Holy Grounds

May 16 & 17

Matt — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:57:55 +0000

I’m (Matt P) going to be in DC and I hear that Lauren and Jan will be as well. What’s planned? Would love to hang out with a bunch of you? Love and miss you so much!!!

Easter Sunrise Service

Whitney — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:56:15 +0000

Hi all – This Sunday We are doing the traditional HG Easter Service at 6:15 am on Sunday (I know, I know, it’s crazy early but the sun rises at 6:45 and you can go back to bed). The service will be held at the Joanna Geiger Baptism Memorial Park (otherwise known as one of the little decks shooting into the water at Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria). Easiest access is to go to the end of Pendleton Street where it hits the water.

You may wish to bring blankets. It can be cold on the water that early. You may also wish to bring a breakfast item to share.

And you may wish to call Erin Weston at about 5:45 to make sure she’s awake to provide musical accompaniment.

There will then be NO evening Holy Grounds meeting.

All are welcome. See you then!

Field Trip (and special guests!)

Whitney — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:29:52 +0000

Hi friends,

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve decided to join Sunday Night at Foundry this weekend for Let It Be: Worship With the Beatles. The service will start at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, and we’ll grab dinner together afterwards.

Also, the wonderful Matt Pritchard and Joanna Geiger will be joining us! So many reasons to go!

Let me know if you need a ride, and I’ll help you figure something out.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Whitney

Joanna is coming!

sreinitz — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:39:04 +0000

Hello HG friends!

I have fantastic news! The wonderful Joanna Geiger is back in the country and will be sharing at HG on Sunday night (this week – January 8). Many of you know her, but for those of you who don’t, Joanna is a former Holy Groundser who has spent the last several years serving overseas with YWAM in Thailand and Australia. She’s going to be leading Sunday night and talking some about her experiences. She would love to see everyone. Service starts at 6 pm – hope everyone can make it!

Thanks all!

Steph

Holidays with the Muppets

Whitney — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:42:44 +0000

Hi friends,

This coming Sunday night, Dec. 18, we’re holding an HG Christmas party.

There will be a screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol, and we ask that everyone bring a snack to share.

Join us, even if you haven’t been to HG for awhile. We’d love to see you.

6:00 p.m. in the basement of Fairlington Presbyterian Church. Bonus points if you wear an ugly holiday sweater.

See you then!

Whitney

This Saturday: Help Paige Move!

Whitney — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:52:16 +0000

Hi friends,

What’s that? You don’t have any Saturday morning plans?

You’re in luck! It’s time to reassemble the HG moving team to help Paige relocate from Fairlington to Crystal City.

We’re meeting at her old place at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday (tomorrow!) to load and transport. She doesn’t have much in the way of furniture, so we should be able to get it all into cars. If you can bring yours, we’ll get this done even faster!

So, 8:00 a.m. at 3738 Jason Ave, Alexandria, VA. It’s just down the street from Fairlington Pres. See you then?

Whitney

HG Field Trip

Whitney — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:12:23 +0000

Hi all,

Tonight, HG will not be meeting at Fairlington. Instead, we’re taking it on the road for a progressive dinner! If you would like to join and have not yet received details, send me an email at whitney[dot]gent[at]gmail[dot]com. Starts at 3:00, ends at 9:00.

See you there!

Whitney

21 Day Challenge

Whitney — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:55:28 +0000

Hi all,

Last Sunday night we talked about the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), wherein Jesus sets Martha straight for being more concerned with dinner details and hospitality than sitting at his feet. In an effort to really learn from this, we’ve decided to embark together upon a 21 day challenge.

It supposedly takes 21 days to make or break a habit. So, should you wish to participate, we ask that you identify one behavior that you think would either: 1) help you to better sit at the feet of Jesus, or 2) remove an obstacle to your relationship with Jesus. The challenge is personal and, should you decide to participate, you’ll be committing to doing (or not doing) something every day of the 21. Each Sunday until the end of October, expect to be asked about your progress as we aim to hold one another accountable to our personal challenges. I hope you will join us.

-Whitney

P.S. – My mom will be joining us this Sunday.

Sunday’s meeting

Whitney — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:44:19 +0000

Has been cancelled. Most folks will be away on travel this weekend. We’ll resume on the first weekend in October. See you then!

Please pray…

sreinitz — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:10:02 +0000

Hi friends -

I’m posting to ask for your prayers for some friends of mine. My good friends Dale & Hannah in Pittsburgh just had a baby girl named Ruby. She was just diagnosed with a very serious heart defect (two holes in her heart) and has been admitted to the hospital. She’s having trouble breathing and hasn’t gained any weight since birth, even though she’s already 6 weeks old. The doctors can’t seem to get her to gain any weight. To make the situation even more heartbreaking, their son passed away at birth a year and a half ago because of an undetected complication during childbirth. They are now at the point of fearing the loss of their second baby in two years. I can’t even imagine.

I’m heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning to stay with them until Tuesday and watch their 4 year old daughter, Lindy, so they can be at the hospital. Please pray for healing for Ruby, for strength and rest for Dale & Hannah, and for peace for me. It’s minor compared to what they’re going through, but I have a staff retreat in two weeks and this is the worst possible time to take off 2 days. Not really sure how it’s going to work.

Thank you all! I’ll try to keep you posted.

Steph

No HG this Sunday

Whitney — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 02:54:08 +0000

Hi all,

We will not be holding Holy Grounds tomorrow due to the holiday weekend. However, I’m looking for a volunteer (or two) to lead next week. Please let me know if you are interested/willing.

Thanks!

Whitney

Grappling in Chicago

jledmiston — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:33:30 +0000

Dear Holy Grounders,

THANK YOU for what is among the best gifts I’ve ever been given. I really, really love the grappling hook and your grappling memories. It’s the only personal touch in my new office in my new position with Chicago Presbytery. Already it has not only soothed my soul, but it’s invited others to grapple with me.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate all of you. Thanks especially to Steph for delivering it and to Lauren for creating it and to all of you for being my sisters and brothers in Christ.

I miss you and love you. May the grappling continue – Jan

PS I hope to see many of you at J & D’s wedding.

Sunday Night with Matt

Lauren Williams — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:14:44 +0000

Hi Kiddos!!!

Steph just informed me that the infamous Matt will be leading on Sunday evening. I don’t know what the topic will be, but knowing Matt, I’m sure it’ll spark some awesome conversation

SO, come on out this weekend and join us Sunday evening for some fantastic fellowship!

Move Assistance Requested

JDBorden — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:28:14 +0000

Michael Dennis, the organist for Fairlington Presbyterian Church is looking for some help; please see the email he sent Hari below……… If you can help please contact Hari

Hari,

I’ve finally nailed down some info about what help I could use for my move. It’s Saturday, August 6 and I can start at 8AM.

I need a couple of things:

1. Some helpers to load my U-Haul. I have an elevator reserved starting at 8AM that morning and just need to get everything out and on to the truck as quickly as possible.

2. Delivery of extra furniture to the church. It can all go on the back of the U-Haul, and we make a stop on the way to Reston. Or, someone with a pickup might be able to take it separately.

3. Two people to follow me to Reston: One to drive my car and one to follow and take that driver back to Alexandria.

I don’t actually need any help unloading or unpacking in Reston – I have soccer players and coworkers who are going to pitch in on that end. I hope to get loaded and drive out there in the morning and be done with that much by early afternoon.

Thanks for helping me find people!

Michael

Personal Favor

Lauren Williams — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:21:14 +0000

Hi Friends!

I have a personal request to make to all of you in my “tribe.” I recently found out from a very dear friend of mine, Katie (some of you may have heard me talk about her (graphic designer who lives in Brooklyn)) that one of her sisters (Kendra (whom I would also consider a friend)) has been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. While I am quite certain that I can count on all of you for prayers (which I love), I have another request as well.

Katie has set up an online shop to help Kendra (and her husband Stephen) offset some of the cost of Kendra’s chemo treatments. If you get a chance, please visit wholeheartsforlife.com and consider helping out.

Thanks all

Next couple weeks

sreinitz — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 15:58:24 +0000

Hi friends! Just an update on the next couple of weeks at HG. Whitney is leading tomorrow (July 3), I’m leading the following week (July10), and Hari is up the 17th. If you’re available to lead after that, let me know and I’ll add you to the whiteboard tomorrow night. Happy 4th of July!

Steph

Tonight – Ryan leading

sreinitz — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:42:40 +0000

Hey friends -

Ryan Page is going to lead at HG tonight (thanks Ryan!) – See you all at 6!

Steph

Leader for tomorrow

Lauren Williams — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:19:36 +0000

Hi friends we find ourselves in the same situation we were last week: we lack a leader for tomorrow’s hg Sunday gathering.

So, if you’re willing to lead tomorrow, please let Stephanie or me know or just comment on this post

Thanks!

Tonight!

sreinitz — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 21:15:11 +0000

Hey all – Since no one appears to be able/willing to lead tonight, I’m thinking we officially cancel for the evening. Lauren and I are at our place, considering ordering Thai food, text me ASAP if you’re interested in joining us for dinner (or just hanging out). Thanks all!

Steph

Leader for tonight

sreinitz — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:45:35 +0000

Hi friends – Lauren and I realized we don’t have a plan for HG tonight. Anyone up for leading tonight (or in the next couple weeks for that matter)?

Casa Chiri Young Professionals: Latin Wine & Food Pairing Experience

Beth — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:53:01 +0000

Let’s celebrate wine and food from Latin countries while we learn about a local charity, Casa Chirilagua! Casa Chirilagua helps build community in a Latino immigrant neighborhood in Arlandria known as Chirilagua.

When: Friday, June 17, 7 p.m.
Where: Beth’s Apartment near Duke & N. Jordan, (I’ll email you the address the day before)
What: Bring a bottle of wine from South America and a food item, perhaps Latin-inspired(!), to pair. As we open and taste each wine and food pairing, each person will tell us why he/she picked this particular wine and food item. We will get to know each other better and talk with others involved with the Casa Chirilagua community.

RSVP to me directly or at MeetUp at http://meetu.ps/1gPR7

P.S. If you’d like help picking a wine or a wine/food pairing, I am happy to help!

Arlington Theology Pub

Beth — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:55:48 +0000

Hi everyone!

I wanted to let you know about this great Emerging Christianity Conversation I’ve been attending in DC facilitated by Glenn Zuber. So far we have read two Brian McLaren books and one Rob Bell book and discussed them in small groups. Brian McLaren has also come to speak twice since December. Glenn runs a similar conversation-oriented DC Theology Pub and wants to create one in Arlington to make it easier to attend for those south of the Potomac.

If you are interested in possibly attending any of these Arlington Theology Pub conversations, let me know and I will pass your contact info on to Glenn. If you would like more information or would like to contact Glenn directly, check out the DC Theology Pub meetup site at http://www.meetup.com/DC-Theology-Pub/ .

Beth Taylor
Zn2001@yahoo.com

NO Sunday Service Tonight!

Lauren Williams — Sun, 29 May 2011 12:12:53 +0000

Hi Friends!

Jen reminded me last night that we never got the word out about the plans for Memorial Day weekend. As I recall, we decided to cancel the Sunday evening service because we were unsure as to who would be there and didn’t have anyone to lead.

SO… enjoy a Sunday evening off, come hang out at Half-Priced Burgers tomorrow, and we’ll catch you later

(If there’s a big enough group who wants to/is able to be there tonight as well as somebody who watns to lead, I’m going to trust you to handle that amongst yourselves )

1/2 Price Burger Time

JDBorden — Sat, 28 May 2011 16:36:36 +0000

WOW! Can you believe it, it’s Memorial weekend……. That makes Monday a holiday and 1/2 price burgers at noon. So if your in town make plans to stop by Crystal City Sports Pub for a great meal in the company of your friends. And the first round of Ice Water is on my tab!

Movie Time!

Lauren Williams — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:36:56 +0000

Alright Friends… To kick off the next few weeks of super fun moving parties, I propose an entertaining venture. THIS FRIDAY (May 13), let’s go see THOR. I don’t know an exact time yet (Fandango hasn’t released them yet), but I’ll probably be looking at and 8:00 showing in 2D at Hoffman AMC (right off 495 in Alexandria) or Regal Potomac Yard (on Rt 1 by Hops). Let me know if you’re interested in going (lrn.wllms[at]gmail[dot]com), and I’ll make sure to keep you in the loop once I get more details

Farewell Party for Josh (& Lauren – kind of :))

sreinitz — Tue, 10 May 2011 02:21:14 +0000

Hey all -

So our dear friend Josh is back from training, but sadly only for a couple of weeks before heading to Germany for good. We decided to send both he and Lauren off in style (even though Lauren is staying for a bit) with the first barbeque of the summer. The festivities will take place on Friday, May 20 at the Dale’s house. We’ll fire up the grill sometime around 6 pm (“we” may or may not actually be the Dale’s who might still be at work) and we’ll plan to eat between 6:30 and 7 pm but you can come whenever you get off work. I’ll try to help coordinate food, so let me know if you’re willing to bring something and what that something might be Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Steph

HG – Plan for May

sreinitz — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:43:29 +0000

Hello all -

For those of you that missed the planning meeting last week, we thought we should fill you in on a couple of things. The plan for the foreseeable future is to go back to a 6:00 pm start time with different members of our community leading discussions each evening. We are also going to do a focus on Fear for the next several weeks. We have leaders scheduled for the next several weeks and will be adding to the schedule as we go. Finally, we decided to make a donation to Carpenter’s Shelter on behalf of Holy Grounds.

That’s the quick summary – I’ll be posting separately about a couple special events and a volunteer need we have. Hope to see you all next week!

Steph

Lodging Request

Matt — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 01:49:26 +0000

I’m so excited about seeing you all this Sunday as Jan’s tenure at FPC comes to a close. I’ll be travelling with my friend Jess. We’re needing a place to stay Saturday night. I’m catching a flight to the upper peninsula of Michigan late Sunday afternoon and she’ll be driving my car back to Pittsburgh, so unfortunately it’s going to be a really short trip. We’ll be getting into DC around 9 Saturday night. Let me know if you have space for both or even just one of us. Love and miss you all so much!

HG Planning Meeting this week

sreinitz — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:06:28 +0000

Hi all -

We’ve now reached the end of Lent and therefore our trial period of meeting with the Methodists over lunch. This week, we’re returning to the 6:30 pm time slot and will meet to talk about what we want to do for our worship service moving forward. I hope to see you all there!

Steph

Game night tomorrow at Steph’s!

sreinitz — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:30:58 +0000

Hi friends – So there are a few of us with a hankering for Monopoly so we’re playing at my place tomorrow night (Friday). Come by anytime after 6 pm and we can order food if people are hungry. Call or text me if you need directions – 612.708.0793. And no, you’re not required to play Monopoly, you can just come by and hang out if you want.

Easter Sunrise Service

sreinitz — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:25:39 +0000

Hi all – Thought it was time to share the official plan for Easter. We are doing the traditional HG Easter Service at 6 am on Sunday (I know, I know, it’s crazy early but the sun rises at 6:25 and you can go back to bed). The service will be held at the Joanna Geiger Baptism Memorial Park (otherwise known as one of the little decks shooting into the water at Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria). Easiest access is to go to the end of Pendleton Street where it hits the water. Jan is bringing coffee, Lauren and I are bringing food of some nature — feel free to bring something to contribute but don’t feel obligated. See you all there!

Steph

Rebuilding Together

Lauren Williams — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:38:05 +0000

Ok Everyone, Dave just sent me the details for our April service project. We’ll be getting together to work with Rebuilding Together Alexandria (aka Christmas in April). They’re a really cool organization that works to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners. There are projects happening year round with RTA, but they have a massive Work Day every year in April (hence “Christmas in April).

This year, the work day is Saturday, April 30.

Dave thinks it will be easiest for volunteers to contact RTA directly and let them know that they’re signing up to work the the Holy Grounds/TNT team.

