On The Table

Hi church!

Labels: books, congregational meeting, music

As we celebrate Palm Sunday this week, we will have a short church service at Jammin' Java prepared for the kids led by our very own Jen Way and Jackie Bulanow. The service will begin promptly at 11:15am and end at 11:45. We will talk about the (upside-down kingdom) ways that Jesus surprises us. The service will be short and sweet and will happen right before the picnic lunch and congregational meeting. Though it will be geared toward kids, of course all are welcome to attend. We will start at 11:15 and end at 11:45, right before we head over to Glyndon Park for a simple picnic lunch together.

But before that all begins on Sunday morning, we will be holding our bi-annual (once every two years) audio training workshop for all those interested / willing to help with tech setup and support. The training workshop is tailored for your desired level of involvement and proficiency: from wrapping a mic cable to running the new digital board that JJ recently purchased, and everything in between. All are welcome. Training on the Digital Board begins at 9am. New folks apprenticeship training begins at 10am.

Additionally, since we are working with a digital board, we get our own preset (#175) to store our settings. So to leverage this, each artist at Common Table will get their own channel or channels, and once set, mic check will be essentially finished when their mic gets plugged into their channel. So we will be asking artists to sign up for a mic check with their instruments so we can begin setting up their channel and our preset. We will ask artists to sign up on the Core list to come in at a specific time, starting at 1000. Please contact the iTeam with questions or for more information regarding the audio training.

Labels: congregational meeting, Holy Week, sound

Hi church,

Labels: Christmas, congregational meeting, party

Hi church,

Well, it's the fourth Sunday of the month so as per usual, we're not going to be at Jammin' Java for worship. And given that we've been away from Java for four out of the last five Sundays, that "as per usual" is seeming more apt than ever. The good news - for those who actually enjoy things like reliability and predictability - is that starting on October 4th, we're going to be back to our usual schedule with three worship services per month at JJ. The...typical...news is that we have no idea what we're going to be exploring, or how, when we go back to that schedule. This is because we've not yet determined,

"What are we going to do next, together?"

Providentially, this will be the topic of our quarterly congregational meeting, which will happen this Sunday, starting at 1pm, at Kate and Matt and Lizzy and Maddie's house. (If you can, please bring some food or bevvies to share for a "light snack/bring potluck". If you can't, don't sweat it!) This timing will give us the opportunity to worship with another community Sunday morning, if we want to - perhaps with our friends at New Hope Fellowship. If you care about the Common Table, you are invited to this meeting!

Finally, excitement is appropriate(!) because we'll be gathering at The Lamb Center next Friday night (October 2nd) from 6:30 to 8 for Karaoke. Kids are especially welcome, and there will be pizza and soda for everyone. We'll join new and old friends, nom some pizza, and sing like joy is more important than refinement - because it is!

That's all for now. BTW, it's official - welcome to autumn! God is good.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, karaoke

GONE CAMPIN'!

Yep, we're campin' this weekend. Again. If you're someone who would really like to join us for worship, and you're wondering whether we ever actually do show up at Jammin' Java on Sunday mornings like we're rumored to do...we hear you, and we miss you, honestly. This is just how we are: the call of the wild, it can't be refused.

But...come join us! We'll be camping at Big Meadows Campground in the Shenandoah National Park, only a couple of hours away, from Friday afternoon through at least Sunday afternoon (and I think some of us are staying until Monday). We'd love to have you along. If you're interested, please contact us. If you're worried about transportation or gear or lack of experience - no worries! We'll sort it out.

And next weekend...we won't be at Jammin' Java either. This is our normal pattern for fourth Sundays, and this particular fourth Sunday will be the occasion for our quarterly congregational meeting, in which we will begin, in our semi-chaotic fashion, to try to discern what we're going to do next, together, as a quirky little community of faith. If you care about the Common Table, you are invited to this meeting, which will probably take place in someone's home on Sunday the 27th - watch this space for deets when we have them.

And that's all I got. Enjoy the cooler weather, the company of friends, and all of God's many blessings!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: camping, congregational meeting

Hi church,

We didn't carefully plan it this way - honest - but we're in the middle of a long stretch where we're mostly away from our usual location at Jammin' Java: we went camping two weeks ago, and had our church anniversary picnic this past weekend....weekend after next, we're camping again, and the week after that, we'll gather for our postponed quarterly Congregational Meeting, where we'll work on discerning where our communal adventure might take us next.

