Holy Week!

April 4th, 2012 by admin

It’s Holy Week. This is the week, recounted in each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), that leads up to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  We like to set apart extra time to remember what happened and to see what’s happening in our own lives and times.

Each of our congregations makes time to gather and experience the story.  We go through the drama in an intentional way because the story is a place for us to encounter Jesus again.  Our Broad and Washington congregation met on Monday night at Independence Mall to read the gospel of Mark up to the Monday of Holy Week (Chapter 12).  Check out this picture of Nichole Jackson at the mic and the whole crew listening.  Jesus was teaching in the temple, the center of Jerusalem.  We went to our nation’s cultural/historical center to proclaim truth there too.  Lot’s of people read and many people listened (even though it was cold) to the story from start to almost finish.

The story continued on Tuesday as Art Bucher took us on a tour of Jesus’ teaching in Mark 13 about the end of all things. Tonight we’re in Bethany where a woman anointed Jesus in act of extravagant devotion.  Thursday we’ll be with Jesus at the last supper, washing feet and sharing communion.  Friday we’re following Jesus to the cross with a vigil from 12-3 that includes an opportunity to take an imaginative prayer walk through our neighborhoods and the Stations of the Cross.  Saturday we’ll be in the grave with Jesus learning about Sabbath at the Monthly Training at Marlton and Crescent.  And on Sunday we’ll be greeting the Risen Lord on Lemon Hill at 6:00 a.m.

I love Holy Week because of it’s intensity and the experiences our leaders design for us that get our whole beings into the story.   — Ben White

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Middle School Happenings

March 27th, 2012 by nichole

February and March was a happening time for middle school kids and their families…In February, we had our monthly brunch in West Philly, hosted by the Puchalsky’s who provided a delicious meal, and we talked about Black History month. On Friday, February 24, we had a game night with just the kids in West Philly at the Jackson’s, where we played games, ate pizza, and danced the night away to Just Dance.  On March 4, the families gathered at Saint Monica Lanes in South Philly for bowling and pizza.

We will be having our next get-together for a brunch in Germantown on April 15th at 11:00 a.m.  E-mail Nichole Jackson at                                 nichole.b.jackson@gmail.com if you would like more details!

 

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Introducing Rethink Grocery Project

March 26th, 2012 by Jonny Rashid

The Compassion Core Team would like to announce yet another newly formed Compassion Team. Have an idea for a new Compassion Team? Talk to Megan Rosenbach or any other member of the Compassion Core Team.

Vision
The Rethink Grocery Project Compassion Team (RPG) has formed to a) join together to decrease the grocery bills and financial pressure of families and individuals in the Circle of Hope network and b) generate funds to meet the needs of those who are hungry locally.

Strategy
Families will purchase groceries from bulk distributors and community food coops at a discount. Planning together and purchasing collectively will enable us to get our groceries for significantly less money than purchasing alone. By working together, we expect to save up to 30% on food purchases compared to standard grocery shopping.

All families who join the RGP will agree to donate 10% of their total grocery expenses to a Hunger Fund administered collectively by the families to address local hunger issues.

Initially money raised will be donated to the South Jersey Food Bank.

Interested in how it works or how you can join? Bryce Hewlett (brycehewlett@gmail.com) would love to talk to you and get you on board.

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Homeless Connections (Our Newest Compassion Team)

March 23rd, 2012 by nate

A posting from Kate Cruz (team member from Marlton & Crescent)…

In 2011, an estimated 3,219* men, women and children were without a place to call home in Camden alone.

At least 499 children were homeless in 2011 in South Jersey.

The causes of homelessness are as unique as the people who find themselves without a place to call home. Loss of income, eviction, release from prison, addiction, domestic violence, foreclosure, illness, disability, aging out of foster care, just to name a few.

I often hear people debate where to even start in Camden; do you improve education to draw families in, or do you build good, safe housing people can afford so that people move in and demand better schools? Or the latest question posed by local government: if you close social services and homeless shelters will the homeless “go home?”

It is easy to get lost in the debate and lose connection to our neighbors who don’t have the luxury of speculating about such things because they are consumed with fear, hunger and the task of surviving intense cold or blazing heat.

The Homeless Connections Team desires to engage in the debate but also engage with our 3,219+ neighbors who find themselves homeless. We want to work for justice, demonstrate the gospel of love and mercy, and connect human to human, heart to heart with those our society tends to shut out and ignore.

As relatively new neighbors, we want to come alongside of others in the fights for justice that are already occurring. As we begin to build our connection we will make ourselves available to opportunities to learn and love and we hope you will join us.

Whether rich or poor we are united in demonstrating the gospel through justice, not merely talking about it.

*2011 Point In Time Report http://monarchhousing.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/PITC/CamdenFnl.pdf

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Pray for the Coordinating Groups

March 21st, 2012 by admin

Clockwise from bottom left: Jeffy, Kathryn, Aaron, Jeff, Sarah (the newest!), and Anthony

The Circle of Hope Cell Leaders are also in cells of cell leaders! They just meet once a month, but they keep track of one another all the time. They get a little more face time when we get together for our monthly training times, too. The group at the left is Rod’s group (he’s taking the picture). They meet at the diner early (they are usually the first ones there). This morning they checked in, talked about cell loving, had some discussion about The Tangible Kingdom, and came up with an unusual idea about having a three-cells-turn-into-four multiplication — it might not be a good idea, but it was fun to think creatively with Jesus.

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