submergence

Anglimergent'NING' site is live

A few days ago I put up a new 'NING' (networking) site for Anglicans (of all persuasions (TEC, AMia, CofE, ACC ...) who are engaging emerging church and mission.

Emergent forums and networking is key for Anglicans, as the perichoretic way emergents engage one another (in reconciling and generative friendship across modernist liberal/conservative divides) is sorely needed as small sign that God has given us the capacity to practice shalom and live an 'alternate Anglican story' of reconciliation, justice, and service with wonder, love and praise, a story that is markedly different from the deadly 'Communion Wars' currently engulfing this tribe.

To this end,'AnglimergentNiNG' is an interactive 'fast lane' relational networking site for those engaging emerging Anglican mission ministry 'on the ground,' as an international hub to find community and build relationships with those who share this same passion and providing: peer2peer learning, resource sharing, a place to pose questions and to explore new possibilities for breaking open and sharing the gifts of Anglicanism to those seeking God in emerging cultures and our postmodern, post-colonial, and post (you fill in the blank) world.

Sometime in the next few weeks Anglimergent.ORG will launch as a simple, presentational 'onramp' / introductory portal to emerging Anglicanism with 'directory' listing of Anglimergent parishes, missions and ministries around the globe.

As my fellow Seattle based Anglimergent Tim Mathis says in his Facebook group 'Anglican whether you like it or not' - 'Anglicans are in communion with one another, whether you like it or not. That doesn't mean that we like each other, agree, or even get along--traditionally, in fact, Anglicans can be said to have been united by our common prayer and not much else. However, we have agreed--and continue to agree--that more good comes through officially recognizing our spiritual unity (which leads us to continue to meet together) than through institutional division, which cuts us off and turns our neighbor into the "other". So, we're not afraid of unity, even with those who disagree on important issues.

Further, it is generally our belief that division of an institutional sort serves only the narrow political purposes of the few, and negatively affects the vast majority of Anglicans by creating both unwarranted animosity and unnecessary impediment to a sharing of resources between the rich and the poor.

We're not ready to give up on our institutional attempt to be catholic, like the Kingdom of God. That's why we say welcome Canadians, Nigerians, the English, Americans, Rowan Williams, Peter Akinola, Gene Robinson, Desmond Tutu (somebody get those guys on Facebook!), Episcopalians, AMiAers, moderns, postmoderns, gays, straights, women, men, conservatives, liberals, young and old, to the Body of Christ in the Anglican Spiritual Tradition.'

As another Anglimergent friend Bosco Peters (NZ) says: This is about being contemplative and missional.'

If you are wanting basic info and a directory, wait a few weeks to check out Anglimergent.org. If you want to be active in community networking for engaging emerging Anglican church and mission work on the ground JOIN Anglimergent-NING
and pass on the invite link to any active, missionaly engageded and peacable Anglimergent type friends you know.

Gaudete: Rejoice!

Advent is my favorite season of the church year, and the 3rd Sunday in Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday where the text of the Magnificat is read. Gaudete is Latin for rejoice. We are all invited to become like Mary and be theotokoi (God-bearers). We are invited each Advent to allow God to be born in us anew ... which is the most amazing reason in the world to rejoice.

To properly celebrate Gaudete, Advent and Xmas, as Abbess of Church of the Apostles and the Fremont Abbey, I have used my 'Abbess powers' (which I define as the calling to bless and release things) to bless and release an Advent Ale called Gaudete.

Gaudete is a unique Christmas style beer (dark, porter based, with a bit of smoke, sweet spice and a dry finish) and is a 'limited release' (like, only three cases exist). It is to be enjoyed reverently, in moderation, and with thanksgiving to God, at various celebrations within our community this season.

Our Abbey brews come from our friend Joel at Two Beers Brewing, a new and true 'micro' brewery currently located in our own Fremont neighborhood in Seattle.

We support their ethos and 'theology' of brewing, which is as follows from their website.