RTA’s POC is Mike Moss (703-93-0164, 571-277-0739 (cell), or cmoss [at] ida [dot] org.

Also, if you know of any Alexandria families that could be served through RTA’s program, please call 703-836-1021.

Hope to see you all out there!!!

Adding Security to Your Posts

Lauren Williams — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:03:41 +0000

I’ve heard it a few times from a few different people… There’s a desire for the ability to make posts inaccessible to crawlers like Google and Yahoo. This is specifically desired for posts that include personal information (such as prayer requests).

After a little bit of playing, I think I’ve come up (hopefully) with a suitable solution (at least for now until we can find something a little more reliable).

SO, if you have a post that you don’t want showing up on search engines (but still accessible to any visitors to the site and it will appear in RSS feeds)…

Step One: Write your post like normal

Step Two: Before you hit “Publish,” scroll down on the page (or look to the right sidebar, depending on how you’ve set your page layout) until you find the little box that says “Meta Robots” it should look like this…

Step Three: Find and select the “noindex, nofollow” option on the Meta Robots drop down menu.

Step Four: Publish your post as usual.

This plugin should stop crawlers from coming through your post. It will still be tweeted, emailed, and it will still appear on RSS feeds.

Additionally, if you want added protection for your post, you can change the visibility of the post to only include registered users of this site. To do so, edit the “Visibility” options in the “Publish” box. Setting it to “Private” will lock it down for anybody who is not registered on our site.

If you have any questions about this, or if you would like additional tutorials on posting options, let me know!!!

Potluck Next Sunday

Lauren Williams — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:38:14 +0000

Pull out your Pyrex and find your recipe for Tuna Noodle Casserole, we’re having a potluck!

Next Sunday is our LAST lunch meeting/study with the Methodists, and we thought it would be appropriate to do something fun.

SO, next Sunday (April 17), we’ll be meeting at 12:15 in the basement of FPC. Bring an empty stomach and a dish to share. The plates/cups/napkins and drinks will all be taken care of

As always, PLEASE feel free to come even if you forget/don’t have time/whatever to bring something. There is always more than enough food when we get together!

Site Maintenance Update

Lauren Williams — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:18:04 +0000

Alright Kids… I *think* I’ve gotten everything sorted out enough that you should be able to fully use the site without any major issues.

If you’re curious about what I did, I’m about to tell you. If you don’t care, stop reading now ;)

In a nutshell, I got rid of some of the extra plugins that we weren’t utilizing, installed a new Facebook login plugin that will hopefully be less glitchy, added a “login through wordpress” option to the sidebar for those who prefer to use their wordpress login, installed a new calendar plugin (and updated it!), added a “Coming up” events list to the sidebar, and tried to clean up a little on the backend of things.

If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to ask me! The only other (somewhat) major update that I’m working on is ensuring that our twitter account is still linked to the blog (it hasn’t been updating properly), but I’m still waiting on some info before I can check into that. I also plan on looking into connecting to the HG facebook album to add some fun pictures to the sidebar (not sure yet if I’m going to get that to work).

I think that’s it! Please play around, click all the links, and let me know if you run into any issues. I’ll be monitoring the site activity fairly closely for the next few days to make sure I don’t see anything wonky come across

Test Post

Lauren Williams — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:19:43 +0000

This is a test post… feel free to ignore it

Site Maintenance

Lauren Williams — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:27:47 +0000

Hi All! In an attempt to get rid of some of the kinks in the HG site as well as get it in a usable state once again, I’m working on a fairly major overhaul of the plugins and widgets (you probably won’t notice a major difference in the face of the page, but you’ll hopefully notice a few upgrades in functionality). What that means is… for a little while (hopefully not too long, but I need some big pieces to come together), the “Login through Facebook” option will not be available.

What that means is, if you need to post something, you will either need to 1) email the full post to me and I can post it for you or 2) let me know if you want me to create a site-specific login for you.

Sorry for the inconvenience! I’ll let you know when everything is up and running again

Hanging out Saturday Night

sreinitz — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:55:19 +0000

Hello friends -

So Whitney had the great idea that it’s time for a Guapo’s night. Therefore, we’re going to meet up at Guapo’s at 5:30 pm on Saturday for dinner and sangaritas (or your drink of choice) and then head back to my place to hang out and play games, watch whatever sporting event in on TV, etc. Shoot me an email or text (612.708.0793) if you want to join us so I know how many to get a table for! Thanks friends!

Steph

RANGO

JDBorden — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:50:32 +0000

Hey All – I’m thinking about going to see the movie Rango tonight at Potomac Yard. If you want to see it in Digital the show starts at 6:30 or in a normal view at 7:00. Send me a text, drop me an email or give me a call if you’d like to meet up. Jon

Lent study with the Methodists starting March 13

sreinitz — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:35:51 +0000

Hello everyone -

As many of you have seen in the emails from Jen and previous posts, we are exploring some possible collaboration with a group from the Methodist church next door. As part of that experiment, we are going to do a season of joint Bible study during the Lenten season leading up to Easter. Starting March 13 and running until Easter, there will not be regular Holy Grounds in the evening. Instead we will meet in the Fairlington Pres basement at 12:30 pm to do a joint Bible study focused on the parables of Jesus. Ricardo from Fairlington UMC will be leading. Once we get through this season, we will re-evaluate and decide if we want to continue or go back to our normal schedule. Thanks all – let me know if you have any questions!

Steph

Game Night This Friday

sreinitz — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:27:55 +0000

Hi all – Just a reminder that we’re doing a game night at church on Friday night starting at 7 pm. Bring a snack and games to share and feel free to bring friends! See you all then!

Steph

Last minute pizza & drinks

John Dale — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:53:53 +0000

Hey everyone,

We’re going to have last minute pizza & drinks (BYOB) at the Dale’s tonight, so stop on by if you’re like to unwind with us. Text Sarah to let her know you’re coming so that we have enough food (202 556 8133).

Happy Friday!

Want to Connect with Haiti?

jledmiston — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:14:27 +0000

HGers (and all)

We are pondering a work trip to Haiti sometime in the coming months. Cameron Davidson is the leader on this. FPC has a long term relationship with the Community Coalition for Haiti building hospitals, working with students, and generally befriending the people of Haiti. We’re talking about a week of your life that will change many lives.

Wanted to get this on your radar. Details coming.

Jan

Game Night with the Methodists – March 4

sreinitz — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:54:47 +0000

Hello all -

As I think most of you have heard, we have decided to begin doing some more intentional collaboration with the Methodists across the street. Jen will provide more details about our most recent conversation with them, but to kick off our new partnership, we’ve decided to do one of the things HG does best – a good old-fashioned game night!

We will be meeting in the basement at our Fairlington on Friday evening, March 4 starting at 7 pm. Please join us and bring your favorite games and a snack to share. Feel free to invite friends – the more the merrier!

Thanks all! See you then!

Steph

Lunch with Fairlington UMC

Josh Williams — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:39:46 +0000

Hey guys!

Just wanted to send out a reminder. We will be meeting @ 1230 today with some folks from Fairlington UMC to talk about collaborating more with their ministry. We will be meeting at Chicken Out in Bradley Shopping Center by the Church. You can email me or Jenn Gillett for more info. Hope to see you there.

Josh

Samuel Beckett’s

JDBorden — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:05:54 +0000

For all that would like to join me I will be going to the New Irish Pub – Samuel Beckett’s in Shirlington this Friday at 7pm. If interested drop me a line at jonborden04@msn.com

Movie Night with the Methodists

sreinitz — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:16:48 +0000

Hi Holy Grounds – Ashley Moore from Fairlington UMC asked me to post this and invite you all to join their “Fairlington Flicks Night” on Friday night. They need RSVPs so check out the details and email Dave if you want to join!

Please join the Green Team and Church and Society for our next
Fairlington (Methodist) Flicks Night. We will be watching “Food,
Inc.”, an Academy Award nominee (more info at
http://www.foodincmovie.com/ ), coming up on Friday, February 11th, at
7:00 pm in FUMC’s social hall. Food Matters
(http://www.foodmattersva.com/) will be catering this event! Come
enjoy soup, bread and salad made with local ingredients. All for only
$10 a person! Please let us know if you have any dietary
restrictions. RSVP this week by Thursday for dinner portion to Dave
Moore (cruguru@gmail.com).Thanks!

Food for Thought…

JDBorden — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:59:28 +0000

OK Food Fans! Who’s up for going and checking out the newest pub in Shirlington – Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub…… I’m up for either Friday or Saturday night and will make the reservation depending on the greater preference. It could be like 7pm Friday night or 6:30pm Saturday night? Please vote by noon Friday so I have time to announce the winner, pick up stragglers and make reservations. jonborden04@msn.com

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

Lauren Williams — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:45:46 +0000

Alright Kids… the Superbowl is this coming Sunday (Feb 6). SO we’re going to party it up!

Thanks to the efforts of Josh and Anthony, we do officially have access to the game (and the commercials!) in the basement! We’ll be meeting at 5:15ish so that we have some time to grapple a little before kick-off. Nancy’s taking the lead on this discussion, so it will be awesome

Please bring your favorite game-day munchies to share.

Ok… RECAP:

SUPERBOWL.

Feb. 6.

5:15ish.

FPC Basement.

Bring yums.

Sunday Night Schedule thru Feb

Jennifer Gillett — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:33:25 +0000

We will be meeting at 6:30 pm and have some time for fellowship and coffee (or other hot beverage of your choice) before starting the service.

HG Sunday Schedule
Jan 30- Lauren
Feb 6- Superbowl/Nancy
Feb 13- Whittney
Feb 20- Jen/Erin
Feb 27- Jan (communion)

Sunday Jan 23 Discussion

Jennifer Gillett — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:30:54 +0000

We have completed a 2 week long reflection on the mission and status of Holy Grounds. Last Sunday, we discussed what roles are required to sustain Holy Ground and reflected on our own gifts. We committed to roles aligned with our gifts. A gap seen is in the service outreach area, which is a critical part of our mission. We desire to strengthen our service/outreach so that we may live our lives beyond four walls and help to bring the Kingdom of God to the here and now.
Below is a list of “Needs” developed Sunday with person(s) who has(ve) committed to making sure those needs are met. This does not mean that they are solely responsible for completing the task but will act as the lead. They can draw on the resources available to address these needs.
If you were not able to attend Sunday and can think of any missing roles or feel called to fill a role listed, please respond to the post or email. Do not be deterred if there’s already a name listed by a task that resonates with you. A shared burden is always lighter.
Needs
• Teachers – Nancy, Lauren, Whitney, Steph
• Logistics: Scheduling –Steph, Whitney
• Logistics: Facilities –Lauren
• Connectors/Outreach
• Hospitality/Barista –Jen
• Worship Leaders: Music –Erin
• Worship Leaders: Art –Jen
• Worship Leaders: Other –Lauren
• IT : Webpage Redesign/Upkeep –Ashley, Catherine, Nancy
• IT: Powerpoint, etc. –Lauren, Jen
• Service Coordinator
• Finance –Patrick, HG rep needed to stay aware of available funds
• FPC liaison –Hari
• Projects –Ashley, Catherine

Superbowl!

Lauren Williams — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:54:07 +0000

Alright kids… there have been murmurs floating around about having an HG Superbowl party (YAY!). The original concept was to have the football up on the screen in the basement at FPC, and have games, munchies, etc… HOWEVER, since the church does not have a cable drop anywhere… we would be relying on rabbit-ears to get us the game, so we couldn’t exactly be certain that we’d be able to watch it (and the commercials ).

SO, we thought that this might be more fun at somebody’s home Would anybody love to open their doors and host what will most likely be a seriously wicked awesome party? If you’re up for it, reply to this post, or send me an email at lrn.wllms@gmail.com

If nobody is available to host, we will probably still do something that night, we just may or may not be able to involve football in the fun

IKEA Run…..

JDBorden — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:24:40 +0000

OK! As promised here’s the update for going to IKEA this Saturday. If you’re planning on going meet me in parking lot of Fairlington Presbyterian Church for a 10:30 am departure. I still only know of three of us that are going, so that leaves three seats available in my truck; if you want to car pool, and I’m still willing to haul your stuff back; providing we don’t exceed the truck bed capacity! If you want to car pool or need me to haul stuff back please let me know sooner then later…… Jonborden04@msn.com

The Rite

JDBorden — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:56:10 +0000

It is a Drama! A Thriller! Suspenseful! Based on a True Story and playing in Theaters starting this Friday. So mark your calendars for Saturday night and lets go to the movies; it starts at 7:50 (recommend you buy your ticket early) My thoughts are we can meet at Gallery Place Metro by 5:30 and choose a place to eat or you can just meet us at the theater; I plan to have a seat by 7:30! It’s playing at the Regal Gallery Place in China Town and if you know folks that are interested in joining us at this event but don’t get this message please feel free to pass it along. Jonborden04@msn.com

The Rite

JDBorden — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:32:44 +0000

It is a Drama! A Thriller! Suspenseful! Based on a True Story and playing in Theaters starting Friday 28 Jan 2011. So mark your calendars for Saturday 29 Jan and we’ll grab some dinner; then head to the movies. Right now it’s listed as only playing at the Regal Gallery Place in China Town and I know we can find a place to eat down there. As the date gets closer I’ll post all the particulars; in the mean time mark your calendar and get ready for a great night. If you know folks that are interested in joining you at this event but don’t get this message please feel free to pass it along. Jonborden04@msn.com

IKEA Run

JDBorden — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:05:33 +0000

This past Monday afternoon at burgers a couple of folks expressed a need to go to IKEA; so I suggested and they agreed we’d make an IKEA run using my truck; which can hold up to six folks and a fair amount of stuff in the bed. So as of right now there are 3 of us going on Saturday morning 29 Jan. If you want to join us in car pooling or following in your own car, you’re all welcome and as long as we don’t exceed the capacity of the back of my truck I’ll haul your stuff back to your place. The only thing I ask, if you are going; is to let me know if you need a ride and or will need space in my truck for your stuff. I figure we can meet at Fairlington Presbyterian Church around 10:00 and proceed from there. Jonborden04@msn.com

Message from Joanna

jledmiston — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:52:02 +0000

So Kyndra came yesterday and hadn’t been home more then 15 minutes when she asked if she could give me my Christmas present from HG. I think she was just as excited as I was. Thank you guys so much. I’m so excited to have access to books again and don’t have to read some seriously questionable literature. I’m practically rendered speechless in my ability to describe how loved this made me feel. As I was playing around last night I was just struck by the fact that you guys just have been so amazing to me during every step of this journey in both my needs and then with awesome blessings like this. All I can really say is thank you so much and please know just how blessed I feel.

Much love,

Joanna

Game Night – Steph’s place tonight

sreinitz — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:54:02 +0000

Hey all – Game night at my house tonight for anyone interested. Anytime after 6:30 pm…bring any games you want. And per Jon Borden’s request, football will be on the TV Shoot me a text or email if you’re coming – 612.708.0793 or sreinitz@hotmail.com.

See you all tonight!

Steph

Holy Grounds Prayer Night on Sunday – 6:30 pm

sreinitz — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:25:54 +0000

Hello all – we’re going to spend Sunday night praying for Holy Grounds and asking for God’s guidance for us as a service and a community. We would love to have you join us. We will meet at 6:30 pm in the basement. Thanks all!

Burgers Monday at noon

sreinitz — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:13:07 +0000

Hi friends – Since Monday is a national holiday, our tradition is to move burgers to noon at Crystal City Sports Pub instead of in the evening. We will meet anyone who can make it on the 3rd floor at noon! See you there!

HG Recap 09Jan11

Josh Williams — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:06:44 +0000

Tonight our members took and honest appraisal of where HG is, where we are going, and how we want to change. A recap of this conversation has been sent out the the members of HG. However if you didn’t receive the email please let me know wllmsjv[at]gmail[dot]com.

