A Quick Update

Hello, everyone! I thought I'd write a quick line to let people know that we are still here, but since most of us have a connection to some sort of University setting (be it professor, student, or spouse of one or the other), we have been swamped with end of the semester stuff. Add to that a sick infant and a Diocesan youth retreat to lead, and you'll see why there hasn't been much activity on the blog.

SarahBelle asked how our first big event turned out. Stations went really well. I'd like to write a decent review of it (or someone else could do it, or once it's written we could all make comments on the post's comments page). So I'll simply say we worked really hard, met some great people, learned from those we ate and worshipped with, and came away inspired to continue our effort to reach out to the poor and homeless of the Scranton area. We're working on the idea of a monthly offering and will post more about that as it comes into place.

Stammtisch. Some of you may say "bless you" after reading that word. It is a German term that expresses the idea of a regular weekly gathering for conversation in a public place, usually in a setting like a cafe, pub, or restaurant. We are planning to adopt two nights of the week to be out in the city with no exact agenda other than to be there and hang out. We may decide to do an informal Bible study, or talk about emerging church stuff, but more importantly we simply want to be. To be out there, to be together, to be available, to be overheard. If you've been interested in what we're doing and who we are, this would be a great time for you to drop in and just hang out with us. More details on night/time/location to come (we're tentatively looking at later in the evening, 8:30ish, to allow parents to help each other get kids to bed before one of them leaves for the Stammtisch; we're considering one night for those over 21 and comfortable in the setting to be at a pub, more than likely the Banshee; and we're considering one night for those under 21 and comfortable with non-smoking/non-alcoholic settings to be at a cafe, more than likely either Northern Light or Cafe Aroma).

Also, we are shifting our gathering time and activities on Friday nights so that any that can will meet at 5:30 for a potluck/community meal where we'll try to get any planning/administrative stuff out of the way. Then we'll all pitch in to clean-up and transition into worship around 7, which should have us finishing up by 8. This will allow people to get home earlier, or feel more free to stay and hang out afterward, or watch a movie, or take the party elsewhere. If you're interested in joining us, let us know and we'll talk. We hope to continue to be flexible and welcome people to come to any or all of a Friday night gathering as their schedule permits.

Finally, we have some ideas for our next alt.worship offering to the community. More on that as it develops.

| homeless, Scranton, stammtisch, potluck, alt.worship, alt worship, emergent, emerging church |