Buy and Review Brian McLaren’s Latest Book “A New Kind of Christianity”

We got to share dinner with Brian McLaren last spring.  Brian graciously gave his time to us along with a bunch of books and CDs.  We asked if there was anything we could do for him and, after thinking about it a little while, he asked us to read and review his new book “A New Kind of Christianity” when it comes out.

I’m reminding everyone of this request as the book has been out for a couple of months.  Jan has a copy and so do I and we’re happy to allow you to borrow it if you want.  It’s good stuff!

Once you’ve read it, review it on Amazon.com, your blog, or anywhere else you can.

Love and miss you all so much!

We Need YOU!!!

Hi all!

At the planning meeting last night, we decided to spend the next few months at HG focusing on the early church – particularly as found in the book of Acts.  We’ll start the Sunday after Easter by focusing on the last couple chapters of John (John 20-21) that focus on the empty tomb, appearance to the disciples, etc (fittingly the stuff right after “Easter” in the gospels).  Then we’ll begin looking at the book of Acts, taking a couple of chapters a week and focusing on whatever in those chapters speaks to the leader for the week.  We filled in a couple weeks with leaders, but we need a lot more, particularly for the two weeks right after Easter (John 20-21 and Acts 1-2).  Please let me know ASAP if you’d be willing to lead one of those weeks!  Thanks all!

Steph

New Dinner Plan for Sunday Nights

Hey all! So at the planning meeting on Sunday, we decided to take a break from the traditional potluck on Sunday nights.  For the month of April, we’ll going to skip the potluck.  That said, we will still gather at 6 pm for a time of fellowship.  If yoou want to bring dinner with you and eat then, you’re more than welcome, but you shouldn’t feel pressure to bring food.  Program for the evening will still begin at 6:45 pm.  We’ll try this for the month of April and then reassess.  Thanks all!

2 Opportunities to Serve Carpenter’s Shelter

Volunteers needed for Carpenter’s Shelter Cookoff!  Sunday, April 25  Noon – 3pm @ The Birchmere.  For more information, contact Jon Borden or check this out: http://www.carpentersshelter.org/2010/02/carpenters-cook-off/

Volunteers needed to Serve Dinner for the Residents of Carpenter’s Shelter on Friday, April 30 at 6 pm.  We need someone to head this up, organize the dinner (who will cook and what we’ll cook).  Let Jan know if interested.

Easter Sunrise Service

What:  Celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus followed by breakfast in the park

When:  6:00 am coffee (but we’ll start worship at 6:30)

Where:  Oronoco Bay Park (aka The Joanna Geiger Baptismal Site) at the end of Pendleton St., Old Town, Alexandria

Other Details:  Music by John Dale, Story by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and/or John

There will be no Evening Gathering on April 4th!

The Return of Hari

All – Hari returns around May 19 – although this is merely estimated. 

The return of the prodigal!

HG Tonight

Hello Friends!!!

I know this is a little last minute, but I wanted to let everyone know to not worry about bringing food for the potluck tonight! Steph will be bringing dinner, so take the night off from cooking

Also, make sure to come early for the planning meeting

Update

Hi all -

Thank you all for your prayers.  I am still in DC and I’m staying for now.  Grandma is stable in that she’s not getting worse, but they also don’t have any answers and if they can’t get her blood pressure down she will likelyhave a major stroke.  She’s still very confused, but she’s happy in her state of confusion so that’s good.

In good news, I got confirmation that we can get into the apartment on Saturday morning.  Thank you all for the offers to move me, with or without me   I appreciate it and it may still be a real possibility.  My hope is that she’ll stabilize and I can get moved, my sister can come and not miss her trip, and I can go home with her over Easter weekend.

Finally, please pray for my mom and aunts & uncles.  They’ve been at the hospital constantly and they’re exhausted and trying to make really hard decisions at the same time.  Thank you all!

Pray for wisdom

Hey all – I need your prayers for wisdom on what to do right now.  My mom just called and my grandmother isn’t doing very well at all.  She’s 95 and has been suffering mini strokes.  They’ve had her in the hospital since Monday night.  My mom called tonight and she’s getting to the point of delusional and they don’t know if she’s going to come out of it or not.

I am having a really hard time deciding what to do.  I desperately want to go home, but we don’t know if now is the best time or not, because she’s been really up and down.  Plus, I’m supposed to move on Saturday and the apartment I’m supposed to be moving into may or may not be water damaged from a burst pipe and may or may not be ready on Saturday (they say it will be but I’m skeptical).  On top of that, my little sister and her boyfriend have a ticket to come here on Monday so it’s not exactly the ideal time to jump on a plane.

Please pray for me to have wisdom about what to do and if I do go, pray I can figure out all the details of what that means for everything here.  Pray that if now isn’t the time to go that I have peace about that decision.

Thank you all!

Wendell Berry Speaking in Arlington May 4th

Arlington Reads 2010: Literary Legend, Farmer Wendell Berry

• “The Memory of Old Jack” is featured title
• Berry, urban farmer Novella Carpenter to speak
• Book club kits available

ARLINGTON, Va. — Our food takes center plate this spring as Arlington Reads 2010 looks at the movement away from industrial mass production back to safer, healthier meals grown through local, sustainable means.

Arlington Reads is Arlington Public Library’s annual one-book, one-community initiative to promote discussion and the joy of reading throughout the County. It is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.

This year’s featured Arlington Reads author—literary legend, essayist, poet and Kentucky farmer Wendell Berry, who declared that “eating is an agricultural act,” — is widely credited with inspiring the “food movement.” Making a rare public appearance, Berry will discuss his life’s work and vision of people honoring and reconnecting with the soil at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 4 at Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington. This special event is free and open to the public.