Guapos tomorrow night

sreinitz — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 01:06:42 +0000

Hi all – A group of us decided to head to Guapo’s tomorrow night (Friday) for drinks and food after work. If you care to join us we’re heading down about 6:45 pm. Shoot me an email or text (612.708.0793) if you want to join us so I can get a big enough table. Thanks all!

Steph

HG Meeting Sunday

sreinitz — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:19:16 +0000

Hey all – Just a reminder that we’ll be meeting on Sunday evening (January 9) at 5 pm to talk about the future of Holy Grounds. We really want everyone’s input, so please make an effort to be there. Besides, we’re going to order pizza and who doesn’t love pizza? See you then!

Steph

Black Swan

JDBorden — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:36:06 +0000

No plans on Saturday Night?

Then how about joining me for dinner and a movie in Shirlington?

Dinner location will be by majority vote to one of the fine establishments in Shirlington between 5:00 and 5:30. The move is at the AMC Theater in Shirlington and starts at 7:30; recommend purchasing your ticket before dinner After the movie options include – getting a drink and discussing the movie, getting frozen yogurt and discussing the move, going home and not discussing the movie or all the above. If you are interested let me know by email jonborden04@msn.com

Black Swan

Runtime:1 hr. 43 min.

(R) Strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. When the company’s artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of ”Swan Lake,” Nina is his first choice. She has competition in newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) however. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina’s dark side begins to emerge

Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, Benjamin Millepied

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Genres: Showbiz DramaPsychological ThrillerThriller

Friends Don’t Let Friends Move Alone

JDBorden — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:28:55 +0000

Our Friend Hari is praying that he can finally move this Saturday from 10-2 and can use all the help he can get. So I ask you to check your schedules and please let him know if you can help.

Thanks,
Jon

See you January 9th at 5PM

jledmiston — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:18:54 +0000

Due to everybody’s holiday travels, we don’t meet again until Sunday, January 9th at 5th (with pizza!) to discuss 2011 HG plans. Join us!

And in the meantime, have a peaceful Christmas!

White Elephant Party Tonight – 6 pm!

sreinitz — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:46:31 +0000

Just a reminder that tonight is Holy Grounds annual Christmas white elephant gift exchange. Bring a wrapped gift, preferably something you already own, to exchange. The tackier the better Feel free to also bring snacks/munchies/drinks, etc. We will start tonight at 6 pm.

We’re also adding a little something this year… As a reminder that community is outward as well as inward, we will be collecting non-perishable items to be donated to an as-yet-to-be-determined place of need.

See you all tonight!

Don’t spend Christmas alone – come to the Dale’s!

John Dale — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:21:01 +0000

John and I would like to invite anyone who is staying in the area for the holidays to join us for a late lunch at our house on Christmas day. As members of the Kingdom of God, we’re all one big family, and we don’t want any of our family members to be alone on Christmas.

John’s mom and boyfriend from Missouri and the Hoppe family will be joining us around 2:00 pm that day for dinner, where we’ll have a relaxed meal, filled with tasty food and good conversation. Feel free to come anytime between 1 and 2:00 pm to hang out, help cook, or relax.

If you’d like to come but don’t have a ride, just let us know and we’re happy to arrange for someone to pick you up. Additional friends and family members are welcome.

Merry Christmas

Sarah

sarahedale (at) gmail.com
703 789 7164

Serve like St. Nick! Help Casa Chiri’s Party this Saturday!

jledmiston — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:19:48 +0000

Friends – Casa Chirilagua has it’s Christmas party this weekend and they could use our help. Here are the details:

Saturday, December 11

The time is 4:00 – 9:00 PM. However, we can get help in crews.

4:00 – 5:00 is set up/decorating
5:00 – 6:00 is arrival/games/photo booth
6:00 – 7:00 is the program
7:00 – 8:00 is food and raffle
8:00 – 9:00 is clean up

CHRISTMAS PARTY TIME!!!

Lauren Williams — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:31:28 +0000

Alright kids, it has been decided that *THIS SUNDAY* (December 12, 2010) instead of “regular HG”, we’ll be having our annual white elephant gift exchange at 6:00pm. As a refresher, everyone will wrap something ridiculous (preferably that you already own), bring it, and then we’ll all sit down and laugh at the awesomeness as everyone unwraps the “gifts”. PLEASE feel free to come even if you don’t have anything to wrap. There are always extras

Also, if you’d like to bring snacks/munchies/drinks, that would be AWESOME!

In addition to that, we’re also adding a little something this year… As a reminder that community is outward as well as inward, we will be collecting non-perishable items to be donated to an as-yet-to-be-determined place of need.

So, to re-cap…

THIS SUNDAY (Dec 12)

6:00 pm

Bring: a wrapped gag gift, some food-stuffs, and/or a non-perishable donation item

Tacky sweaters optional.

Congratulations Scott and Sacha!

jledmiston — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:56:57 +0000

Mikaela Siobhan Sanders was born in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, November 2010. Our first Holy Grounds baby!

Thanks be to God.

Moving

Hari Rao — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:58:30 +0000

Hey guys,

I’ve had some trouble posting on here. The current deal is that I have the freight elevator booked for Wednesday, Dec 8th, as the condo only allows people to move 10-6 Mon-Fri and 10-2 on Saturdays. How many people can do that on late Wednesday afternoon?

I’m also hoping to move boxes in this coming Sunday, the 5th, before HG. I had meant to do that this previous weekend, but was sick and dealing with some other stuff.

Ok, so aiming for Sunday the 5th, and Wednesday the 8th, starting around 3 (or as early as possible). Who can help?

Thanks!

-Hari

No Holy Grounds November 28th

jledmiston — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 04:41:49 +0000

Hi Everybody -

Lots of us are out of town this weekend, so we are not gathering as usual on Sunday night this week. Hope you enjoyed your turkey and pie, and we see you at the Prayer Party on December 5th at 7 pm!

Casa Chiri Volunteer Opportunity – next weekend!

sreinitz — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:26:40 +0000

Hey all – Don’t forget to let John & Sarah know if you can help with the Casa Chiri Thanksgiving event next Saturday! They posted about it earlier — http://www.fairlingtonholygrounds.org/2010/11/03/volunteer-opportunity-nov-20/

Thank you!

November 7th

jledmiston — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 03:36:52 +0000

Hey HGers. I’m happy to lead Sunday night. See you all there!

Volunteer Opportunity – Nov. 20

John Dale — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:30:03 +0000

Hi everyone,

Casa Chirilagua is having it’s first ever Chirilagua Thanksgiving Celebration, on Saturday November 20, 2010. We’re gathering with other church partners to offer a day of fun and food to over 100 Chirilagua families. Grace Community Church will be leading the efforts, but our hope is that many other churches will also take part, including Holy Grounds. Dawnielle and Emily are looking for 70-100 volunteers to make this work!

We’re celebrating with moon-bounces, a cook-out, hot chocolate, face-painting, carnival games, raffle prizes, clothes distribution, and a turkey basket give-away. Our goal is to have 100 baskets prepared (Hispanic style with rice, beans, and maseca for making tortillas).

How can you get involved?

Donate money or gift cards to help buy food for the event or for the turkey baskets.

Talk to me (Sarah Dale) if you have any further questions and/or want to sign up. Also, FYI, it will be a mainly outdoor event, so please come bundled up and prepared to face the elements (and/or pray for a warm day!).

Sarah
sarahedale (at) gmail.com

Prayer Party December 5 (but you need a reservation!)

jledmiston — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:18:16 +0000

Everybody: this is very cool.

One of the Common Prayer Release Parties will be at Holy Grounds on Sunday, December 5 at 7 pm. Because LOTS of people are expected, the Common Prayer Conspirators (among them: Matt Pritchard & the good folks at Simple Way) would like to know whose coming. Please register here. We might have to limit this event to 50 people, so register now and tell your friends. Thanks!

Rally for Sanity Meetup Update

jledmiston — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:48:55 +0000

Erin reports that there will be banners around the carousel – our designated meeting place. We need to know:

1- who was planning to meet to go as a group, and

2- if you can actually meet in VA and travel over together

I (Jan) am not going with the group, so it would be great to have someone head this up who is indeed going. Anyone?

Restoring Sanity with HG

jledmiston — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:09:57 +0000

Hi Everyone! Whitney led a great discussion on the Trinity last night and the group decided that – for those who want to attend The Rally to Restore Sanity together this Saturday, we’d meet at the merry-go-round on the Mall at 10 am.

No Holy Grounds gathering this Sunday, October 31.

Our grappling will be with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert October 30th.

Ancient Church Fathers & Devotion to Scripture

Holy Grounds — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:06:01 +0000

One of the communities I’m a part of in Pittsburgh is devoted to learning about Christianity from the Ancient Church Fathers (writers during the first few centuries of Christianity). It’s been an incredible time for me reading and discussing the implications of what they teach for our understanding of our faith.

We are having a conference in January that I thought you all would enjoy coming to! I will arrange for a place for you guys to stay in Pittsburgh of course, if you want to come. Just let me know.

Here are the details:

The House of St. Michael the Archangel Devotional Conference:
Come and be led into greater awe and reverence for Holy Scripture

We will gather for worship and reflections on what it means to strive for and desire greater devotion to Scripture. Our worship will be guided by the Psalms, silence and contemplation.

Friday, January 14th, 6:30pm-9:30pm**
Saturday, January 15th: 9:00am-4:00pm (lunch served on-site)
** Friday, 10pm through Saturday, 8am: an elective vigil, where the Psalms will be read publicly in the Church.

Location:
Oakmont Presbyterian Church
415 Pennsylvania Ave
Oakmont, PA 15139-1562
www.oakmontpresbyterianchurch.org

Cost:
$20 thru 2010, $30 in 2011

To register e-mail: devotionalconference@gmail.com

Speakers:

Rev. Dr. Richard Ray
He has spent a lifetime meditating on spiritual masters of the Christian faith. He has served as a parish minister, seminary professor, editor of the Presbyterian Outlook, and managing Director and Senior Editor of John Knox Press. He currently serves as the Consultant for Theological Enrichment of Presbyterians for Renewal (www.pfrenewal.org) and as the Director of the Children’s Trust Society of The Grandfather Home for Children (www.grandfatherhome.org). He is blessed with numerous grandchildren and lives with his lovely wife, Lila, in Montreat, NC.

Matthew T. Bell
He is currently a PhD student at Durham University (www.dur.ac.uk) in the area of early church interpretation of Scripture. Matt holds an MDiv from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. He originally hails from El Paso, TX and currently resides in Pittsburgh with his wife, Alyssa./

Tentative Dec. 5th HG Plan

jledmiston — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:03:54 +0000

Holy Grounders: I don’t want to make unilaternal plans, but Brian Gorman and I are talking about having HG host a Prayer Party to celebrate the publishing of Common Prayer, a project that Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Orkoro have edited on Sunday, December 5th at 7 pm. What do you think?

Game Night on Friday

sreinitz — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:28:04 +0000

Hey all -

My best friend and her family are in town starting tomorrow and I’d love for everyone to meet them. Therefore, it’s time for game night at my place on Friday! Feel free to come over anytime after 6 and let me know if you want pizza for dinner. Bring any games you want as well. Call my cell if you need directions! 612.708.0793. See you Friday!

Burgers Tomorrow

sreinitz — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 02:18:06 +0000

Hi friends – So I know sometimes we do burgers at noon on federal holidays like tomorrow, but several of us still have to work (i.e. me and Jen), so we’re still going to do burgers at 6 pm tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

Lunch Tomorrow

Holy Grounds — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:34:49 +0000

I’m in town. Anyone up for meeting me for lunch tomorrow about 12:30 at Busboys & Poets in Shirlington? Send a text or e-mail me and let me know.

In Memoriam

jledmiston — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:51:28 +0000

David Bailey was a singer-songwriter who performed a concert to celebrate the first anniversary of Holy Grounds in 2008. He passed away over the weekend of brain cancer at the age of 44. Please hold his family – his wife Leslie and his kids Kelcey and Cameron – in prayer.

What’s Your Favorite Bread?

jledmiston — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:44:34 +0000

This Sunday night I would love to hear about what feeds you spiritually. We’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper with a feast of bread and more. See you at 6:30 pm.

Anyone have a game buzzer I can borrow?

sreinitz — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:53:18 +0000

Hi friends -

For my upcoming staff retreat, I need a buzzer for a trivia game. Does anyone own Taboo or similar game with a buzzer I can borrow for a couple days?

Thanks!

Steph

HG tonight: Sarah sharing things learned at CCDA conference

John Dale — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:43:38 +0000

Hey everyone,

I wanted to remind you all that I’ll be leading at HG tonight sharing thoughts/ideas/questions/things I learned at the CCDA (Christian Community Development Conference) that I went to in Chicago, the first week of Septmeber.

Please come with an open mind to hear about the amazing things that God is doing through His kingdom workers throughout the nation.

Also, please come with any questions that you have for John and I, related to our experience as community development workers in Chirilagua. We’d love to share about the things happening in our neighborhood here in VA, as well as open the floor to discussion and hear about what others think about how churches are changing and taking on social causes.

Hope to see you tonight!
Sarah

Sunday Night Sept. 19th

jledmiston — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:46:55 +0000

Hi HGers. Who’s leading Sunday night? I’m happy to lead if no one has signed up.

Dinner & Game Night Tonight!

sreinitz — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:01:48 +0000

Hi friends! Jen Gillett has friends in town this weekend and wants to introduce them to her typical life in DC – which means we’re going to Guapos followed by game night at my place. Guapos at 6 pm…let me know if you’re coming and I’ll go early to get us a table. Otherwise, feel free to meet us afterwards for game night at my place!

Steph

Opportunity to serve – Providing food for conference – Sept. 25th

John Dale — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:19:32 +0000

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine that is part of Mujeres de Virtud, a women’s ministry in Chirilagua (and national wide) is hosting a conference for Latina Christian women, Sept. 25th in Fairfax, VA (I think, I’ll have to confirm the location).

In the morning they will have speakers on the following topics: Immigration Reform and what the law in AZ means for our ladies here in VA, Domestic Abuse, Financial planning, Physical and Spiritual Health, along with maybe one or two more. They are brining in experts from the community on these topics.

They’ve organized the conference because of felt-needs from different congregations and ministries in the area. The group is looking for someone to donate a lasagna and salad lunch, as they’re organizing this event on a volunteer basis and don’t have a budget for anything. They’re expecting around 100 women and will need the following:

- plates, cups, napkins, plasticware
- enough lasagna for 100
- ingredients for salad
- a few iced tea and lemonade mixes

Please let me know if you can donate all or part of this lunch or would like to help in any way. It would be a wonderful way to reach out to our immigrant friends and neighbors and show them our fellow Christian love.

Thanks!
Sarah

sarahedale (at) gmail.com

PS-To learn more about Chirilagua, visit www.casachirilagua.org

Cool Opportunities Coming Up:

jledmiston — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:40:15 +0000

- You too can mentor Fairlington Presbyterian kids from reading a Bible story to 2-3 year olds to teaching a class of slightly older kids occasionally. We have a class called “Spark” for 4-7 year olds and a group called Kids’ Club for 8-11 year olds. About 10:30 – 12 on occasional Sundays. You must love kids and want to know them and help mentor their faith. Contact me: jan@fpcusa.org

- Immigration Awareness Event – including info on the Alexandria Detention Center where undocumented workers are held – is scheduled for 7-9 pm Tuesday, September 21 at The Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 323 South Fairfax Street Alexandria, VA 22314.

Let me know if you have questions. Have a great week.

Birthday Dinner for Jon

sreinitz — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:11:11 +0000

Hi all! So it was Jon’s birthday last week and since I was out of town and couldn’t celebrate properly, I thought the only appropriate way to remedy the situation was chicken quesadillas at Guapos (did you really have any doubt that’s where we’d go?) I would like to invite you all to join us for an early dinner THIS Sunday (Sept 12) prior to HG. The plan is to meet at Guapos around 5 pm…email or text me if you’d like to come so I can go early and get us a table! Thanks all!

