EmergingPhoenix

We meet next this Tuesday, January 27, 8-10pm at Tilt Coffee to discuss New Things.

Theres a ton of talk right now in pop-media about Obama's first 100 days. Many in and around our the cohort have also begun a new thing in the past year. Jason Malec will be starting a church in Denver, CO, Shaun King recently started Courageous Church, Kimberly Knight recently started the Progressive Christian Cooperative, Troy Bronsink started Neighbors Abbey, and Tom Livengood started the Living Room. None of these folks did this alone, none of them knew what starting would (or will) look like but that didn't keep them from starting. Most face criticism, and challenges to stay focused while open...

So we want to talk about the courage to begin–the images and metaphors from scripture and art and life that describe how we "start something new." Most of these folks will be sending ahead some of their thoughts or will be with us in person to initiate an open conversation about what it means to begin a new thing. And many others of us will resonate with our own beginnings, or first 100 days. So the conversation is likely to be robust, as usual.

As entrepreneurs and cultivators in the dreams of God in Jesus, we all face seasons of preparation and planting. This is part of the muscle of "churching." Here are some texts from Isaiah that get after this theme:

Isaiah 42.9:

See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.

Isaiah 43.19:

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 48.6:

You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forward I make you hear new things,
hidden things that you have not known.

Labels: 100 days, emergent church atlanta, new thing

If your dropping by because of Chris Quinn's article about Phyllis Tickle, welcome. We are a group that has met in Atlanta for four years now, a local expression of Emergent Village. But we're not a secret club, there's no secret handshake, and we change from season to season based on the folks who pitch in to give the conversation its personallity.

We meet the last Tuesday of every month. So our next meeting will be September 30, 2008 from 8-10pm at Tilt Coffee Shop in Castleberry Hill Neighborhood.


Emergent Village is a growing generative friendship among missional Christian leaders seeking to love our world in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Our dream is to join in the activity of God in the world wherever we are able, so that God’s dreams for our world come true. In the process, the world can be healed and changed, and so can we. Members of emergent hold in common four values and practices that flow from them. In the language of a religious order, we call these four values our order and rule:

1. Commitment to God in the Way of Jesus
2. Commitment to the Church in All its Forms
3. Commitment to God’s World
4. Commitment to Each Other

Also if your looking for more about emergent events with Phyllis Tickle, check out The Great Emergence Event scheduled for December 5-6 in Memphis, TN.

Labels: Cohort, emergent church atlanta, phyllis tickle

We will meet at TILT ROOM again, in Castleberry Hills, this Tuesday March 25, from 8-10pm.

We have two major events this summer in July, and a third in the fall and need to develop some strategies for them this month. We especially need folks to design logos, get things to printers, set up web sites and registration, get them listed in the right places like free papers and clubs/bars/churches/whatever.

the two July things are:

July 18,19 Re-Connect featuring Shayne Claiborne and the Jesus for President Tour.


July 27 (note the date is not friday the 25th as first planed) The Church Basement Roadshow, Featuring Mark Scandrett, Tony Jones, and Doug Pagitt.



Both are being held in Atlanta. We are co-sponsoring the re-connect event and we are the ones to pull off the Church Basement Roadshow Event.

We will need to discuss venue and purpose and buy-in. I think we need to ask the same critical questions we have been along the way- "what will this generate in terms of the kingdom of God?" We have INnocence Atlanta as a partner in the first event and who knows how we'll approach the second event- perhaps a concert/art show.

The ReCONNECT eventsite is being built. here are the details until then.

What would happen it 300 drastically different people from inside Atlanta decided to risk building relationships with other followers of Jesus to generate justice in our city?

Some of us in Atlanta, seeking the beloved community in the Jesus Way, but in very different organizations and contexts got to dreaming... After dreaming, and after enjoying some coffee together we decided that this should happen more often and with more folks. So we decided to attempt two little things. We called a couple folks, had a few meetings, got the help of a few other folks and now your in the loop with us.

re:CONNECT is a one time event invented to accomplish these two simple things. After we're done we'll pack up our tents and you'll never hear from us again ('kinda like eHarmony for faith and action). We're sure that many folks have already met, and that there are already great organizations and networks underway- we just wanted to do our part to stir it up a bit more. Oh, and we have the help of some great friends of city justice, Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Our two things are:

1. to connect Christians to hands-on justice opportunities in the Atlanta area
2. to set up generative friendships between Christians who live and worship inside Atlanta.


partners and contributers
atlantaemergence.blogspot.com
sub-urban.org
www.missionyear.org
www.creationcare.org
www.kidcultivators.org
www.fcsministries.org
churchasart.com
www.innocenceatlanta.org

Our third event is a SE cohort regional gathering.

We have other cohorts from as far away as Charlotte, Raleigh, Tampa, and Nashville who would like to join us and who feel Atlanta is a good middle point. The GATHERING idea has happened for 7 years in New Mexico and is less an emergent church attractional or education event, and more about being with folks in similar walks of life/ministry and making time together for a few days.

It has included preparing much of our food from scratch. Playing games. Sharing poetry and music. Doing Yoga and taking walks through the woods. That kind of stuff.

One key for us in the south, since this will be our first attempt at this we want to be intentional about shaping this for who we hope to be our colleagues over the years to come. This means being intentional about the traction an event like this could hold with the African American community in the south, perhaps the Neo-Soul community?

We will talk about the fall gathering as a third priority as the first two must be wrapped up soon!

If you have thoughts on how to organize our time or themes and ideas to focus our project, feel free to pipe in and to take on as much leadership as you'd like.

Labels: emergent church atlanta

Troy Bronsink will be facilitating an Aritst's Way creativity group for the next 9 Wednesdays at Tilt. For more info you can visit his blog, churchasart.

Labels: artists way, castleberry hills, creativity, emergent church, emergent church atlanta