We are connected to the Earth.  We are connected to each other.  And we cannot escape either of these realities. Is that a reason to make amazing beer?  We are at Two Beers Brewing Company think so.  You see, beer is one of the original beverages that was created thousands of years ago.  Long before soda and even lemonade.  Beer is made from all naturally grown ingredients and always has been.  No artificial sweeteners, no susbstitutes, nothing that is a product of 21st century invention.  Therefore when a crop fails somewhere the prices change in ingredients.  Making amazing beer is a beautiful way to remind us that we are connected to the earth. Drinking amazing beer certainly isn’t fun by ourselves either. It is much more fun to invite some friends over, or go to a pub, and enjoy a beer in community.  This also causes us to slow down just enough to remind us that we are connected to each other.  We do enjoy our friends.  And although our life may still feel slightly out of whack we are momentarily comforted by the fact that there are people around us. So take some time.  Look at the world. And surely you will gain a new perspective. " (from Two-Beers Brewing).

So, if you are in the Seattle area and in need of Good News, good company, and great tidings of joy to all the earth, join Church of the Apostles for our two remaining Advent masses: Saturday Dec 15, 5 pm (at Fremont Baptist Church) and Saturday, Dec 22nd, 5 pm (at the Fremont Abbey) and the Mass of Christ, Monday Dec 24, 10 pm (at the Fremont Abbey).
Gaudete in Domino to you and yours (Abbess Karen).

 

JUNE 18 and 19 EMERGING CHURCH LECTURES in Portland and Seattle

Church of the Apostles Praxis Mission Center is sponsoring a lecture by Fr. Ian Mobsby of Moot community, Westminster, U.K.
If you want to learn about emerging church/fresh expressions of Church in the U.K, and about 'How Understanding How the Trinity Empowers the Church to Become Experimental and Missional' then JOIN US FOR THIS LECTURE, and BRING FRIENDS OR TEAM FROM YOUR CHURCH.

CLICK LINK BELOW TO REGISTER - DISCOUNT FOR EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS.

MONDAY, JUNE 18 LECTURE in PORTLAND, OR, 7-9 PM
at TRINITY EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL, http://praxislectureportland.eventbrite.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 19 LECTURE in SEATTLE, WA , 7-9  PM
at TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH, http://praxislectureseattle.eventbrite.com

Proper British tea, scones and strong northwest coffee will be served 6:15-7 pm before the lectures and during registration/sign-ins. Registrations also accepted at the door.

Cheers.

NEIGHBORHOOD MISSION LEARNING DAY AUDIO

Audio from the Neighborhood Mission Learning Day with Brian McLaren and missional pastor friends in Seattle, is now available for purchase. The event had 200 participants from 14 different denominations coming to share wisdom and gain inspiration on being church in ways that matter in your local culture and zipcode.

Event revenue and audio sales goes to support the mission partner churches of Apostles, Seattle: Church of the Beloved, Edmonds, WA, Scum Church, Seattle, and Moot, London.

PURCHASE THE AUDIO HERE

URBAN IONA - CELTIC IN THE CITY

My friend, Fr. Kurt Neilson's new book is out.

Apostles, Seattle is proud to have Saints Peter and St. Paul Episcopal church (SPP) as a 'big sister' church in Portland, Oregon. We have a similar commitment to trying on new/old versions of monastic hospitality as a way to embody the Reign of God in the city.

I love visiting SPP. It is a retreat for me. This is my church in Portland, Oregon (along with the Bridge Church). When i visit these two places, i'm home.

SPP is straight up Anglo Catholic, but with great love and Celtic hospitality. They also run an active center for Celtic Spirituality in the city called the Columba Center (which has inspired us to start St. Brigit's House at COTA).

So if you visit Portland, OR and want to encounter church  'emerging' in the city, go to SPP and the Bridge to see the range of true emergence.

Emergence (in my view) is not about any certain flavor of worship, or having a pastor with tats... and it is about discovering what God is doing in your area and current culture and seeking to be part of it with humility, openness, attentiveness and expectancy for God to act and incarnate within the world and within you.