Steph

Encouragement for Brian

Holy Grounds — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:29:28 +0000

Jan and I are at a conference in Durham where Brian is speaking (not using his last name so this doesn’t show up in searches). Apparently things have been hard recently with the new book and everyone angry about what he’s been saying.

I know many of us have been deeply transformed by his thinking. If this is the case for you, would you send me a message of encouragement about how you’ve been impacted by his work that I can forward along to him? I know it would mean a lot to him right now.

Can’t wait to see you guys on Sunday!

Sept. 11 – Giant Yard Sale and Chicken BBQ

JDBorden — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:10:14 +0000

Hey All,

Are friend Dave Moore asked me to pass this on for all who are interested. I help cook last year and can at least testify the chicken was good.

So here are the stats:

8am – 2pm – Fairlington United Methodist Church – Outreach Committee hosts a giant yard sale on Saturday, September 11, 2010 in the Fellowship Hall. A roomful of household items and children’s clothing! SAME DAY – Fairlington United Methodist Men’s group Chicken BBQ from 10:30am until 4pm. Complete Chicken Dinner $8.00 (1/2 chicken, baked beans, slaw, roll & drink). 1/2 chicken only $6.00. ALSO vendors can rent a space for $10 to set up their own yard sale in the parking lot. Bring your own tables and pay the BBQ cashier. Vendor sale can be open from 8am-4pm.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/gms/1941049216.html

Need a car Sunday & Monday

Holy Grounds — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:25:22 +0000

Would anyone be willing to let me (Matt Pritchard) borrow their car Sunday and/or Monday? Looking forward to being at Holy Grounds and burgers. Let me know if you’d like to meet up while I’m in town.

Anyone Interested in The Walk to Stop Human Slavery?

jledmiston — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:13:16 +0000

Check it out here.

Ok Sports Fans & Non-Sports Fans Alike!

JDBorden — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:11:49 +0000

It’s a holiday weekend (something about Labor Day, I think) and that can only mean one thing…… Monday night Burgers is at noon; per our standard operating procedures for holidays. So sleep in, eat a lite breakfast and bring your appetite to Crystal City Sports Pud for good company and grub. If you want to skip breakfast maybe they’ll throw a fried egg on your burger and you can call it brunch!

August Update

Joanna Geiger — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:20:10 +0000

First, I want to say sorry all of you at Holy Grounds because I sent this out a couple of weeks ago and didn’t post it. I will try to be more faithful at posting my update on the website for those of you who don’t get my email update. I also wanted to say particularly to you, my sending church, that I thank God for each and every one of you. Sometimes I think about you all and my heart really longs to be there with you and partake of life with you. I’ve had a taste of what I consider “church done well.” Then everything else kind of tastes like bran muffins. Not terrible but not amazing either. I’ve been very encouraged by you and want you to know that I miss you deeply but also know that God has blessed me with you so that I could do what I do here and that it would be harder with out you all behind me supporting me. You have enabled me past what you probably know.

The following is what I sent out in August:

Greetings!

I apologize for not having sent out an update sooner. When you start getting into the routine of things it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have nothing to share. I have in recent months wondered what I could write as an update. I usually look for the heartwarming stories that everyone loves. Those stories are what you cling to when life is less heartwarming and more struggle. Unfortunately, the last four months have been less heartwarming and more of a dichotomy of events. It has been dramatic shifts of opposing stances. There have been shifts of happiness and times when the weight of ministry hangs heavily. There have been times of health and prolonged times of sickness. There have been times of extreme loneliness and times of community. This up and down has become somewhat of a routine here for these past four months since I’ve last written.

So, since May, what has happened? After the kids went back to school things seemed to go back to normal. Things got hard and good in turn. Mid-June I developed a full body rash that I struggled with intensely for about a month. I spent a lot of time with doctors and hospital to find out nothing conclusive about what caused the rash. I didn’t sleep a whole lot that month which caused me to, essentially, lose the plot entirely. After about a month, I was able to get my sleep back although even to this day I still have itching episodes that are vaguely reminiscent of the rash. However, the ability to sleep again makes life a lot easier. My Thai lessons continue to go well. I really am enjoying the language and finding little victories in Thai. Every now and again, when I am able to have a conversation with a shop keeper or tell a story in Thai, I am so encouraged.

I believe I’ve always being an idealist. I look at the world as how I hope it would be rather then what it currently is. However, my idealist glasses don’t start and stop at how the world is, I look at myself and missions through these glasses as well. I think ideally, missions would be hard at times but incredibly fulfilling. I always thought that I’d always have passion and that fulfillment to carry me through the rough patches. The fact of the matter is that being in missions isn’t always a passionate experience. Being in missions is a different kind of hard that I haven’t experienced and things get dry and baron here too. Living in a different context isn’t always as exciting as you would hope. Those you minister aren’t always excited about you being here. God has had to teach me how to let him carry me through and not depend on community, passion or emotions to carry me through.

When things get hard it is difficult to know what to say. I think a year ago when I was preparing to take this trip, I had all these expectations. When things get hard it’s easy to lose passion and perspective. When you’ve been gone from home it’s natural to feel disconnected and after feeling disconnected, it’s normal to feel lonely. The key thing is it’s all by design. I really feel like God has been stripping me down layer by layer. In doing so, there have been many low valleys and desert places. I’ve had to take my expectations to him and lay them down. I’ve had to mourn and even face the times when tears wouldn’t come. Through it all though, God has always provided the manna I’ve needed. He’s given me strength and grace to persevere. It hasn’t been easy but God is molding me and that is exciting! He has taught me so many amazing things that although things have been dry He’s never left me thirsty.

These months have been difficult, but, God has given me such a great friends and family to support me. I just really want to say thank you so much for all of the encouragement that you all have provided in the past months. Thank you for all of the finances you continue to send. Thank you for your prayers and how you have really gotten behind and championed me through. I am constantly blown away by all your support.

I pray you are all blessed!

Joanna

HG Tonight

sreinitz — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:01:49 +0000

Hi all – We’ve had a bit of a change in plans and I will be leading tonight on the topic of our blessings. See you then!

Steph

TONIGHT: Change in Location

emily — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:31:30 +0000

Team,

Sarah and John Dale’s house generously offered their house to cook out, so we will be changing our location start burgers at 7pm. Come hungry!

Emily

Directions? 512.853.0053

Arrrr! It’s me matey’s birthday!

emily — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:04:45 +0000

Greetings fellow buccaneers!

Captn Wismer survived another pillaging year without walking the plank, and to celebrate, we are going to have a “serious game night,” as requested by the captn himself. Bring your favorite board games and show up at Stephanie’s ship at 8pm SATURDAY, or you’ll be food for the fishies.

Grub will be provided. RSVP at emmianne86ATgmail.com. If you get lost of have questions drop me a line at 512.853.0053.

SAILS AHOY!

HG this Sunday – Beth leading discussion on anxiety

John Dale — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:36:41 +0000

This week, Beth Taylor will be leading a discussion on anxiety, stress and how people find peace when they feel this way. Come and join us Sunday night at 6:30pm to listen and share your thoughts and experiences as well.

Hope to see you there!

Hospitality Request

Holy Grounds — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:47:57 +0000

My friends Joe, Vladi, and Vicki (Vladi and Vicki are Russian exchange students) are doing some east coast travel and are in need of a place to stay this Friday and Saturday night. Anyone up for hosting them? They are planning to do a bunch of site seeing in DC and are happy with couches or air mattresses or whatever makes sense.

Love and miss you all so much!!!

Sunday Night HG

jledmiston — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:15:48 +0000

I’m leading the content Sunday and hope you’ll be thinking about beautiful things.

Ecclesiates 3:11 – God has made everything beautiful for its time.

What is beautiful to you? And what beautiful things have you witnessed happening as part of the church?

Game Night Tonight!

sreinitz — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:06:47 +0000

Hi friends! For those of you not in Pittsburgh this weekend, I’m hosting game night tonight at my place. Feel free to come over anytime after 6 pm. I’m planning to order pizza for dinner, so let me know if you want in on that. Call if you need directions – 612.708.0793.

Steph

Scott & Sasha Send-Off

Lauren Williams — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:06:16 +0000

Hey guys!!!

So… Scott and Sasha will be back in town this weekend, and we’d like to give them an official send-off!

Here’s the plan… we’ll all meet at FPC (3846 King Street Alexandria, VA 22302-1993) in the parking lot at 6:30, and then we’ll all carpool over to Guapo’s in Shirlington. If you want to come, but think you’re going to be a little late or can’t meet at the church, leave a comment here, and we’ll know to add you to the tally at the restaurant.

Hope to see you there

We’ll all miss Scott and Sasha, but we sure are glad that we got to know them while they were here!

‘Visiting Matt in Pittsburgh’

JDBorden — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:16:37 +0000

To all,

I don’t know who’s planning on going, but as of right know I am. My plans are to leave early in the day on Friday; to beat out potential traffic and be able to enjoy the trip. If there is anyone who would like to car pool with me or have me haul something for you please let me know; I can take up to 4 passengers and cargo.

Jon

Visiting Matt in Pittsburgh

Holy Grounds — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:55:04 +0000

I’m trying to get a headcount for the HG road trip to Pittsburgh: August 13-15. Would you send me an e-mail and let me know if you’re planning to come (and still planning to come if you’ve already let me know)? Can’t wait!

Big Tent Christianity

jledmiston — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:53:57 +0000

This looks like an amazing conference: http://www.bigtentchristianity.com/

Converge Mid-Atlantic Community Gathering

Holy Grounds — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:59:01 +0000

This gathering brings together people from communities all over the Mid-Atlantic region to teach, conspire, and dream for God’s beautiful kingdom on Earth. A combination of seminars, practical skill shares, concerts, and plenary sessions will make this a great time together.

Join us at Eden Valley Center (edenvalleycenter.org), a beautiful 100 acre farmland just 45 minutes north of D.C. We’ll be camping out, so bring tents, stoves, rain gear…more info to come on what to bring.

We hope to draw co-conspirators from around the region to share in this wonderful event. We’ll gather at 7 pm on Friday, look for more details about arrival, set up, and departure.

We will have to close the registration at 100, so register today! Last day to register is July 23!

Who’s Coming to VBS Cookout??

jledmiston — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:27:02 +0000

Holy Grounders: Let me know if you’re planning to come to Vacation Bible School (in lieu of HG) this coming Sunday night, July 18, 6:00 to 7:30. (NOTE TIME CHANGE)

Actually, know you are invited all 4 nights. The schedule is below:

Sunday, July 18 (6pm – 7:30 pm) – Love the Lord your God with all your heart

Chip Cagle from Capital Hospice “How to love people whose hearts are broken”.

Monday, July 19 (6pm – 7:30 pm) Love the Lord your God with all your soul

Intergenerational Program: Feeding our soul with music! Kerri Shelfo on bass, Susan Winckler on handbells, and others! Come play and dance!

Tuesday, July 20 (6pm – 7:30 pm) Love the Lord your God with all your mind

Jan Edmiston “Where did we get the Bible?”

Wednesday, July 21 (6pm – 7:30 pm) – Love the Lord your God with all your strength

Cindi Rauert strengthening our bodies w/ exercise and guided meditation.

Have a good week – Jan

Pirate Cruise Anyone?

Lauren Williams — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:28:18 +0000

Hi All!!! Ok, so… this past weekend, I took my family on a “Pirate Cruise” tour of the Potomac (more info @ http://www.potomacriverboatco.com/pirate-cruise.php). While I definitely enjoyed myself, we didn’t get the full effect because their regular pirate didn’t show, so one of the crew members had to step in. Long story short, I now have 8 vouchers to take the tour again for free. SO… if anyone wants one (0r more), or if anyone knows someone who might want one, PLEASE let me know. It’s definitely geared towards kids, but it’s entertaining none-the-less.

The end

Good Day All and Happy 4th of july

JDBorden — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:03:31 +0000

So have a little story to tell you. Early last week Jan and Hari ask if I could help set up or close up after the 4^th of July Sunday service and I agreed to close things up after the service. Then this morning just after 9am, while I was getting ready for church, I got a call from Katherine Stikkers asking for help. She was to be reading scripture during the service and staying after to pray with anyone who needs it. Well as fate would have it; little Ryan has strep throat and now she can’t make it. Chris Hatfield had already agreed to read scripture, so she was calling to ask if I could stay after the service and pray with anyone who needed it. Of course I agreed and told her I’d be praying Ryan got better and she didn’t get sick.

I arrived for the morning service just before 10 and wondered around talking with a few folks; then as the service started I quietly found a seat in the last pew; to hear the stand in pasture given a great sermon. As the service finished and folks made their way out, I made my way to the front of the sanctuary to see if anyone would come up for prayer. Just getting up from the front pew was Nancy; for reasons at the time she didn’t understand her granddaughter (Elaina) had lead her to the front of the church on this morning; so I stopped and asker how things were going. Not wanting to go into great detail here I can just tell you it was a tearful conversation for her; Nancy is a proud women. She is still trying to save her house and has a lawyer trying to help; which sounds promising. The problem is, she is about $600 short in being able to pay the lawyer to file paperwork in court this coming Thursday. It turns out she had the money but lost it to a family member she thought she could trust.

I don’t tell this story to ask for money; that I guaranteed her she would have by Wednesday night. I tell this story as a witness to how God works in our lives. When Jan first emailed and asked for help I wasn’t inclined to help, and then Hari called and left me a message; I knew it was something I should do. The phone call from Katherine to ask if I would stand in for her at the last minute; which was a no brainer too say yes to; and to be honest I knew the likely hood of anyone coming up front was very slim. (Very selfish thinking on my part I know.) Nancy and Elaina usually sit somewhere in the middle of the sanctuary, but today Elaina lead Nancy to the very front. So as it turns out I was the one to come forward; to be humbled by the plight of Nancy and her strength to keep moving forward. To be reminded of all the gifts God has given me and that they are not mine to keep, but to be shared with those in need.

I pray we all recognize the gifts the Lord has given us and are hearts are open to all.

Jon

HIGH NOON

JDBorden — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:57:20 +0000

OK 1/2 price burger fans; Monday is another holiday and with all Monday holidays 1/2 price burgers is at High Noon.

THANK YOU!

Erin Weston — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:13:20 +0000

Thank you again to everyone who took time out of the day to help my roommate and I move on Saturday. Reportedly, it was the hottest day of the year, so I give my utmost thanks and my profoundest apologies all at the same time! We managed to paint most of the house that night and yesterday and should be finishing up tonight and tomorrow as needed.

Thank you–we really could not have done it without you and owe everyone who helped a hand in moving if you need it in the future and a big Coldstone ice cream sometime soon–only catch is you have to eat it with me So let me know when you want to go.

XOXO,

Erin

New Date for Visit to Pittsburgh Aug 13-15

Holy Grounds — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:58:43 +0000

Ok, after talking to many of you, I’ve changed the Pittsburgh trip date to August 13-15. Can’t wait to have a bunch of you here. We’ll hang out. I’ll introduce you to the many great people I work with here. We’ll have a party and it would be a complete blast. Let me know if the dates work for you guys and if you’re planning to come so I can arrange sufficient accommodations.

World Cup Viewing Party at Steph’s

sreinitz — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:05:25 +0000

Hey all -

Sarah instigated the idea of watching the World Cup at my place tomorrow and I thought it was a fabulous idea. Feel free to come over anytime after 2 pm (game starts at 2:30 pm). Feel free to bring snacks and drinks if you want. See you then!!!

Steph

Girl’s and Guy’s groups tonight

John Dale — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:31:21 +0000

Just a reminder, as discussed last Sunday at Holy Grounds…tonight the girls small group that normally meet’s at Steph’s place Tuesdays at 7pm, will be meeting at Guapo’s in Shirlington at 7:30pm, tonight.

