This weekend there are several events happening as part of a Christian Peace Witness in DC. I’m gonna be there for some of them… Today I head to a worship service midday, then tomorrow I’m heading to a film screening of Soldiers of Conscience then a coffeehouse/music thing afterwards where my blog-friends the Sharps are playing with their band The Cobalt Season.
If you’re in the DC area come join us…
I spent Tuesday morning at Ground Level Cafe in Naperville, a part of CCC. I had some great conversations with Lee Messersmith, their facilities manager, on the role and function of the coffeehouse in a church context, the role of design and branding, and how environment impacts upon experience.
We talked about how people get behind something thats missional – it’s about so much more than the coffee, though great coffee is important. We talked about the concept of the ‘third place’ and what it is in our cultures. We talked about how form follows function, and the need to tell a story visually. We talked about facilitating a worship service in a coffeehouse. We talked about the duality of a coffeehouse and the need for both business and ministry plans.
Lee shared this quote with me, unfortunately I can’t remember which book it is from, but I’ll find out. Think it says it all…
“You are not who you say you are. You are who your community say you are.”
CCC have some excellent stuff going on, including a School for the Arts which caught my attention. I read Dave Ferguson’s (lead pastor) book yesterday while at the airport/on my flight. He has some great thoughts on the need for complete clarity and for simplicity in presenting one idea at a time. I’ll blog some from the book, The Big Idea, tomorrow.
Just watched this excellent video of pastor and author Eugene Peterson in conversation with Dean Nelson at the Writers Symposium by the Sea. Peterson is one of my favourite writers, his books are extremely well-written, he goes into a lot of depth while still making it accessible. In this conversation Peterson discusses storytelling predominately, along with translation, imagination, and many other things.
“There are never enough storytellers… I think writing is one of the sacred callings. I wish the church would ordain writers the way they ordain pastors and professors. Give some dignity to this work of the imagination. William Blake always capitalised the word Imagination – for him it was the Holy Spirit…
The imagination is almost, not quite, the same thing as faith. It’s that which connects what we see and what we don’t see, and pulls us through what we see into what we don’t see. Now when that imagination involves trust and participation in the unseen, its faith, but imagination is the training ground for that.”
Watch the video on YouTube here.
HT: Scott
Reading Dave Ferguson’s book The Big Idea (lead pastor of CCC, where I was yesterday) and drinking a coffee frappuccino in O Hare airport waiting for my flight.
And catching my last glimpse of Chicago for however long – hopefully not that long.
Am at Community Christian Church in Naperville exploring their coffee shop vision and ideas. More later.
So, I flew up to Chicago on Tuesday morning, and this is the smallest plane I’ve ever been on! Literally 3 seats across, and about 30 rows, it was small (though surprisingly had good leg room!). It was a fun flight.
I’ve just been hanging out the last few days, spent some time in downtown Chicago with my friend Hannah, and now in Batavia with Bekah and her family. Blogging from the Orchard where I’m about to go to the Saturday evening service. On that note, better run…
I’m in Chicago… well, I’m actually in Batavia now, but I’ve been in Chicago since Tuesday. Suprised my friend Bekah yesterday! More later…
I know this is an article from a few weeks back now, but I’ve only got round to reading it today, and I love it. It’s from the Burnside Writers Collective, whom Don Miller is involved with, among others.
The article is called “The Difference Between Compassion and Justice”, check it out…
As I mentioned in my last post, on Monday morning I went to the keynote panel of Uganda Lobby Day, organised by Resolve Uganda. The keynote was addressing the question, ‘How can the United States and the International Community Most Effectively Contribute to Lasting Peace in Northern Uganda?’ There were some very distinguished panelists…
Gerald LeMelle, Executive Director, Africa Action;
Timothy Shortley, Special Adviser for Conflict Resolution to Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer (who was on the phone from Juba, Southern Sudan, where the peace talks are taking place);
Jim Knight, Director for East Africa, U.S. State Department;
Ambassador E. Michael Southwick, former Ambassador to Uganda;
Michael Otim, Director, Gulu NGO Forum; and moderated by
Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director, Resolve Uganda.
There was a suprise guest before the panel began as well, Grace Akallo of Zion Project. You can read a bit about her here, her story is powerful.
Some points that stood out from the initial speeches…
[Michael Otim]
After the individual speeches, there was an open Q&A time, which raised some very interesting questions…
This last point was the main one I’ve been struck by and am thinking through. I’ll let you know if I have any further developed thoughts on this!
I’m heading over to George Washington University for the Uganda Lobby Day keynote. I love that since I booked this trip I found out about lots of other great stuff going on that I’ve got to be a part of too. I’m excited about this, especially after news that the LRA signed a peace agreement yesterday (I think… can’t find verification anywhere…?).
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