey, hot as Hades summer weekend, everybody!

I assume I don't need to explain "hot as Hades".  OK, maybe I do, because now that I think about it, I'm not sure that Hades (in Greek myth) was actually hot.  It's hot as heck out there, though.  Whatever heck is.  #LoveWins

Anyway, the reason I say "loosey-goosey" is that there's been a plan for a long time for this to be a service-worship weekend (that is, a weekend when we worship God by serving and blessing God's people in practical ways - sort of a "worship service" turned outward).  Aaand - it didn't turn into a Real Thing until late last night.  But I can finally let y'all know that we will be gathering in Herndon at 2pm tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon to help out our friend Linda with some inside painting, wall patching, and a little bit of yard work.  Details will be sent out to the our "Core" email list.  Not on the Core List and hankering to serve and bless somebody this weekend?  Give us a shout and we'll hook you up.

Also, we will not be gathering at Jammin' Java this Sunday, because it's the fourth Sunday of the month.  (We only gather there for worship on the first three Sundays.)

Fear not the loosey-gooseyness of this weekend, forever, because we're also doing some service-worship next weekend - helping our friend Eric with some work that needs to be done on his hand-fashioned chapel in the woods - a sanctuary for folks in our area who live outside (aka homeless folks).

If you have other thoughts on stuff we could do this weekend - fellowship, service, tomfoolery - let us know.

And stay cool, y'all, if you can.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

After a rousing start to our current series on 'Stewardship' (one person likened the visit by the aged, learned, and wise teacher Dr. Jim Weaver as 'Our first TED Talk at CT'), we're excited to move into week 2, where we'll sharpen our focus on more specifically environmental concerns.  How can we shift from imperious notions of 'dominion' (as per many English translations of Genesis 1) toward a more generative sense of 'stewardship'?  And how can we move from guilt to action?    Please join us at 10 am at Jammin' Java to share the journey. 

And if you're tired of all this talk, we don't blame you.  Make plans to share your tools and your time next weekend (July 23 and 24) as we come alongside a friend from New Hope Church, and to bring some gloves on July 30 as we celebrate and clean up an outdoor chapel built by and for homeless folks.

Oh, and if you're looking for some additional opportunities to connect with God and good people, our aptly named Midweek Group would love to have you.  Contact us and we'll make the connection.  

Mike Stavlund

This week kicks off a 3-week series piloted by Weave and Stav on stewardship and the environment. Beginning with a notable sermon by friend and fan of Common Table, Dr. Jim Weaver. Who was for many years an esteemed Professor of Economics at American University and who in later years went across the street to earn a Master's degree from Wesley Seminary. His sermon, "Faith and Economics" has been received with acclaim by many groups across the US, and we're honored to have him share it with us as we consider how our faith should impact how we distribute the world's resources. Naturally, we'll include a time of discussion so we can combine our wisdom.

In the weeks to come, we'll talk in more detail about environmental stewardship, and then actually go outside to serve both the great outdoors and some friends who live out in it on Saturday, July 30. Stay tuned for more details.

What's even better is that we're following the lead of our kids, who have been talking about creation and our care of it, and who will be joining us in our final service project.

So come if you can (and bring your kids!) this Sunday at 10am at Jammin' Java to lend your ear and your voice.

Mike Stavlund