At the same time, Scott, Jon and any other guys that want to join, will be hanging out at Capitol City Brew Pub across the street, enjoying some adult beverages also.

Everyone is welcome, just show up!

Visit to Pittsburgh

Holy Grounds — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:00:30 +0000

I heard that many of you have been contemplating a visit to Pittsburgh. Wondering if you all would be interested in vising August 6-8? We’d hang out. I’d introduce you to the many great people I work with here. We’d have a party and it would be a complete blast. Let me know if the dates work for you guys and if you’re interested!

Holy Grounds Tomorrow Night

sreinitz — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:47:37 +0000

Hi friends -

For HG tomorrow night, I want to have a conversation about Holy Grounds itself – both the community and the Sunday-evening service. Communities like ours evolve and change and I think it’s time to have a conversation about what we are and want to be — and how that impacts things like Sunday nights. Please join us if you can, the more voices speaking into this the better. We’ll start at 6:30 pm (per usual). Thanks all!

Steph

Care to Flex Those Moving Muscles??

Erin Weston — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:27:50 +0000

It’s the event of the summer… Erin is moving. And her roommate Brynn too.

But just a dozen streets over.

To say thank you to Erin and Brynn for not leaving DC (like some others we know, ahembridgetmattjoanna), and because you don’t want to miss THE party of summer 2010, come out and join Erin and Brynn next Saturday, June 26 in their exciting moving adventure.

In all seriousness, though, we’d love your help moving. We could really use someone with a drill, and anyone with a truck or SUV for mattresses. Please let us know if you can come, and especially if you’ve got said items.

Many hands make light work… and makes it more fun. Oh, and beer (and more platonic drinks) will be amply available. The fun will start at high noon (12pm for those of you deprived a childhood full of Clint Eastwood’s jawline).

Recapping the short post:

Moving, Erin (and Brynn)
Date: Saturday, June 26
Time: 12 noon
Location: 506 S. 24th St, Arlington, VA 22202
Contact me at eaw12185@gmail.com or 919-609-0702

Much love, peace and happiness from your favorite presbymergent half-Jew,

Game Night!

Lauren Williams — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:56:55 +0000

Alright Kids… Since I’m pretty sure we haven’t been spending enough time together recently, and since Stephanie and John both have birthdays this weekend, and since it seems like a good idea, I think we should have a game night this Saturday (June 5).

For convenience, we’ll be commandeering the basement at FPC. So what I’m thinking is we’ll start up the grill with some burgers and brats at about 6. We’ll have the grill by the back door to make things easy. Come and go as you’d like. We have the meat for the grill, but please bring drinks, sides, or desserts as you’d like.

We’ll have a Wii hooked up, so feel free to bring your Wii-motes with your Miis loaded if you want (if you have a Wii but have no idea how to take your Mii with you, shoot me or Josh an email and we’ll take care of you ). We’ll also have a lovely selection of board games and the like. Feel free to bring along your favorite games too

Ok, I think that covers it. So to review… Saturday, 6ish, basement, burgers, fun.

Let’s Go to a Concert……

JDBorden — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:34:57 +0000

Stephanie and I are going to see Tim McGraw with special guest Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft Tickets, Saturday July 10^th at Jiffy Lube Live. The concert starts at 7pm, but we if get down there by 5pm we can tailgate/picnic; then head in for the great music and a great time!

Lawn tickets are on sale for $41.85 each (ticket and associated fees) and can be purchased at Livenation.com.

Hope to see you all there!

Jon

What can I bring?

-Small purses / bags (12 inches x12 inches or smaller) / backpacks
-One sealed bottle of water, 32oz bottles or less!
-Small, personal (tote-type) umbrellas
-Blankets
-Binoculars
-Personal lawn chairs – seat must be no higher than 9 inches off the ground
-Limited food is now allowed into the venue. Food can be stored in a one-gallon clear plastic bag, limit one per person.

Be Ruthless in the Living of Call (House of St Michael the Archangel)

Holy Grounds — Sun, 30 May 2010 13:07:37 +0000

I thought you all might be interested in knowing that I’ll be blogging regularly at the House of St Michael the Archangel. My first post is now available. Here’s a preview:

I have many friends who work in areas where life and death are truly in the balance. There’s always a sense that if I work a little more, one more street child will be safe, one less person will die of aids or starvation, or one more slave will be set free. Even in my pastoral work, there’s a sense that if I just spend a little more time with people it will make a difference. These thoughts are evil! They are a proclamation that you are the one holding the world together, that you love them more than God does. Only when we are confident in our call and the character of our God, can we say no with the peace that God doesn’t need us to save the world, he needs us to do and be exactly that which he has built and called us to do and be, nothing more and nothing less. The Kingdom of God comes when we each, with reckless abandon, fall into submission to God, not when we each pursue that which we think will maximize the work of our hands.

Read the rest…

Game/Movie Night at Steph’s Tonight

sreinitz — Sat, 29 May 2010 19:56:11 +0000

Hey folks -

If anyone would like to, I’m having people over to my place (3813 Florence Dr. #3, Alexandria) this evening for game and/or movie night (depending on our mood). Let’s say anytime after 6:30 pm. Eat dinner before you come…or if people are hungry we can order pizza too. Please bring any games/movies we may want! Call if you have questions – 612.708.0793. Thanks all!

Steph

1/2 Price Burgers – NOON on Monday

sreinitz — Sat, 29 May 2010 19:49:57 +0000

Hi all - Matt Pritchard is theoretically going to be passing through DC around lunch time on Monday so we thought we would do burgers at noon instead of 6 pm on Monday so he can join us. Find us on the 3rd floor of Crystal City Sports Pub Monday at noon! Happy weekend!

Alright people – help me out

sreinitz — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:17:21 +0000

Okay, folks – only 2 of you have said if you’re coming to barbeque Sunday. Help me out – tell me if you’re coming and what you’re willing to bring. Help a girl out!!!

Barbeque on Sunday!

sreinitz — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:48:45 +0000

Hi Friends!

In case you haven’t heard yet, we are going to barbeque on Sunday night instead of have the normal HG evening in honor of Memorial day weekend. My Costco card and I will take care of picking up meat (probably burgers and brats or something) and buns. Let me know if you can come and what you want to bring. Suggestions include: dessert, soda, chips, side dishes, condiments & cheese (although I think we have obsessive amounts of ketchup & mustard), other yummy thinks, etc…

Oh…and we need a grillmaster – any volunteers?

Thanks all – let me know if you’re coming so I can get an approximate headcount!

Steph

Update from Joanna in Thailand

Joanna Geiger — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:28:59 +0000

Hello!

Hot season had descended upon Thailand. With the change in weather there has been a lot going on in Home of the Open Heart. Hot season comes with a furry in April and that co-insides with Thai school summer holidays. In April, we also find ourselves in the midst of Thailand’s water festival, Songkran. Songkran is usually around the hottest time of year (mid-April) and the whole country comes out to have a giant water fight. It is also the Thai New Year and the biggest Thai holiday of the year. Everything from noodle shops to major business close for the entire week. Since it is such a huge holiday for the Thais, Home of the Open Heart sought to give the Thai staff the week off. Therefore, we suspended normal activities with the children and divided the kids amongst the foreign staff. Esther and I had four of the girls. It was really great for me since I usually work with the boys to be able to spend some time with the girls and build some relationship with them. We had a great fun filled week, swimming, throwing water, making pizzas and special breakfasts and sleepovers. One the attached pictures are of me and two of the girls at the pool. Who knew swimming with two 9 year olds on your back would be so tiring?

Summer has brought all sorts of challenges! The children are home from school and so we have had to find creative was to entertain them. We have taken a few trips to the near by waterfall and we closed the office down one day and all when out to Chiang Rai “Beach”. The kids being home have meant many days spent in the office with children on your lap defying you to get any work done. As difficult as it has been to get any work done with such great distractions around, I will miss them incredibly when they go back to school. Attached is a photo of one those moments.

My adjustment to Thailand continues to be an up and down kind of journey. I’m finding that there will always be something to discourage you. Working with boys seems to follow this up and down roller coaster. It is essential to remember that these boys have broken hearts even if they don’t realize it. They get unsettled very easily and when they are unsettled they tend to have behavioral issues. Last week I realized that when there is so much to discourage you, maybe it’s just time to say “no.” Maybe, I need to learn how to say no to being discouraged. I’m finding more and more that joy is a choice and if the enemy can steal my joy and make me feel discouraged and question God’s plan then he has won.

Now that is all easier said then done and I have to remind myself so many things that I feel I should know. I remind myself constantly that all the things that get me discouraged are pretty normal happenings. Moving to Thailand will be culturally discomforting. Working too much will drain the emotional resources tank. The kids will be kids and misbehave and sometimes irrationally and over blown episodes. I’m trying to learn how to accept this and not let it get me down. There have been beautiful moments mixed up in the mess that make it all worth the fight. When the kids confide in you or are affectionate. Those are the moments I try to cling to when it gets hard. I’m finding little gifts that God has given me to cling to; I just need to learn to recognize them. I find more and more that I am so much like the children I minister to. I complain when things are uncomfortable and fail to see the precious things that are set out in front of me. I fail to acknowledge the miracles that happen around me constantly. Please pray for me that I will be less like the Israelites and more like Moses who saw an opportunity to draw close to God and refused to let it pass him.

I have also started learning Thai. Thai is difficult and is nothing like Spanish or English with no tense and many words having multiple even opposite meanings depending on the context. Let’s just say it’s very intellectually stimulating! I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn Thai immensely and get very excited when I hear phrases that I can understand. However, my attempts of communicating still are rather feeble! This has also been a gift. Thank you everyone who have prayed for language graces (keep praying!) and for those who have helped give financially so I could afford my lessons.

Many of you have asked about the situation in Thailand. Up until this past week the situation was largely localized in Bangkok and maybe a very quiet protest in Chiang Mai. Largely, there has been no activity to be of any worry up here in Chiang Rai (the Northern part of Thailand). However, this past weekend as the situation escalated in Bangkok it also escalated quite a great deal in the North. We had a few demonstrations in town and a few tires were set on fire. Therefore, Chiang Rai was declared a state of emergency and there have been escalation in security in addition to a curfew being imposed. While I don’t think I’m in danger and things are still largely localized in the South. Please pray for the situation in Thailand that the country would come to a peaceful resolution and not escalate any further. However, please do not worry, I am perfectly safe.

I cannot thank you enough for all the prayer and encouragement you all have sent over the past 4 months! They have helped me continue on when I feel like quitting. Thank you for taking part in what I do be it financially, with prayer, resources, or encouragement. You make such a difference to me and to my ministry! If you wish to join my intercessor group to receive regular prayer requests please let me know. I feel so incredibly blessed by all of you and pray that you all live in abundance!

Joanna

Moving, moving and more moving!

John Dale — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:29:20 +0000

Hey everyone,

We have one more moving assistance request for the month, for John and I. This Saturday Jen is moving in the morning, next Saturday Tim and Gretchen are moving in the morning and John and I are going to follow their act and move in the afternoon around 1:30pm.

Luckily for everyone involved, we’ve already been taking things over to our new house and we don’t have that much stuff in the first place, so it will be easy, promise. We’re actually not even going to rent a truck because we won’t have enough things to fill it, so please bring your pick-ups and SUVs and we’ll fill them up. Did I mention we’re only moving 3 blocks down the street? Man…this couldn’t be easier

Email me with questions, otherwise we’d love to see you at our place, Saturday, May 29th at 1:30pm. Celebratory drinks in the backyard are included!

-Sarah
sarahedale (at) gmail.com

“Could Your Church Survive if There Were no Sermons?”

Holy Grounds — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:01:34 +0000

Don Miller made a post today about. Thought you all would enjoy it!!!

Last Sunday’s Prayer Concern: Thank you God

jledmiston — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:01:06 +0000

We prayed for Virginia last week who was looking for a place to live in Arlington after living in a shelter. She’s found a home. Thanks to all who’ve been helping with this.

Come Say “Bye” to Tim & Gretchen (and eat delicious food)

jledmiston — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:08:15 +0000

Everybody: after the 11 am service, there’s a potluck picnic on the church playground to honor all volunteers and to say “we love you” to Tim and Gretchen – whom some of you know. It’s their last Sunday before moving to Chicago.

Come hang out, bring a dish to share. Drinks provided.

Newseum Tickets

sreinitz — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:04:15 +0000

Hi friends – So it turns out Newseum tickets are good for two consecutive days. My parents and I went today and our tickets (3 of them) are still good tomorrow if anyone feels like going. It’s a pretty cool museum and usually $20 a ticket. If you’re interested – call my cell 612.708.0793 and we’ll figure out how to get them to you!

Leading this week?

sreinitz — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:35:33 +0000

Hey friends!

Is anyone up for leading this week at HG? I am signed up but my folks are in town so I probably won’t be there. I’m happy to switch for someone in the next few weeks if that works for someone…

Thanks all!

Steph

Serve Dinner @ Carpenter’s Shelter This Friday

jledmiston — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:30:04 +0000

We’re looking for 2-4 people to serve dinner at Carpenter’s Shelter this Friday, April 30 from 6-7 pm. Dinner will be purchased and prepped on Thursday, but we need people to serve it Friday night. Can you help?

This is a great way to serve the community. The Shelter is located at 930 N. Henry Street in Alexandria (across and down from Slater’s Lane.)

Please shoot Jan an email if you can help. Thanks!

Earth Day at the National Cathedral

Lauren Williams — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:02:44 +0000

Hola Friends

So… as most of you are probably aware, Earth Day is this Sunday (April 25) (yay Earth!). Also (or maybe in celebration), Brian McLaren will be preaching at the National Cathedral as well as participating in/leading a forum entitled “A New Kind of Christianity: 10 Questions That Are Transforming the Faith.” There are two Sunday morning services at the cathedral, one at 8:45 and one at 11:15. The forum will be held at between the two (it starts at 10:10).

Anyway… I’m thinking about going to the first service (at 8:45) (which would give me time to get home and still be ready to roll for the Carpenter’s Shelter Chili Cookoff that afternoon), and I thought some of you might be interested in joining me SO, if anyone wants to go with me/meet me there, let me know!

Want to go to NYC this weekend?

John Dale — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:59:38 +0000

My friend Dawnielle from Casa Chirilagua (www.CasaChirilagua.org) is looking for 7 adult chaperones to help her take 109 high school students to NYC this Saturday. It was supposed to be 48 students, and she just found out today they’re taking double that amount!

The bus leaves at 5 a.m. from TC Williams high school this Saturday, April 24th and returns at midnight. Let me know if you’re interested or email Dawnielle directly. Should be a lot of fun…they’re going to visit the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and Times Square among other places.

Dawnielle: dawnielle (at) casachirilagua.org

Sarah: sarahedale (at) gmail.com

Jan’s Vacation

jledmiston — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:40:19 +0000

Holy Grounders – I signed up to lead this Sunday on Acts 1&2 which I love, but if I could find someone to take this week, it would be a gift. I’m officially on vacation April 17 – 24 and while I’ll be back in town Sunday night, I really need this vacation time.

Anyone able and interested to lead this week? Jan

Phil and Kim are here!!!!!!!!

emily — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:42:06 +0000

Hey everyone! Phil and I are pretty busy with the conference today but really want to see all of you before we leave dc!! We are thinking lunch tomorrow is easiest. We will be at Aladdin’s in Hey everyone! Phil and I are pretty busy with the conference today but really want to see all of you before we leave dc!! We are thinking lunch tomorrow is easiest. We will be at Aladdin’s in shirlington on sunday at 1230 if you can!!! on sunday at 1230 if you can!!!

Rob Bell speaking at HG this week

John Dale — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:43:03 +0000

Hi everyone,

Rob Bell is going to lead discussion this week. Well, he may be doing it from a DVD projected onto the screen, but he’s leading this week nonetheless. We’re going to read the end of the book of John and the first part of Acts chapter 1 together, then watch the DVD “Everything is Spiritual” by Rob Bell. You can catch a preview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poi3imQkQsQ

We’ll take a few moments afterward to discuss the video and how it relates to Jesus and what he came to do, and the life and mission he left us with. I’ll start popping popcorn at 6:15pm, and we’ll start the video at 6:30pm (since it’s a little over an hour).