But this Sunday, right in the midst of all this gallivanting around, we'll gather at Jammin' Java at 10am for our only proper worship service this month. It'll be a Simple Service, and sort of preparatory for the congregational meeting: we'll spend some time exploring, together, some of the ideas that most excite and motivate us. And before that, at 9:30, we'll be making joyful noise with the 9:30AM Club, our pre-service, free and open worship music space (you're welcome to strum, drum, sing, dance, or just listen.) Please join us for one or both of those Sunday morning gatherings!

And that's the news on this lovely, breezy early-autumn week.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

P.S., Feel free to spare some prayers, and also some envy, for the Stavlund family and other friends who are outside Chicago this week talking theology with Jurgen Moltmann!

Labels: camping, congregational meeting, simple

Hi church,

Free weekend!!!!!!!!!

We were going to have a congregational meeting this Sunday, but it turns out that we're not, because hardly anyone can make it, what with school right around the corner, etc. And since it's the fourth Sunday of the month, we're not gathering for a worship service at Jammin' Java. So, it is indeed a free weekend around the Table, though I do have a couple of suggestions:

Friday evening is Movie Night at the Lamb Center, brought to you by Pastor Pat and our friends with New Hope Fellowship. Setup starts at 6, pizza at 6:30, movie at 7. It should be fun, and a good time to hang out with the good folks (many of whom are homeless; all of whom are rewarding to get to know) of the Lamb Center and New Hope.

Then on Sunday, since we're not officially doing anything, it might be worthwhile to attend another church service, either at New Hope, or with another community that's dear (or just interesting) to you. When we do come together for our next congregational meeting (stay tuned for rescheduled time and place) we'll be discussing what we're going to do now, together, as a church community - so if you do visit another community, you might think (and talk to the folks there) about what they do together. Food for thought. Just a suggestion.

And next weekend: Common Table Camping Trip!! We don't yet know where we're going. Story of our life. :-D

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: camping, congregational meeting, lamb center, New Hope

What is your life like? How do you manage all of the pushes and pulls on your schedule? How do you (presumably) stay sane? And how in the world do you honor God in all of it? This Sunday, our own Matt Maisel takes us on a journey through The Sounds of Life, featuring actual sound bites from the lives of our own Common Tablers. Come to Jammin' Java at 10am this Sunday to share the joys and pains of our everyday lives, and the ongoing struggle to live after God in the midst of them.

And if you're up for a brief time of relaxed worship music, plan to come at 9:30am. Bring an instrument, or a song, or your voice, or a listening ear. Or just bring yourself and fill a chair as we make space in our busy lives for some refreshment.

Next week we'll be taking our regular break from meeting at Jammin' Java. In its place, we'll be having one of our quarterly Congregational Meetings (time and location to be announced). Plan to come to talk and listen as we journey together as a church community, and continue the blessed and neverending work of discerning where that adventure might take us next.

And the weekend after that, we'll be going on the first of two Common Table camping trips. In true CT and camping fashion, we have not yet settled on exactly where we will go camping, but we'll get around to deciding that sometime before the first wave of campers depart Northern Virginia. Well, probably. One thing is for sure: it'll be within a couple hours' drive, and it'll be very relaxing and a ton of fun. Oh, wait, that was two things. Or maybe three. But who's counting? It's camping! And you are most certainly invited.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: camping, congregational meeting

Hey church,

This week, the season of resurrection we call Easter draws to a close, and this Sunday we commemorate another day when everything changed: Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, when the Holy Spirit came, and the Church - women and men, old and young - was set on fire, and sent to bring that fire into the world.

We won't be celebrating Pentecost with a service at Jammin' Java, since it's the last weekend of the month. But we will be remembering that day in an appropriate manner: by coming together around the Table in one of our occasional congregational meetings. We'll invite the Spirit to inspire the thoughts, words, and prayers of each of us - women and men, old and young - as we try to discern together what God is calling us to, both within our community (particularly on Sunday mornings) and in the wider world (through our giving of relational presence, volunteer time, and maybe even money). We'll gather at Kate and Matt and Lizzy and Maddie's house at 11am on Sunday. Everybody is welcome around the Table (this means you!) as we talk, pray, and hope to discern together where that wild old Spirit is leading us now.