“Wendell Berry actually began the national conversation about food, agriculture, the environment and health decades ago,” Library Director Diane Kresh said. “Without him, we probably wouldn’t have a vegetable garden on the White House lawn or Wal-Mart selling organic produce.”

This year’s Arlington Reads celebrates not only Berry’s “remarkable career as a writer of more than 30 novels, essays and collections of poetry, but his prescience in encouraging readers to ‘think globally and eat locally,’’ Kresh said.

This Weekend: Moving Party Saturday & Planning Meeting Sunday

Hey friends – Just a reminder that we have a couple things going on this weekend.  First, many of you wonderful people are helping me move on Saturday (thank you).  We’ll meet at my current place (200 Yoakum Pkwy, Alexandria) at 10 am. Let me know if you can join us so I can plan for lunch!

The planning meeting will be at 4:30 pm on Sunday.  There are several things on the agenda – the plan for the next season of HG services, scheduling some service projects, to potluck or not to potluck, and the plan for the sunrise service on Easter.

Thanks all!

PS – Pray that I’m really moving on Saturday.  Apparently a pipe broke in the building I’m moving into and there was “damage to the apartment.”  They assure me I get to move in on Saturday but I’m a little nervous!

Anyone want to go to the Brad Paisley concert?

Hey friends -

Jon Borden and I are going to the Brad Paisley concert on May 22 at Jiffy Lube Live (formerly Nissan Pavillion).  Anyone want to join us?  Lawn seats are $35 and tickets went on sale this morning.  If you want to come, jump on the website and buy yourself a lawn ticket!  Here’s a link to the website – http://www.livenation.com/event/getEvent/eventId/419676?c=dm-3486207&p=46516059

Care Package for Hari (because we care)

Please bring whatever you’d like to add to a care package for Hari – to send to Iraq – this Sunday March 21st.  I’ll be sending it Monday.

Cornerstone Benefit Concert-this Saturday

CARPENTER’S COOK-OFF VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Carpenter’s Shelter is starting the process of looking for volunteers to support their 8^th Annual Cook-Off; to be held Saturday 25 April 2010. This family friendly event will generate funds in support of their Transitional Services program, benefitting formerly homeless children and families.  I look at this as a great way to personally support the community and ask for you to join me in volunteering.  I have already contacted their volunteer coordinator and have listed the “TENTATIVE” list of volunteers need below; the actual list is due out shortly.  My goal is to recruit as many volunteers as I can from the Fairlington Presbyterian Church Community (HG and morning service) and possibly some of our Methodist friends and present us a group of volunteers.  Please review the list and if you feel so moved to volunteer for one of the many positions need, I ask that you contact me ASAP and mark the date on your calendar.  JonBorden@msn.com

Volunteer Roles:

• Set-up  (10 volunteers) 9:30am – 12:00pm
• Clean-Up (20 volunteers)  2:30am – 4:00pm
• Volunteer Check-In Shift 1 (4 volunteers) Shift One: 11:00am –1:00pm
• Volunteer Check-In Shift 2  Shift Two: 1:00pm- 3:00pm
• Greeters Shift 1 (4 volunteers) Shift One: 11:00am –1:00pm
• Greeters Shift 2  Shift Two: 1:00pm- 3:00pm
• Information Corner (2 volunteers) 11:30am – 3:30pm
• Ticket Sales Shift 1 (4 volunteers) Shift One: 11:30am –1:30pm
• Ticket Sales Shift 2 Shift Two: 1:30pm- 3:00pm
• Parking Attendants (4 volunteers) 12:00 pm -2:00 pm
• Restaurant Runners/ Servers Shift 1 (20 volunteers) Shift One: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm 
• Restaurant Runners/ Servers Shift 2  Shift Two: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
• Drink Servers (4 volunteers)Shift One: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm  Shift Two: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
• Children’s Corner (4 volunteers) Shift One: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Shift One: 1:30 –4:00pm
• Table Bussers (4 volunteers)Shift One: 12:00 am – 2:00 pm Shift Two: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Raffle & Awards (4 volunteers)Shift One: 11:30am –1:30pm Shift Two: 1:30pm –3:00 pm

Please note that in order to easily coordinate volunteers, the Carpenter’s Shelter has asked that all volunteers provide their top three (ranked) desired volunteer roles. If you would like their descriptions of these roles, let me know and I can send you that information.

PS. There may also be opportunities to volunteer to serve on the advance team to do work prior to the day of the event; I will post that info as it becomes available.

Moving Party!!! March 27

Hey all -

So in case you haven’t heard, I’m officially moving on March 27 and would love your help.  I rented a truck so we should be able to do it in one trip.  I’m picking up the truck at 9 am and have the elevator reserved at 10 am so I’m thinking we’ll get started about then.  Let me know if you can help – I promise to at least feed you lunch!

Thanks!

Steph

Plan for Easter

Hey friends – So it was decided last night that we aren’t going to meet on the evening of Easter (April 4).  We are going to do a sunrise service of some sort that morning, however, and Jan would love help with an Easter egg hunt for the kids that morning.  Details about the sunrise service will follow after our March 28 planning meeting.  I’ll keep you posted!

Holy Grounds Planning Mtg – March 28

Hey all -

We will be having a Holy Grounds planning meeting on Sunday, March 28 at 4:30 pm to plan the next few months of worship.  Come join us!!!

Steph

HG Women’s Small Group dinner & planning mtg.

Chirilagua Women’s Group Fundraiser

sarahedale (at) gmail.com

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