On The Table

Dear Friends,

It is a somber week as we honor the life of Tom Croghan, who died on Monday. We're grieving with his wife and family, and especially with our dear friend Mike and his wife as they were caring for Tom and are now in North Carolina making arrangements for the funeral in Clinton, NY on Monday. Lord, have mercy.

It seems appropriate that our usual worship meeting will be dark this week, as we follow our normal schedule of forgoing a regular meeting in favor of service on the last weekend of the month. Many thanks to our GNU Team, who has given us a couple of important projects for this weekend. Here is their invitation:

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...we have two great opportunities for you to enter into worship, using your whole body and mind to honor God with your actions as well as your thoughts, desires and words.

Option #1 : Hang out at the Lamb Center for any portion of time from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26th to meet and greet and sit and talk with the guests who come in that day. It is a great opportunity to begin the process of steadily building intentional relationships with those who come through the Lamb Center. Dave Larrabee (director of the Lamb Center) mentioned that he has a youth group helping with the laundry on that day, so our main goal is to connect with the guests.

Option #2: On Sunday, April 27th, a group of us will gather (rain or shine) to help plant a tree in honor of William Stavlund, and one for Tom Croghan. Sister Pat has also asked us to plant an additional tree, as one of the other memorial trees has died and we will have the honor of re-planting the tree for another family.

Plan to gather at the monastery at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday morning. The task should take about two hours to complete. All are welcome, but only a small group is needed to actually plant the trees. Our very own Sam Doan, arborist extraordinaire, will be heading up this project. Sam will bring all the necessary tools and materials.

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Looking ahead, on May 4, we'll be reading the last four chapters of Romans at Jammin' Java as we bring this great series to a close, and as we thank our friends Jay and Amy for bringing such amazing music each week.

On Pentecost Sunday, May 11, we won't be meeting at Jammin' Java in the morning, as we'll be joining with our friends from Convergence and Holy Grounds at the worship lab at Convergence in Alexandria. It promises to be a great time of mass collaboration as we celebrate the somewhat chaotic coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2.

See you soon,
Mike Stavlund

Labels: GNU Team, lamb center, memorial, Pentecost, Romans

Friends,


This is a week of remembrances. Today, across our country, people are remembering the events of September 11, 2001 and mourning the lives that were lost on that day. And for our church, this week marks the anniversary of the loss of Will Stavlund, Mike and Stacy's precious son and Ella's twin brother. Will touched our community in innumerable ways during his short life, so tomorrow evening we would like to gather to remember his life and to surround Mike, Stacy and Ella with our love and support during this difficult anniversary. Once again, the Sisters at St. Benedict's have graciously extended their hospitality to us. We're grateful for the opportunity to gather in this peaceful oasis in Bristow, VA.


We'll begin at 7:00 PM with a dedication ceremony in the Compassion Garden, a special place on the property that the Sisters have set aside for parents who have lost children. The garden is located at the top of the hill, near where the labyrinth is, but off to the left of the house. Because it will get dark quickly, we plan to start promptly at 7:00, so please leave yourself time to park at the school and walk up the drive. If you'd like to have time to visit, pray or walk the labyrinth, feel free to come early. We'll continue our time of remembrance in the small chapel at the top of the hill, so if you're arriving late, look for us there. If you have any questions feel free to contact Jackie Bulanow (703-628-3350) or myself (703-968-7349).


Sunday we'll find ourselves back at Jammin Java for the first time in three weeks. It will be good to return to our familiar surroundings and kick-off our fall series, where we'll be looking at how Christian communities take very different forms based on the people they seek to serve, the cultural context, and the gifts and passions of the community members. This week we'll begin by looking at Church of the Saviour, a local community that significantly shaped the Adams Morgan community during the second half of the last century and whose legacy still shapes the city today. Plan to join us at 10:00 AM.


And Sunday afternoon, will mark the triumphant return of "Beer+", our informal "connecting" time, when we gather to relax, hear each other's stories and look for opportunities to come alongside one another in forming spiritual friendships. This week we look forward to hearing the stories of those individuals we missed the first time around (Maranda, no lame excuses about being in Bangladesh this time!) and getting an update on our existing small groups. If you're interested in getting more involved or finding ways to connect with other Commoners, this is the place to do it. We'll gather at the Doans' at 5:00 PM for pizza (bring a few dollars) and then meet from 6:00 to 8:00.


Mike, Stacy and Ella, you'll be on our minds and hearts tomorrow.


~Deanna

Labels: Beer+, context, memorial