And that's it for this week. Next week: it's Karaoke Thursday at the Lamb Center again (6:30-8pm)! If you're chasing the Spirit this Pentecost, I recommend checking in there. :-)

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, karaoke, lamb center, Pentecost

Hi church,

We have a trio of events on the table this week, spanning the gamut from high-spirited revival to nuts-and-bolts practicality to prayerful contemplation. It's all right here, bothers and sisters, so first, pack up the babies and grab the old ladies, 'cause it's:

The Church Basement Roadshow: A Rollin' Gospel Revival, rolling into town Thursday night starting at 7pm sharp. The group will be performing at the Kay Spiritual Life Center on the campus of American University (on the east side of campus off of Massachusetts Avenue and Nebraska Avenue). Just look for the round building with the gold flame coming out the top. Free parking is available in the Nebraska Avenue lot of AU: drive past the AU and turn onto New Mexico Avenue, left into the lot, and then drive to the far end of the lot to be nearest the Kay Center. (Or you can take the metro to Tenleytown and ride the AU shuttle over to campus.)

Then, Friday evening we'll have the fourth in our currently-planned cycle of four congregational meetings. This one's about every community's favorite subject: church finances! But if that's not enough to lure you, then you need to know that our hosts for the evening will be the Amazing Maisels: Kate, Matt, Lizzy, and introducing the newest, adorablest Maisel: Madeline Claire (but you may call her Maddie)!

And finally, Sunday morning, please join us as we continue our series of perspectives on the Psalms with a look at the Daily Office (aka Canonical Hours, Divine Hours, Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours), an ancient method of praying with the Psalms that goes back at least to St. Benedict and the origins of Christian monasticism. Come help us explore how "communication with God takes place in the meditative silence and listening which surrounds the words" of the Psalms, and let's wonder together how this kind of prayer can become a connection to God in our everyday lives - the "daily office" (so to speak) of our workplace, or our home, classroom, etc.

And that's all the news for now. Hope you get the chance to join us in hootin'/hollerin'/praisin', number-crunchin' & baby-adorin', and/or contemplatin' this week!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, Maisel, Psalms, Road Show

This Friday night, we'll be convening our second of three discernment meetings. Last week, we had a great and encouraging conversation about integrating kids into our gatherings. Next Friday, we'll look at our community budget (i.e., giving and spending). And right in between, we'll be talking about how we approach and accomplish our weekly times of worship - this Friday night at 7pm at Martha and Jay's place (at 10780 Crest Street, Fairfax 22030). If you care about CT and can make it, please join us for any or all of these times of discernment in community (or, if you can't make it, please let us know your thoughts on these topics).

On Saturday evening, we'll be getting together for a very relational Service Worship project. At last month's S-W project, we were able to do some freezer cooking for Neishia and her boys (Xander and Nicholas) who lost their husband and dad in May. Our very own Jackie has been talking with Neishia in the last month or so to try to help her make some major decisions about childcare, work, and the possibility of moving to Florida to be nearer to her mother. After meeting with Jackie on Monday, Neishia was able to establish that she'd really like to stay in the area and keep life as consistent for the boys as possible right now. So we'd really love for her to meet all of us and have the opportunity to connect with people in the area, as she does not have other family here and seems to be longing for community.

In order to have some relaxed time with Neishia and her boys, Mike and Tina have kindly offered to host us at their house (13337 Feldman Place, Herndon, VA) where we'll have a good old fashioned summer BBQ and time to get to know Neishia and the boys. The idea is to give Neishia a bit of adult contact and at the same time give the boys a night out. The boys have been asking to go see the movie, Space Chimps, (which is playing at Worldgate Theatre, around the corner from Mike and Tina's house, at 7:10 pm). So we'll gather for dinner at 5:30 and then the boys (ages 6 and 8) and some other brave volunteers will peel off to go to the movie.

Please let Jackie know if you are planning to come so that she will know how much hamburger and hot dogs to get, and please bring a side and/or drink of your choosing with you as well. (If you don't have Jackie's contact info, give us a shout and we'll hook you up.)

Down the Road:
Next Sunday, August 3, Mighty Mike Croghan will be looking at an ancient use of the Psalms in Christian spirituality: The Daily Office, aka the Liturgy of the Hours, is a method of praying with the Psalms that goes back at least to St. Benedict and the beginnings of Christian monasticism.