If you are interested in ways of learning about or doing emerging church in the mainline, and out of a 'traditional' church, and as an Anglican and IN THE CITY, PICK UP THIS BOOK

'decent exposure' - blogging beauty and truth

I wanted to give some 'decent exposure' to a fine young seminarian and theologian in Seattle. His name is Matt Shedden. He is an Apostle at COTA (Church of the Apostles) and I want to expose you to his blog.

So give a look, at some beauty and some truth at Matt Shedden's blog

MISSION LEARNING DAY - APRIL 21 W BRIAN MCLAREN

Church of the Apostles is sponsoring a Mission Learning Day, Saturday April 21, 2007, 9:30 am to 4 pm with BRIAN MCLAREN and other local emerging church leaders.

If you live anywhere in the Northwest / Cascadia  (Washington, Oregon, British Columbia),
consider joining us or passing on the registration link below to anyone who lives in the Northwest who might be interested. GET INFO AND REGISTER HERE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD MISSION LEARNING DAY APRIL 21 IN SEATTLE.

JACOB'S WELL IN XN CENTURY

Jacobs Well Church (Pr. Tim Keel) has been written up in Christian Century. It is a fine article.
Check it out HERE

emerging mission - the missing mainline story

since i am now an 'influnetial blogger' (see the post previous to this) i wanna step out for the mainline christian tribes. so often they have become 'sideline' tribes, with significant decline in and ageing membership and glacial slowness to engage emerging culture, to the point where being a mainline, emerging church plant (like apostleschurch.org) is almost an oxymoron.

nevertheless, the mainline (despite being hampered by a still modernist ethos) is doing a lot for the movement and priorities of Jesus that the north american media does overlook to focus on flashy, moralistic, non-sense that often comes from the far 'right' (like pat robertson saying silly things on just about everything) which too often passes for 'news' about north american christianity.

right and left are categories that are obsolete in the emerging culture. my concern is not right or left but reign (of God) and what is being done to take part in it. rhetoric (right or left) does squat for the reign of God, whereas action does much.

the old line does need to do a much better job of telling the story of how they participate in the reign of God, because the noisy gongs and clanging symbols of the far 'right' (being way more effective in the use of emerging media) have co-opted most of the airwaves.

as i'm a little part of the emerging media, let me introduce you to someone you would probably not meet, the rev. michael livingston, the new nccc (national council of churches of christ) president.

rev. livingston nails this mainline/sideline emerging communications problem on the head in a speech he gave recently, where he says:

'Why do we know so much about Pat Robertson and so little about Mark Hanson? He’s thoughtful, articulate, personable, (photogenic); he’s a great church leader with a compelling personal story. Isn’t what the Lutherans are doing in the world at least as worthy of public exposure as what Pat thinks about Islam? That’s a rhetorical question. What kind of news information outfit reports the one and not the other? Have we no ability to influence this insanity? Maybe we can hire Jon Stewart or resurrect Edward R. Murrow and get him to do a show on Lutheran World Relief and CWS, on Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.'

btw, mark hanson is one of my pbs (presiding bishops). my other one is frank griswold (ecusa). they both have many 'Jesus priority' things to say that are signifcant, and the old line churches, who have been very short on media savvy, have also been very big on christian action - loving neighbors / doing justice and mercy, which is the call of Christ to the world, beyond the media savvy moralistic bravado which does nada for mercy and loving kindness in God's world.

READ THIS KICKIN SPEECH HERE
and learn about the emerging / reign of God mission happening in many modernist, old line/ sideline tribes and consider supporting this non-showy yet highy effective work via lutheran world relief, presbyterian disaster assistance and episcopal relief and development

hanging with tony jones

tony jones (national coordinator for emergent) came to spend two days with church fo the apostles, as we are one of eight emergent congregations he is studying for his ph.d dissertation (rad).
ofcourse we took tony to worship with us for our sat. 5 pm service. then he conducted two focus groups with a bunch of apostles, then on sunday pm he attended our new, monthly 'sanctorum' service- 'a dark, beautiful mass' (more on sanctorum later) then we took him to our local belgian beer temple (brouwer's cafe) in our beloved fremont hood.