Saturday, April 26, 2008

General Conference Blogging

I'm doing some daily blog commentary on the UMC's General Conference (our version of a Synod or Council). My latest post regarding the cell phone gift issue has generated some heat, apparently. Feel free to check it out on "The Truth As Best I Know It".

Grace and Peace,
Matt...

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

April Cohort and Summer Schedule


Greeting all,
Tomorrow at the cohort author David Dark shares material from his new book The Sacredness of Questioning Everything. Should be sharp indeed!
Bring your thinking cap and we'll get after it tomorrow at the Saucer!

As usual we will meet in the pool room at the Flying Saucer from 11:30-1:00.
Call in your lunch orders to 259-3039 by 10:30am if you're able.

Beyond tomorrow here is our schedule through the summer:

May 8: The Spiritual Discipline of Eco-Advocacy
Fritz Gutwien from the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program takes through a conversation regarding Christian environmentalism and how our 'advocacy' for creation care is a spiritual discipline.

Here's his Fritz's Bio:
Fritz Gutwein is currently Field Coordinator of the Climate and Energy Campaign at the National Council of Churches, Washington, DC. Prior to joining the NCC, Fritz was the Farm Bill Reform Organizer for the Presbyterian Hunger Program (USA) and Director of Crossroads Ministry of St. William Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky. An ordained Baptist minister and Presbyterian elder, Fritz is educated in international and religious studies from the University of South Florida and theology and ethics from Southern Seminary. His travels to Latin America and Africa as well as his experience as a therapeutic foster parent have opened Fritz's eyes to the needs of people living in poverty and have helped to make the spiritual practice of doing justice his life's passion.
Check him out: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/5/123/9B8


June 5: Spiritual Disaster Preparedness - Jesus and Nuclear Crisis
Tyler Wigg-Stevenson will take us through what needs to be the next "big" issue Christians take up - nuclear disarmament. Tyler is the Coordinator of the Biblical Security Council here in town, and like Fritz, he's trying to connect Christians to advocacy on this issue as a spiritual discipline. Tyler and I met last month and I was blown away with the opportunity the church has to not lay catch up on tackling this very real crisis. Please come out for this one.


July 3: Break


July 26: The Church Basement Roadshow Cohort Gathering *(tentative)*
This summer Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt and Mark Scandrette are doing a group book tour tounge-in-cheekily called the Church Basement Roadshow (http://www.churchbasementroadshow.com/). St. Bartholomew's is hosting the tour's Nashville stop and I am trying to pull together a Cohort "hang" at the Saucer afterward. I'll have more details as they become available.

August 7: TBA


Peace,
Dixon