And after that, on August 10, The Amazin' Amy Moffitt will be putting the Psalms back to music!

Hope to see you this weekend,
Mike Stavlund

P. S. Still rollin', right around the bend: Thursday night!

Labels: congregational meeting, Psalms, service-worship

Dear Church:

This Friday night we'll be gathering at the Doans' place for a congregational meeting-- a chance to stoke our collective imagination about our hopes and dreams for Common Table, and to begin to think about how we can work together to bring these visions to fruition. We'll be out on the (new!) deck from 7 to 9:30. Anyone who cares about Common Table is welcome at the table!

Then on Sunday at 10am at Jammin' Java, we'll be continuing our Summer Psalm series with a look a Psalm 40 and Psalm 130, as we take some time (and some more time ;-) to consider the idea of 'waiting'. None of us much like it, but all of us need to do it, all the time and for all kinds of outcomes (or things that might never come). Why is it such an intractable part of life, and how can we do it more peacefully and profitably? What do we learn about God in this process? What do the Psalms tell us about waiting?

Also, there's a good-looking event on Jubilee Economics coming to the Servant Leadership School of Church of the Saviour. A few CT folks are going, and several of us will be talking about our relational redistribution network (The GNU Team) in the afternoon there. Come on out, if you're interested and available.

Hope to see you soon,
Mike Stavlund

PS. It's rollin' through our town, July 31.

Labels: congregational meeting, jubilee, Psalms

Hey, Church--

Once again, we are enjoying one of those strange Common Table weekends where we kinda turn 'church' on its ear, to simultaneously give ourselves some rest and to challenge ourselves to put our words into action. If you haven't participated in this dance before, don't worry... I'll do my best to show you the steps.

Step One: we will NOT be meeting at Jammin' Java on Sunday morning. Or anywhere else, for that matter (though you can certainly get together with anyone you'd like ;-). Instead, you are encouraged to take this one Sunday each month to do something sabbathy and restful-- sleeping, eating pancakes, going for a walk, and reading the newspaper are all popular choices. Take a breath, shrug off that guilt, and enjoy your Sunday morning. Amen.

Step Two: we WILL be getting together, though. This month, we'll be joining The Amazing Martha at The Lamb Center, where we'll help with breakfast and cleaning and laundry, and where we'll be taking every opportunity to connect with these good folks who live outdoors and/or who are making huge transitions toward housing and employment. The Lamb Center is open from 8am to 12:30pm, and our team will be joining them for those hours (though if you'd like to come at 7 to help set up breakfast, you're welcome to do so). They've asked us to limit the size of our group, so if you're interested, please email the GNU Team so that we don't overwhelm them with our kindness! (If too many people sign up, we'll have an alternate service project.)

Step Three: after that project, anyone who's interested can join us at Mike and Tina's place for a little lunch and our Congregational Meeting. If you're interested in CT, we'd love to have you contribute as we update everyone on our community, and as we look toward our future together. These meetings have a very open format, though we do try to conclude them in 90 minutes or so. Hope to see you there.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: congregational meeting, lamb center, service-worship

This weekend, we begin our final steps in this journey of Lent, as Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the holiest week of the Christian year begins. This coming Sunday (10am at Jammin' Java), we'll gather for a Palm Sunday worship service that looks at Jesus' entry into the holy city, as well as several peculiar interactions between our Lord and fig trees. Please join us as we continue our Lenten journey in repenting of our safe and tame ideas about the Nazarene.


As Holy Week continues, we aren't planning any specifically Common Table gatherings for Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, but if you're looking for a deeper experience of Jesus' journey from Palm Sunday to Calvary to the great reversal of his Resurrection, let me know - as our resident (Anglo-)catholic, I can hook you up with some options for liturgical worship.


Looking further out, the last weekend in March will bring us our monthly service-worship (it sounds like we'll be working with our friends at the Lamb Center - stay tuned for deets from the GNU Team) as well as a congregational meeting to discuss, among other things, what God is calling is to do with this newly debt-free community of ours.