Hope to see you then!

Sarah

TransFORM East Coast Gathering – FREE

jledmiston — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:39:32 +0000

Brian McLaren, Pete Rollins, and a couple other people you might know. Join us for the FREE conference:

Friday April 30 – Sunday, May 2

Wesley Theological Seminary in DC. Let’s go!

Leader for this week and next

sreinitz — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Hey friends!

As it turns out, we don’t have anyone to lead this Sunday or next Sunday and need a voluteer! This Sunday is supposed to be focused on the end of the gospels – what happened after the resurrection. The following Sunday is the beginning of our study of Acts (ch. 1-2). Unless, of course, something else is deeply moving you and you want to lead on that subject. Let me know if you can lead – I would love to but have to work this weekend and I’m going home next weekend.

Thanks all!

Looking for Summer Housing

Holy Grounds — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:25:03 +0000

One of my sister’s best friends from UVA (Meikle Paschal) is looking for a place to stay for 1-2 months this summer. He will be working for the Dept. of Homeland Security in Crystal City. He starts work on June 7th and will work til the first of July or end of July depending on what housing arrangement is available; so he is flexible. He will not be able to pay full rent because he will still be paying rent in Charlottesville, VA – anyone want to swap for the summer!!?? lol But he could contribute some on rent; things are negotiable. He is a super fun guy, originally from Boston, very outgoing, runs for the track team and will be a 4th year in the fall. Let me know if you have any suggestions or anything availble for those dates.

If you have space or any ideas, e-mail him at mpaschaljr@gmail.com.

$9 Tickets to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

Holy Grounds — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:17:02 +0000

Hey guys, just got an e-mail about $9 tickets to Madame Tussauds (usually it’s $20). I want to go sometime in the future, so I’m getting a couple. Thought it might be a fun group activity.

They are only on sale today through this thing called a Groupon which I’ve been using a bunch lately. Essentially you buy a gift certificate for a lot less than the face value.

Take a look at the Madame Tussauds deal.

Dinner Wednesday Night with Matt

Holy Grounds — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:07:12 +0000

I’ll be back in town for a couple of days this week and would love to grab dinner with you all! I miss you all so much!!!!

Here’s the plan:
Guapos in Shirlington
6:30pm
Wednesday, April 7

Shoot me a text and let me know you’re coming so I can get an appropriately sized table: 434.962.4927. Can’t wait!!!

Northern Virginia Emergent Cohort!

jledmiston — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:22:58 +0000

Matt & I have gone to these informal gatherings. Great people including our friends from Common Table. I’m going for my post-Easter debriefing.

Monday, April 5 @ 8 pm (Look for the “Cohort” sign if you’re new)
Dogwood Tavern

132 West Broad Street
Falls Church, VA

(Parking in the Back)

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

Holy Grounds — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:59:44 +0000

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!!!

sreinitz — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:20:12 +0000

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

sreinitz — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:10:33 +0000

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

jledmiston — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:59:38 +0000

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

jledmiston — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:32:10 +0000

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

jledmiston — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:14:00 +0000

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

The return of the prodigal!

HG Tonight

Lauren Williams — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:11:05 +0000

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

sreinitz — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:43:56 +0000

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

sreinitz — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:35:41 +0000

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

Holy Grounds — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:22:52 +0000

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

sreinitz — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:42:15 +0000

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?

sreinitz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:38:38 +0000

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)

jledmiston — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:58:43 +0000

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

John Dale — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:55:49 +0000

Join John and I in Columbia Heights this Saturday if you’re interested in a night out in DC for a good cause! Email me if you’d like to meet up there: sarahedale (at) gmail.com

Cornerstone Benefit Concert

March 13, 2010

7-10 pm

Potter’s House

1658 Columbia Road NW

Washington, DC

Come out to our re-scheduled concert to benefit Cornerstone, a community for homeless men in recovery, featuring the Tim Parsley Ensemble.

Doors open at 7, music starts at 7:30. There will be food for purchase.

About Cornerstone: The vision of the Cornerstone Community is to be a family for homeless men who want to live a substance-free life. We are the ones who will love them, hope with them, and struggle with them until they are able to create a drug free and healthy future for themselves.

About the musicians: Tim Parsley, Brian Gorman, Jesse Cerda, and Nick Garman are coming together in the newly formed Tim Parsley Ensemble. Drawing influences from spirituals, blues, classical, folk, and much more, the blend of backgrounds and traditions creates a unique sound. Check us out in our premier performance!

More about the group here: http://dccornerstone.org/

CARPENTER’S COOK-OFF VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

JDBorden — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:21:12 +0000

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

sreinitz — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:24:47 +0000

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

sreinitz — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:16:29 +0000

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

sreinitz — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:11:53 +0000

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.

John Dale — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:06:39 +0000

Hi ladies,

I think it’s time for us to regroup and discuss our format, meeting times, and study topics moving forward into Spring and Summer. I suggest we get together and make dinner at my place to discuss these items and just take some time to catch up.

How does taco salad night sound to everyone? I’ve made an evite to track who’s bringing what, so if you’re interested in coming, send me an email and I’ll forward you the evite!

Tuesday, March 9th 7:00 p.m.

The Dale’s house: 3800 Florence Dr. Apt. 4 Alexandria

Hope to see you Tuesday!

Sarah

sarahedale (at) gmail.com

Chirilagua Women’s Group Fundraiser

John Dale — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:48:26 +0000

Hello everyone!

Women from our intentional community, Casa Chirilagua, are holding another fundraiser for our annual women’s retreat for the monthly group, Mujeres de Virtud (Women of Virtue). Last year, 6 women from Chirilagua were able to attend the event, and this year there are 25 women signed up!

All year the women have been working hard to raise funds to be able to go on the retreat, including a tamale sale, a yard sale and a lunch catering event, but they’re still short on funds.

The women came up with their own idea for one more fundraiser: a raffle – Honduran style. This is how it works. There are one hundred numbers (1-100). To buy a number costs $5. On Sunday March 7th, a number will be drawn in Honduras based on the lottery there. We will use that same winning number here (the women pick it up from the internet or from phone calls). If your number is drawn, you win the Power Juicer, worth $100 (also the women’s idea). The goal is to sell all 100 tickets so that we can have a $400 profit.

So… my question is who is interested in supporting the women and possibly winning a power juicer??? Email me if you’d like to buy a ticket or simply donate a few bucks for the event. Cash is the preferred method of donation, but if you really need a tax receipt, we can set that up through the non-profit.

Thanks so much for your support and prayers… we are praying not only that will we be able to raise the funds to cover all the costs, but that God will use this retreat to refresh, renew and strengthen the women.

MUCHAS GRACIAS!

Learn more about Casa Chirilagua here: http://www.casachirilagua.org/

Sarah

sarahedale (at) gmail.com

This Sunday, March 7

jledmiston — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:20:11 +0000

Yes, bring your Potluck Offerings. But Jan’s flipping grilled cheese sandwiches (maybe accessorized with our storehouse of bacon). And please be pondering about moments in life when you’ve felt forsaken. We’ll be releasing them via the Wailing Wall (actually a Wailing Cross) this Sunday. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Town Alexandria

JDBorden — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:19:55 +0000

Ok! So we’ve been bottled in with Snow, Snow and more Snow, and a little bout with cold rainy days… It’s now time to get out and enjoy what should be a mild sunny Saturday and here’s what I’m thinking!

“The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Town Alexandria on March 6, 2010 kicks off the holiday. The event includes a dog show with judging for everything from the smallest dog to the dog and master who look most alike. The parade begins at 12:30 p.m. with the best bagpipers around. Visit the sponsor’s website <http://www.ballyshaners.org/content.aspx?page=2§ion=1> for more information.”

Details – There is a Classic Car Show at 10am and the dog show is at 10:30. What I’m thinking about, is getting down there by 11:30 and finding a place to hang out, watch the parade, enjoy the sun, then grab lunch!

If you are interested in meeting up and going or meeting up in Old Town please let me know. Jonborden04@msn.com

Matt’s in Town, Crystal City Sports Pub Tonight at 6pm

Holy Grounds — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:38:15 +0000

I’m here for a couple of days and was hoping to hang out with some folks tonight at the Crystal City Sports Pub. Hope to see you there. Shoot me a text and let me know so I can get a head count.

Matt

Update from Joanna!!!

Lauren Williams — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:27:17 +0000

It’s about 5:00 PM on Sunday as I make my way across the property to my cottage. The weather has cooled to the perfect temperature and soon will get rather cold but now it’s calm and comfortable. I’m followed by one of the dogs but whether it’s Turner or Hootch, I haven’t got a clue. Actually I wonder if any of us residing here at Baan Nam Jai (Home of the Open Heart) really know which is which. I was just at the girls’ house celebrating a short term volunteer’s birthday. It’s hard to believe that I have already been here for over one month. I love sitting outside at this time but it comes with quite a risk as the mosquitoes start swarming at this time. One of the moms is raking leaves and soon will start burning them. I’ve come to love that scent. It’s a good time to reflect as the sun starts it’s decent and I sit here in my kitchen, which is outdoors and doubles as a back porch, and look at the garden I think about my move to Thailand.

Thailand… Chiang Rai… Baan Nam Jai… It’s a place of tremendous beauty. Located outside of the city I’m surrounded by gardens, rice paddies, smells and feels of the country in Asia. The property itself is rather large hosting three large houses, and then an adjoining property with 5 small cottages and the hospice which is still under construction. One of these cottages is what I now call home. Thailand has riches for all of the senses and while it can delight the sense it can weigh you down with challenges. It’s almost hard to explain how you can be totally in love with a place and totally frustrated at once.

The adjustment to Thailand is nothing and everything that I expected. There have been some things that had I really thought about them they probably wouldn’t have taken me by surprise. For instance, Google has gone from being a verb to a noun. I used to use Google maps for helping me get around any new place. I can’t read the street signs so Google is useless. Getting used to riding on a motorbike has also proved to be a challenge. Traffic here is really crazy, I don’t know where I’m going and I’m SOOOO not an experienced rider to be smart and able to react to my situations around me. All this adds up to, quite literally, a deadly equation. The language has also proved challenging but that was one challenge that I was prepared for. I haven’t started learning the language because I’m not ready to get on the death trap highway. However, all that to say that God’s grace is amazing and have found some things easier then expected. The kids speak English and there are several “farang” (foreign) staff. There have been several lovely short term volunteers come that have eased the transition. However, I have left everything that I do know and many times I feel totally helpless and dependant, which is probably good for me.

Although I still feel like a fish out of water I have hit the ground running when it comes to work! I have used my past Executive Assistant skills to assist Paul, the Northern Regional Director. He is new to the position and I’m helping him get organized in his role and help support him as he provides direction to the 11 ministries here in Chiang Rai. He is also over the whole northern region which includes Chiang Mai and Mai Sai which is much bigger then Chiang Rai. I haven’t even gotten into that portion. I am also managing the office here at Baan Nam Jai and working a little bit in the boys’ home.

The kids are incredibly precious and melt your heart the moment you meet them. One of the youngest boys was very timid about me coming into the house to work with them and was very distressed about my first shift. I came over the night before to get introduced and just get to know them just a bit before I spent the night in the boy’s house the next day. The youngest of the boys cried and cried. He didn’t want me to come and work with them! When I got back to my cottage I prayed that God would give us both grace. As I was praying my heart broke for these kids. It struck me that these kids shouldn’t need to have caretakers in their life. If everything were as God intended it to be they would be with a Mom and Dad in a loving home. But we find ourselves in a fallen world and here I am to help care for these kids who have suffered so much. As I’ve started to work with them more they are very unsettled as several of the caretakers they have had for the past couple years have left and I’ve come in. I try to put myself in their shoes as they get used to me. Please pray for God’s grace and that they will start feeling settled, safe and secure with me. Many of the volunteers have told me that they will keep me at arms length because they worry about how long I’ll be here. It breaks my heart.

Financially, I am still in need of support. I need about $600 USD per month to cover my expenses. Please prayerfully consider supporting me. If you’d like to support me please send a check made out to “YWAM,” with a separate piece of paper indicating it is for me, to YWAM Montana, 501 Blacktail Road,
Lakeside, Montana,59922 U.S.A.

Thank you so much for all of your support of my ministry. I truly could not do this without your prayers, encouragement and financial support. I will send pictures soon!

I pray that you are all blessed richly!

Joanna

If you’d like to pray for me please let me know and I’ll put you on my prayer needs list!

New Mailing Address:

Joanna Geiger

P.O. Box 121

Bandu,

A.Muang,

Chiang Rai, 57100

Thialand

My new mobile phone number is +66.0899.513.044

Prayer calendar for Lent

Karen Vroom — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:12:34 +0000

Hi HG,
As you may know, Lent tends to inspire me to start up various activities for spiritual growth. This year I am moved to further developing the prayer life — both individually and collectively. I am creating a prayer calendar for our community — extending to Fairlington’s morning service as well — a calendar containing our worries and fears lifted up to God, one for every (remaining) day of Lent.

I am enlisting you to fill this prayer calendar with me. Please send me by this Saturday two or three prayers you would like to share over this season. Be specific, not just “pray for my friends and family”, but also concise so that I can fit it in a little box in the calendar. I may or may not have room for all your prayers depending on the responses. Hopefully I will get this calendar out by Sunday or early next week.

peace & blessings–

Karen Vroom
kareniw@yahoo.com

Special Request

emily — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:51:53 +0000

Hi Friends,

A friend of mine came into town for a week to look for jobs. He flew all the way here, and come to find out, is allergic to cats. Ryan and I really wanted to give him a place to stay, but his allergy is quite serious and that would be unsafe. Could I ask a huge favor? Does anyone have a place he could sleep? Paul will be here until Feb 24, but even a few nights would help. He is super cool and just finished up seminary in St. Paul (ironic huh?).

I left my phone at home, so you can also reach me at emilywismerATgmail.com. Thanks team!

Some days you gotta Jump, Jive, and Wail!

emily — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:45:58 +0000

Howdy y’all!!!

Ryan and I have decided to go swing dancing tonight… get excited! Our friend, Paul, is in town, and it has been just too long since we cut a rug. If you have never danced before, fear not because swing lessons start at 730 and are included with your $5 general admission free.

Yes, you heard that right. Basic swing lessons are included in your admission for FREE (echo sound- free free free)!

Ryan and I will probably show up around 8:15 or 8:30 and dance ’til our socks fall off or the cows come home, which ever happens first.

Here is a map and a link with more info:

Give me a call at 512.853.0053 for questions.

Girls group this week

sreinitz — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:27:25 +0000

Hi all -

Girls group this week is relocating to Guapos in Shirlington at 7:00 pm. Join us for margaritas in honor of Fat Tuesday! Thanks ladies!

Steph

Pancakes This Sunday!

jledmiston — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:05:05 +0000

Come eat Pancakes this Sunday night, February 21st @ 5 pm in upstairs Fellowship Hall. (No HG potluck this Sunday.) Free food. Good conversation.

Also, there is a Fairlington Presbyterian congregational meeting at noon-ish Sunday, February 21st in sanctuary.

Anyone else stir crazy?

sreinitz — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:59:41 +0000

Hey all -

I’m a little stir crazy and Lauren, Jon, and I are heading to lunch at Guapos in Shirlington – should get there about 12:15 pm. I don’t know how stuck you all are, but if you can get out and want to join us, let me know you’re coming! Call my cell 612.708.0793!

Steph

Casa Chirilagua needs volunteers

John Dale — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:27:09 +0000

Hi everyone,

Casa Chirilagua (http://www.casachirilagua.org) is looking for a few good men & women! We are looking for volunteers to help us with the Mujeres de Virtud meeting on this Saturday, February 13th from 10:00 AM to Noon at Commonwealth Baptist Church. Read more of Dawnielle’s email below and email me (sarahedale at gmail.com) if you’d like to help.

“…This is our “Dia de Amistad” or “Friendship Day” Celebration. We are having a breakfast for the ladies followed by our regular meeting time. This will be a great way for a small group to do a service project together.

We need:

1) A group of people to buy decorations and decorate the night before (Friday night)
2) A group of people to organize and cook breakfast for 30 ladies on Saturday morning.
3) Childcare for the morning of the meeting.
4) A special gift for the ladies (a calling card for central america or a flower)

I have also listed out our needs for March (below) as well as Mujeres de Virtud dates for the rest of the year. Put it on your calendar now so you can make it a priority. It’s only once a month! Just let me know when you want to help out and how many people you will be bringing.

Blessings, Dawnielle

Upcoming meetings and needs:

March 19-21
2nd Annual Mujeres de Virtud retreat to Lake Champion, NY!
Pray for us! Last year we had 19 ladies attend from Alexandria and Arlington.
The ladies worked very hard to make and sell tamales as well as organize a yard sale; however, we are still in need of some monetary resources.

We will need:
-Donations for the scholarship fund:   $100 can send a lady to the retreat for the weekend
-Donations for the Transportation fund:   We estimate about $2000
-People to volunteer to watch kiddos for the weekend to allow single moms to go
-Borrow Mini-vans to cut transportation costs (Let us know if you or your church have one available.)
-Volunteers to drive the vans and volunteer with the camp ground for the weekend (kitchen crew).

Mark these dates on your calendar, Mujeres de Virtud dates for the rest of the year:
April 17
May 8 (Annual Mother’s Day Celebration)
June 5
(Lay low for July and August)
September 18
October 16
November 13
December 11 (Year End Christmas Celebration)

“Blizzard-Like” Conditions

emily — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:52:59 +0000

Howdy y’all!

Since the roads are so crazy, we are going to cancel Holy Grounds tomorrow night. Steph is watching the SB at her casa, so if you want To watch, give her a heads up at 612.708.0793.

Holy Grounds Sunday Night

emily — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:34:11 +0000

As we say in Texas, Howdy y’all!

Jan and I visited today, and as cool as a time of confession would be Sunday, we are both worried about the quickly approaching snow storm. Additionally, it is Super Bowl Sunday, so the people who aren’t held back from snow may be gone for the big game. Thus, we are going to take a rain (or snow) check for HG’s time of confession and try to fit it in again before Easter. For anyone who can make it safely, we will be airing the Super Bowl in the HG basement and have our usual potluck. If you come, make sure you drive safely.

Go Saints!

Women’s Small Group Canceled Tonight

Sarah Dale — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:35:35 +0000

Hi Ladies,

We’re going to cancel small group for tonight with so many of us out and the fact that I’m incredibly exhausted. I think I’m going to work a little late, then go right to bed when I get home – I’m sure you all understand and have been there too!

We’ll meet back up at my place next week, Feb 9th at 7:00pm (our new time). See you then!

Sarah

Can You Help Deliver Furniture to Neighbors in Need?

jledmiston — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:24:44 +0000

Help! We are looking for 3-5 strong volunteers to help with furniture delivery for a group called ALIVE in February.

What: We pick up furniture that people in Alexandria are donating and then you deliver it to people in Alexandria who need it. (Obviously the ALIVE people give us addresses. We don’t randomly take and give furniture, although that would be interestingly Robin Hoodish.)

When: Saturday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 27 at 8am (yes this is early but it will feed your soul)

Where to meet: First Christian Church. 2723 King Street, Alexandria

Who do I contact to tell them I would LOVE to do this?? Beth McFarland: bmcfarland@meridian-imaging.com

Regarding our Media Inspirations Series:

jledmiston — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:10:14 +0000

We welcome your submissions of music to be shared with the group Sunday, January 31st, all submissions must be received no later than Thursday, Jan 28th, 11pm. The guidelines are only that it be part of YOUR story, and that it be less than 6 minutes long.

Please email 1 song in MP3 format attached to an email, with a Word doc containing lyrics (paragraphs will be separated by us onto Powerpoint slides). Email to: scottgsanders@gmail.com AND ssgdale@gmail.com.

You will have the option to “intro” your song, and if time permits, we may spend a few minutes in open discussion after it plays. The results will get burned onto a mix CD, to be distributed to the group the following week (or so).

Just a low-key way to share a bit about ourselves with each other.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF YOU NEED TECHNICAL HELP, DON’T HESITATE TO CALL SCOTT (310) 663-4992 OR JOHN (703) 789-7181.

Anybody want a double papasan chair?

Josh Williams — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:21:02 +0000

So I’m putting a free double papasan chair up on craigslist tomorrow, but I wanted to give any of you guys who might want it the first crack at it. Just email me at the link @ the bottom or call me @ 318 547 3489. Thanks.

Josh

Schedule for the next few months

sreinitz — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:31:02 +0000

Hello everyone! I wanted to post an update with the HG schedule for the next few months since our discussion last Sunday. There are still several open teaching spots, so please let me know if you’re willing to fill in one night. Thanks!

In January and early February we’ll be continuing our focus on Spiritual Practices.

January 24 – Contemplative Prayer/Meditation – led by Lakesha Bradshaw (back by popular demand) with an intro to media inspirations next week.

January 31 – Media Inspirations – led by Scott

February 7 – Confession/Sin – led by Emily

Starting February 14, we’ll begin our Lent series which focuses on the last 7 sayings of Jesus. Each leader will help us reflect on each phrase.

February 14 – Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (LEADER NEEDED)

February 21 – Today you will be with me in paradise (LEADER NEEDED)

February 28 – Woman, behold your son…Son, behold your mother (LEADER NEEDED)

March 7 – Why hast thou forsaken me? (LEADER NEEDED)

March 14 – I thirst – led by Lauren

March 21 – It is finished – led by Jen

March 28 – Into your hands I commend my spirit (LEADER NEEDED)

April 4 – EASTER SUNDAY (service plan TBD)

Thanks all!!!

Recap of Sunday’s Discussion on HG’s Finances

Josh Williams — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:48:57 +0000

Hey guys! This is an update of what happened at our planning meeting this week. Due to an ongoing discussion about tithe and our larger relationship with FPC, We discussed how Holy Grounds might collect, store and distribute any moneys given to us. So this is basically the summary. HG will accept money as it always has in the form of check, cash, or credit card (this one we are still working out). We will store it in the HG line item account that FPC has alloted for us. We have decided that we want to start contributing a portion of our HG funds to FPC in order to help with their ministry as well. As a minimum standard that we have set for ourselves we will start with an amount equivalent to the “non-obligatory rent” paid by other non profits that use FPC. That amount is $150 monthly. As far as further distribution goes we have decided that income will be divided and stored into four categories:

1 – Emergency fund – a fixed ammount that once reached will be held in reserve to help with members in crisis.

2- FPC contributions – a percentage or fixed number above the minimum referenced above to help further the ministry of FPC

3 – Missions/ Outreach – this will be the largest of the four categories. this will be all money not spent on HG or FPC. Ideally this money will be spent in full quarterly.

4 – Administrative costs – This will be the smallest of the four categories. Ideally less than 1% of income. For coffee, plates, oil for the lamps etc.

We will collect any gifts given to us into our line item budget for the next quarter and at our next meeting we will take a look at what has been given and assign numerics for each of these categories and further nail down exactly how missions/ outreach money will be spent. We have also agreed that Missions money will be reevaluated for effectiveness on a semi-regular basis TBD at our next planning meeting. This is in no way the start of HG expecting members of the community to pay “tithe” to HG. This is merely in the interest of being transparent, so that those who choose to donate may be comfortable in knowing how their gifts will benefit others.

And Another New Address

jledmiston — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:19:11 +0000

Joanna’s moved to Thailand. She loves dark chocolate & peanut butter M&Ms!

PO Box 121, Bandu, A.Muang, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand

We miss you Joanna!

New Address

jledmiston — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:41:10 +0000

Hari’s Address in Iraq is:

Unit #931003 TF-TP-2
APO AE 09391

He’s also checking e-mail.

HI!

Holy Grounds — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:06:30 +0000

Pray for Joanna

Holy Grounds — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:47:25 +0000

Planning Meeting tomorrow

sreinitz — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:59:36 +0000

Hey all – just a reminder that we have a planning meeting tomorrow at 4 pm~ See you all there!

Erin’s CD Release Show in HG Basement

Erin Weston — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:06:31 +0000

A birthday is a time to share the wonderful gifts that are unique to you with others. Well, I happen to like writing music and I’ve been chugging away at this album Felicities of Expression. I’m turning 25 this year (on the 21st) and I’m asking you to celebrate it with me by attending my CD release show! Please

My band mate Eugene Lee’s birthday is on the 20th, so he’s going to celebrate his birthday, too by opening the show and playing with me on my songs! He is AMAZING. You will definitely want to hear what he has to play and say You can check out his fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-Lee/66975074282. My music page is http://www.erinanneweston.com and I’ll have this event posted there as well.

Salty snacks, coffee, tea and maybe even some hot chocolate will be available along with comfy couches to sit on and great people to meet (in my humble opinion, I have amazing friends and fans . Please invite YOUR friends/neighbors/relatives, too. The more the merrier and we have room!

**The show is free since Fairlington Presbyterian has generously allowed me to use the basement at no cost. A suggested donation of $10 for those who can afford it will support a family in need in my community.

Thanks and I hope you can come! I’m looking forward to a memorable night shared with all those that I love doing what I love to do the most

Details:
Show opens at 7:00 PM with Eugene Lee
Erin plays at 8:00 PM
Snacks, drinks available
$10 suggested donation
CD’s will be available for $15 each

It’s not too late to join HG women’s small group

Sarah Dale — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:09:48 +0000

Hi ladies,

I wanted to send out a reminder that we’re starting our series on the miracles of Jesus tonight at Holy Grounds women’s small group. If you haven’t had a chance to come yet but have been thinking about it, now would be a good time to start as we’re beginning our scripture studies and more structured time tonight.

If you want to read ahead, I found a page online that has the passages from the gospels that cover the miracle of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law: http://bit.ly/7K6TXO I can’t vouch for the interpretation below it, but I can vouch for the scripture passages.

Here is my address (within the Eaton Square Apt Complex):
3800 Florence Drive Apt 4
Alexandria, VA 22305

ABOUT PARKING: we found out the hard way last week (so sorry Lauren…) that there are limited parking spaces for visitors without permits. I recommend you look for a space on W Glebe Rd along the townhouses across the street. If there are no spaces there, the only place you can park without getting towed is in the lot, to the right of the leasing office BUT only along the back side, where there should be spots clearly marked indicating they are visitor spots that don’t require a permit (I’m told there are 24 spots). Don’t be fooled by the other ‘visitor’ lots, you have to have a permit to park there. If you have any questions about parking just give me a call and I’m happy to run down there and help you find a spot.

See you all tonight at 7:30pm!

Sarah

sarahedale at gmail.com
703-789-7164

Holy Grounds and Finances

JDBorden — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:54:29 +0000

Hi Folks – So we’ve broached the subject many of times and now it’s time to move forward with some action. On the 17^th planning meeting we have time slotted to have a formal discussion and I thought I’d throw out some topics for you to chew on, like; Paying Rent for the time we spend using the Lower Level of the Church? Use of the word Tithing? Supporting Joanna and Margie in their missions? Supporting your own charity or picking one to support? Thoughts on Holy Grounds having a line item in the church budget we fund? The discussion is open to all and all are invited to attend and participate.

Women’s Small Group Tonight

Sarah Dale — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:24:44 +0000

Hi ladies,

Just a reminder… we’re having women’s small group tonight at 7:30pm at our new apartment in Chirilagua. For those of you who don’t know where Chirilagua is, no worries… it’s still in Alexandria and easy to get to.

Also, I think today might be the day we actually start studying the bible! So come prepared to discuss the miracles of Jesus (hopefully).

Email me if you need directions: sarahedale at gmail.com

-Sarah

Planning meeting – DATE CHANGE

sreinitz — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:14:20 +0000

Hey all! Josh & Jon B are going to lead us in a conversation about HG finances and our relationship wtih FPC at the next planning meeting, but Josh has to work this Sunday. Therefore, we’re moving the planning meeting to January 17 at 4 pm. It will be to discuss the finances piece as well as schedule future evenings. I hope this doesn’t cause an inconvenience for anyone. Thanks all!

Free turkey tonight!

Sarah Dale — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:48:35 +0000

Hey everyone,

Just a reminder… we’re back on our “normal” Holy Grounds schedule tonight with a potluck at the church at 6pm and a discussion lead by Corey, starting our series on Spiritual Practices.

If you’re going to bring food, please bring only a small side dish since we’ll be having a 20 lb. roasted turkey (courtesy of Sarah Dale’s parents). Be prepared for some juicy goodness… John, Matt, Sarah and Rachel (yes–she’s visiting from Iowa!) created the marinade it’s been soaking in for two days. Mmmmm!

PS-No, it doesn’t take 4 people to create a marinade, but everything’s more fun when it’s a communal effort, right?

Update on Moving

Josh Williams — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:02:41 +0000

Hey guys!

Just a reminder, Lauren and I will be moving on Saturday January 2nd. If you could come and help us that would be amazing. I am hoping to make the entire thing into one load so we aren’t all driving back and forth. The official start time is 10AM but if anyone wants to come earlier I’ll be picking up the Uhaul @ 0700 and start prepping as soon as I get to my house. We will serve you guys lunch of some sort, haven’t gotten that one figured out. Anyway our address is 7020 Chadds Ford Dr, Brandywine, MD 20613. For those of you who don’t have GPS take 495 east toward Baltimore. Take the Waldorf MD exit and head south on MD-5 for 12 miles. Chadds Ford is on your right accross from Safeway and Target. If you don’t mind either give me a call or email me to let me know you are coming thanks.

Josh

318-547-3489

A thank you from Lauren and Josh

Josh Williams — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:54:02 +0000

Hey guys!

As a lot of you know last week was a hard week for Lauren and myself. Lauren had a death in the family and we had to make a short notice trip back to Texas. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has kept us in their prayers. Also I wanted to say thanks to all you guys who helped logistically to make our trip possible. You guys Rock.

Josh

jledmiston — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:55:14 +0000

Hey – I promised to get tickets to Screwtape Letters at the Lansburgh Theatre, and there were so many options, it didn’t happen. BUT . . . there is interest from several of you to go this Saturday night. I’ll buy the tickets if you want them.

Please email me at jan@fpcusa.org by 5:00 on New Year’s Day and I’ll order your tickets. Tickets are $49 or $60. Let me know which you’d like for the January 2 8pm show.

Happy New Year!

Want to see this play Saturday at 8pm?

New Years Party

emily — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:38:02 +0000

Okay team! We finally have ourselves an invite!

http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/GTLNIONGHRSNFMHBAALQ/NewYears Please log in and let us know if you can make it

Woohoo, it’s the New Year!!!!!!

emily — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:24:11 +0000

Howdy from Austin,Texas!!!

This post is long overdue, but save the date: Ryan and I are hosting a New Years party at our place Thursday night From 9pm til the cows come home More info to come in the form of a evite tomorrow- watch with anticipation and start preparing for a fabulous time to remember.

Helping Josh & Lauren move

sreinitz — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:35:59 +0000

Hi friends - I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! I spoke with Josh and they’re still going to try to move next weekend. I sadly won’t be there, but I told Josh I would help rally the troops to get them moved. Josh is renting a truck on Saturday, January 2 and want to start the process at 9 am. If you can help, they would greatly appreciate it. Let me know if you’re in so I can tell them how many to expect and I’ll get the address from them as well. Thanks everyone! Merry Christmas!