Peace,

Labels: congregational meeting, Holy Week, service-worship

**UPDATE: please note change of venue for Congregational Meeting

Hi, church--

After being away from home for several weeks (where I've heard plenty of praise for our small church!), I'm pleased to see so much fruit borne by our GNU team and others as we continue our effort to push ourselves outside our smaller circle to know and love and serve those in our wider community. One example of this is happening this Wednesday, when a bunch of us will be getting together at The Lamb Center to host a celebration of the rich cultural artifact known as Karaoke between 7:30 and 9pm. If you'd like to lend your applause or (better yet) your voice, be sure to stop by.

This Sunday, October 21, our own bona-fide expert on religious movements, John Bozeman will be leading us in a look at the Jesus People. This is a group which was founded in the early 1970's, and one that's found a way to develop a strong core (members actually live together in a high-rise in Chicago) and an expansive engagement with their community (both in outreach and in the operation of several businesses staffed by members). It promises to be a rich morning, as John shares from his wealth of knowledge and experience with this pioneering community.

**After first church, we'll repair to Jack and Pete's place to hold a Congregational Meeting, where we're planning to hear a financial update, talk about plans for Sunday mornings, get an update from our GNU Team, and anything else you'd like to discuss. Please plan to grab your Chipotle at the spot a block from their house, or dare to try a place which Pete hesitatingly describes as 'even better than Chipotle'. Take your food 'to go', and let's meet up to start our meeting at 1 or 1:30. Also, note that while their place is very kid-friendly, we don't yet have any formal child care plan organized.


Our friends Ryan and Holly Sharp (aka, The Cobalt Season) are currently touring the country in their Prius (with their one-year-old!). They'll be doing a house show in DC on Friday, November 2. It promises to be a fun night of great music, and a chance to connect with interesting people from around the Metro area.

Saturday, November 3: The GNU team is working out the details of hosting several families on a trip to Cox Farms from 10am to 2pm. It'll be the annual weekend of post-Halloween Pumpkin Madness (my favorite methods of destruction being the trebuchet and the crane-drop), so you won't want to miss the big, splattery mess. Fun for the kids and the young-at-heart.


Later,

Mike Stavlund

Labels: congregational meeting, context, GNU Team, service-worship

Some people don't like midsummer, with all this heat and humidity, but I have to say it's OK by me - wait, it's the second week of October? Oy. Where's Al Gore when we need him? :-)


I have no idea how well this will work, but I'm intrigued to find out. :-)




Have a great week. Keep an eye out for autumn. It's got to happen eventually.


- Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, context, Quakeresque

Hi church,


Well, it's a holiday week, as you've no doubt noticed (happy birthday, USA, and I hope we 're all managing to enjoy some sun, food, family, friends, and fireworks). So there's not too much going on. But we do have a very special worship service planned for this Sunday morning (the 8th) at 10 AM at Jammin' Java.


It's "Bring Your Bunny to Church" week! Please bring a stuffed animal of some kind - a bunny would be perfect, but any stuffed animal would do, and ideally it would be one well-loved over years by you or some other adult. (It's fine to bring one well-loved by your child, but in that case it may, of course, have no choice but to spend the service in the child-care area.) Don't worry, we're not going to hurt them, though your relationship with the toy may not be quite the same following the service. :-D Yes, this has something to do with the film we're going to watch. (It's the second in our summer film series of services.)


Also, following the service, we're going to have a two-part congregational meeting. Immediately after the service, at Jammin' Java, the Leadership Team will talk a little bit about where we are with finances, and a plan we've been talking about for moving forward. Then we'll move to someone's home (location TBD) to further discuss the path forward.


Have a great week, everybody!


Peace,
Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, films, summer

Hi church,


The two Spiritual Formation groups will both be meeting this week - "64" on Tuesday evening at Mike Stavlund's place, and the contemplative practices group on Wednesday evening at Mike Croghan's place. Contact the appropriate Mike for the skinny on either group.


This Sunday, July 1st, we'll gather at Jammin' Java for the first in our summer series of worship services, in which we'll use short films as a catalyst to challenge and inspire each other about living into and out of the Kingdom, and invite God's inspiration too. We'll begin the series by watching and discussing a film called "Tackle Box," which presents an interesting take on the effect an authentic, passionate life can have on others.


After the worship service, we'll have a short congregational meeting at Jammin' Java, to discuss the path forward in regard to our financial situation. If we get to talkin' until we're wearing out our welcome at Java, we'll retire to someone's home (TBD) to carry on the discussion.


And that's it for this week, I think. Enjoy it!


Peace,
Croghan

Labels: congregational meeting, films, summer