HG on the 27th……Any Ideas

JDBorden — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:37:34 +0000

I was asked what was happening this Sunday at HG and I really didn’t know. So I look up the last post on this subject and found out that we had a big “?” assigned. So I ask who’s going to be in town and who wants to get togther, at the church or else where? Drop me a line if your in town and want to gather…. Jonborden04@msn.com

Pray for Lauren

sreinitz — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:19:11 +0000

Hi friends -

I got some sad news this evening. Please pray for our friend Lauren – her little niece passed away today. Her niece has battled a heart condition all her life and she got an infection she couldn’t overcome. Lauren is trying to get home tomorrow – pray she can get a flight in the midst of the chaos of the snowstorm. And pray for her and her family. I will let you know if there’s anything else we can be doing. Thank you all!

Love,

Steph

Christmas Caroling Cancelled for Sunday Night!

jledmiston — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:05:50 +0000

Because there is at least a foot of snow out there with no one sure how to clear it . . .

Because Jesus loves it even when we sing in the warmth of our homes . . .

Melanie & I agree that we should cancel Christmas Caroling for Dec. 20th at 6:45 pm. So, whip up some cocoa and stay safely home.

See you at Christmas Eve service at 7pm Dec. 24th!

Nancy’s car vandalized – Update

JDBorden — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:08:14 +0000

As you all saw in a previous post, Nancy Cady’s car was vandalized last week. The HG community stepped up and agreed to help with the repairs. John Dale was amazing and worked with Nancy to get the car fixed. It was an expensive repair, however – totaling almost $1400. John graciously covered this expensein order to get the car fixed, but many have expressed a desire to help and have been asking how. If you are able to help with reimbursing John, please make out a check to Fairlington Presbyterian Church an write “Deacon’s Fund-Nancy Cady” in the subject line. You can give your check (or cash) to Jon Borden or Jan and they will take care of getting John reimbursed. If you aren’t concerned with getting a tax receipt and would prefer, you can give funds to John Dale directly.

Reminder: White Elephant Party on Saturday!

sreinitz — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:59:08 +0000

Hey all – Remember the White Elephant Christmas party is at 7 pm on Saturday. Bring a wrapped white elephant gift, a snack to share, any games we might want to play, and any gift cards you’d like to donate to those in our community who might need a little extra help this Christmas. Everyone is invited so feel free to invite friends or family!

Nancy’s car vandalized

sreinitz — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:47:17 +0000

Hey guys! Our friend Nancy had a situation arise last night after HG. When she got home last night she found that her car had been vandalized – back window & windshield smashed and tires slashed. They only have liability insurance on the car so they have to cover the costs to get it fixed – which is expensive and simply not in their budget at the moment. Her daughter desperately needs her car to visit her daughter in the hospital (she’s been there since birth except for short periods and is now 23 months old).

The amazing John Dale has volunteered to go over to Nancy’s tomorrow and help logistically with getting the car repaired, which is WONDERFUL. If you can help donate to cover the costs of the repairs, it would be greatly apppreciated. You can write a check to FPC and drop it by the church office with a note that it’s for Nancy’s car repairs or you can drop it in the offering on Sunday marked the same way. Anything we raise over and above what Nancy needs will just go in the deacon’s fund for the next time there is a situation like this.

Thanks everyone – the way we come together in times of crisis like this makes me really love Holy Grounds and all of you.

Love, Steph

HG Plan for the rest of the year

sreinitz — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:51:04 +0000

Hi all – I thought I should post our plan for the rest of the year and leading into January, just so everyone nows what’s up. Here’s the schedule:

Dec 6 – Emily leading

Saturday, Dec 12 - Christmas Party at 7pm in the basement – bring a white elephant gift, a snack to share, and gift card donations

Dec 13 – Scott leading discussion on relationships

Dec 20 – Evening of Caroling, location TBD (Melanie coordinating)

Dec 27 – TBD…

Thursday, Dec 31 – New Years Eve Party, location TBD – anyone want to put this together?q

Jan 3 – Corey leading discussion on spiritual practices and resolutions

Jan 10 – 4:30 pm planning mtg. to discuss lent and upcoming programming
– 6:00 pm Lauren leading discussion on spiritual practices and sabbath

Thank you everyone! Hope you’re doing well! See you tomorrow night!

Shane Claiborne addresses those who don’t believe

Matt Pritchard — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:32:32 +0000

Esquire asked Shane Claiborne to “address those who don’t believe”:

To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity…

This Friday Night – Join us for Pizza at Rustico

Sarah Dale — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:31:18 +0000

John and I have an empty fridge in preparation for moving, so we’re forced to eat out tomorrow night. Bummer. What a great time for pizza and beer!

I’ve heard Rustico has some pretty good specialty pizza and a very wide range of unique beers, but I haven’t been yet to test them out. Here’s their site if you want a preview: http://www.rusticorestaurant.com/index.html

John and I will be there around 7 p.m. tomorrow (December 4th–is it really December already???) Email me or text me if you’d like to join us and we’ll save a seat for you!

Sarah

sarahedale @ gmail.com
703 789 7164

Christmas Party Time

Holy Grounds — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:42:22 +0000

Our community will be gathering together to celebrate the season on Saturday, December 12th at 7:00pm in the Lower Level of FPC. Please bring a snack to share.
We’ll be having our traditional White Elephant gift exchange, so bring an inexpensive (possibly something you already own), wrapped gift to include in the festivities. Additionally, this year, we will be collecting gift cards (to anywhere, for any amount) that will be donated to families that could use some help this season. If you would like to contribute to that, please feel free

Advent Conspiracy

Holy Grounds — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:40:08 +0000

Hey Everybody, if you missed our discussion last Sunday, you missed seeing this awesome video that Jan shared from the Advent Conspiracy movement. I definitely recommend checking it out if you haven’t already seen it. It’s a fantastic way to get refocused this holiday season.

If that video’s not working, you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU.

Christmas Pageant!

jledmiston — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:36:25 +0000

IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A PAGEANT! (Okay, all we really need is Jesus but pageants are fun.)

The 11am service will produce a traditional Christmas Pageant on Sunday, Dec. 13 during 11 am worship and we are in need of:

Luke the Physician (the narrator), The Priest, The Innkeeper, and assorted “Hill People” (not the same as Capitol Hill People)

Rehearsals: This Sunday (Dec. 6) 9:30 – 10:30 am and Next Sunday (Dec. 13) 9:30 – 10:30 am

Bonus feature: Hanging out with little ones dressed as angels and sheep. (And who doesn’t look good in shepherd-wear?)

Contact me if interested. Thanks! jan@fpcusa.org

Women’s Small Group Location

emily — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:11:30 +0000

Happy Holidays Ladies!

I hope everyone had a deliciously relaxing Thanksgiving. Since the holiday has past, we are back on to meet Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Due to the Dales’ upcoming move, we will be meeting at my apartment [1202 S. Alfred St.; Alexandria]. If you get lost or need directions, give me a call at 512.853.0053. I look forward to seeing everyone again!

Emily

Screwtape Letters @ The Lansburgh Theatre

jledmiston — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:42:02 +0000

Anybody want to see C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters sometime between Dec. 16 & Jan 3? Tickets are $29, $38, $49 and we can “save up to $10 when we buy two tickets” with a discount by Dec. 4. Groups can save up to 20%.

Anybody interested? To get the conversation started, how about: Wed. Dec. 16th or Sun. Jan. 3rd?

Prayers this Week

jledmiston — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:46:33 +0000

All – Keep Ryan in your prayers this week. As most of us will be eating our turkey, he’ll be headed to Afghanistan.

The Color of Recession

Holy Grounds — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:30:17 +0000

Scott S asked me to send this out to everyone about this event on the effect of the recession on minorities:

‘The Color of Recession’

A televised town hall debate hosted by Al Jazeera’s Avi Lewis

Friday, November 20, 2009 | 3:00pm

THE NEWSEUM
555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

Featuring:

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Founder & President, RainbowPUSH Coalition

Rev. Graylan Hagler, Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice

Rosa Clemente, 2008 Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate

Linda Chavez, Chairman, Center for Equal Opportunity

To RSVP, please send an email to rsvpfaultlines@aljazeera.net.

(RSVP required for entry.)

Planning Meeting Tonight

sreinitz — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:53:28 +0000

Hey everyone! Just a reminder that we’re having a planning meeting at 4:30 pm tonight – see you then!

Saturday Afternoon Movie and Dinner!

JDBorden — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:33:15 +0000

Last Sunday at HG Jan mentioned a movie called “Precious” that many may never consider seeing. So I’m asking all to consider joining Jan in seeing this movie on Saturday. The plan is to meet at the Regal Potomac Yard Theater for the 3:45 showing; then heading some place for dinner and to talk about the movie. (The location for dinner is up in the air and all suggestions are welcome!)

“Precious” is about an overweight, illiterate African-American teen from Harlem who discovers an alternate path in life after she begins attending a new school. Clareece “Precious” Jones is only a teenager, yet she’s about to give birth to her second child. Unable to read or write, Clareece shows little prospect for the future until discovering that she has been accepted into an alternative school. There, with a little help from a sympathetic teacher (Paula Patton) and a kindly nurse (Lenny Kravitiz), the young girl receives something that most teens never get — a chance to start over. “Precious” an inspirational drama!

If you’re planning on coming out please let me know by email jonborden04@msn.com or phone 919-288-0583

Jon

Women’s Bible Study

emily — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:53:45 +0000

Howdy ladies of Farlington!

Just a reminder: We will be back at Sarah Dale’s house tonight at 7:30. Feel free to bring snacks or not. We look forward to seeing you!

Em 512.853.0053

HG Planning Meeting

Sarah Dale — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:31:42 +0000

In efforts to keep things at HG a community effort, we’ll be having a planning meeting this Sunday to plan out the next few months of Sunday ‘programming’ to take us through the holidays. We’ll be discussing holiday weekends, holiday activities, Sunday night planning, etc.

Please come to the church at 4:30pm this Sunday, Nov. 15 to provide your input and help us plan things out.

If you have any questions you can contact Sarah Dale at sarahedale [at] gmail.com or Steph Reinitz at sreinitz [at] hotmail.com

Discipleship/Formation Group

Thomas Skinner — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:28:06 +0000

Hey All. I was curious if anyone would be interested in a group that is focused on discipleship and being formed unto Christ.

This is the type of group that I would love to be part of.. I have some ideas about books to study

If anyone is interested let me know

Thom Skinner

skinnersbox_75@yahoo.com

Discipleship/formation group

Thomas Skinner — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:25:45 +0000

Hey All. I was curious if anyone would be interested in a group that is focused on discipleship and being formed unto Christ.

This is the type of group that I would love to be part of.. I have some ideas about books to study

If anyone is interested let me know

Thom Skinner

skinnersbox_75@yahoo.com

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY AND/OR DINNER TONIGHT

JDBorden — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:17:34 +0000

Hey everyone I know this is last minute but thought I’d throw it out anyway. Going to see Paranormal Activity tonight at the AMC Hoffman Center at 7:35. The plan is to meet at the Galae Thai restaurant across from the theater (215 Swamp Fox Rd) at 5:30 then head to the movie(s). I say movies because there are other show that some of you might want to see. Or feel free stop by for some great Thai food and good conversation. If you can make it please let me know by email (jonborden04@msn.com) or text/call (919-288-0583) Hope to see you there! Jon

Women’s Small Group Tonight-Last minute location change

Sarah Dale — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:50:32 +0000

Hello everyone,

We have a last minute location change for our Women’s Small Group tonight. We’ll be meeting at the church in the lower level, where we usually meet for Holy Grounds, at 7:30 p.m.

Call/email me if you have questions.
703-789-7164/sarahedale [at] gmail.com

Sarah

Need a plan for Sunday

sreinitz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:03:25 +0000

Hey all -

So I realized driving home last night that we don’t have a plan for this coming Sunday evening. There had been a list of people wanting to lead different things which has kept us scheduled for awhile, but we’ve hit the end of the list. Anyone up for leading this week? There is no set theme (Lauren is still working on the Isaiah plan), so it’s wherever the Spirit leads you. Let me know if you’re interested! Thank you!

Steph

More Foto

Holy Grounds — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:09:22 +0000

Hello again Friends

I’ve put up the pics from last nights’ HG. They’re on my flickr (direct link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrnwllms/sets/72157622596505403/). Also, I’ve added just a couple more pics to the Halloween set. As always, feel free to take them, print them, post them elsewhere etc… Enjoy

Party Pictures

Holy Grounds — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:55:19 +0000

Hi All! As usual, I’m posting the pics from the Halloween/Matt’s Last Hurrah party on Flickr. They’re not all up/edited, but I’ve put up some fun ones as a start. The link directly to the set is http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrnwllms/sets/72157622705408438/ Let me know if you want originals etc… Also… if you know of someone who was there who doesn’t read the HG blog, could you please send this link their way? I got some email addresses, but I know that I’m still missing a few people!

Jan’s Sermons Now Available Online

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:17:17 +0000

You can now listen to, download, or subscribe to the podcast of Jan’s Sunday Morning sermons at http://www.fairlingtonpres.org/sermons

Tim Keller Coming to Cathedral

jledmiston — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:51:41 +0000

All – Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC is speaking Thursday, Nov. 5th at National Cathedral. Tickets are $13-$18. You can buy tickets here and read about Redeemer Church here.

He’s an interesting guy and I don’t agree with everything he says/believes but he’s doing some cool things in the city.

Dinner with Brian

Matt Pritchard — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:21:48 +0000

Don’t forget we will be having dinner with Brian at Capitol City Brewery in Shirlington tonight starting at 6pm. It will be a time to just informally chat with Brian and it’s definitely ok if you come late. It’s going to be great! Text me if you have any problems: 434.962.4927.

Reminder: NEW Holy Grounds Women’s Small Group

Sarah Dale — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:38:08 +0000

Just a friendly reminder… tomorrow is our first of a series of introductory meetings where we’ll be getting together to discuss the formation of a new women’s small group. We’ll be making dinner together at my (Sarah’s) house starting around 7pm this Tuesday, Oct. 27.

We had a brief discussion last night at Holy Grounds, determining that this group will be meeting regularly every Tuesday at 7:30 pm at my house, but since some are interested but can’t make it on Tuesdays, there’s opportunity for other people to start another group that meets another day, or try to join later if their schedule allows.

If you can join us for dinner, please email me (sarahedale AT gmail.com) to let me know what ingredients you can bring to pitch in–we’ll be making pasta (I have everything for that), plus salad, garlic bread, and anything else anyone wants to bring/make.

If you can’t make it tomorrow but want to join or have thoughts to chime in with, please email me or Emily (emilywismer AT gmail.com) and we’d be happy to include you in the discussion.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Sarah

PS–My address: 307 N Fayette St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Park anywhere on the street that you find a space.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY AND/OR DINNER TONIGHT

JDBorden — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:27:37 +0000

Thank you from Bridgett

sreinitz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:36:28 +0000

Hey everyone – just wanted to pass this on from Bridgett:

Send my love to Holy Grounds. Tell them so much thank you. I’m so amazed with the community and the Love and the help! It truly speaks of you guys character and God’s character. THANK YOU!!!

Bridgett

HG Planning Meeting

sreinitz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:48:59 +0000

Hey guys – Just a reminder that Matt is leading a discussion about how we govern ourselves this Sunday (October 25) at 4:30 pm. See you all there!

NEW Holy Grounds Women’s Small Group

Sarah Dale — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:55:33 +0000

While the odd name “small group” has become sort of a church-y expression, it’s the best thing I’ve got for the moment. With that said… Emily and I would like to start a new Holy Grounds Women’s Small Group-Bible Study-Fellowship-Girly Hang Out Time-Accountability-and-Fun-Group!

If you’re interested, please share thoughts with us through email (emilywismer AT gmail.com, sarahedale AT gmail.com) or this Sunday at Holy Grounds or next Tuesday at our Planning Dinner.

Planning Dinner

We’ll meet at my (Sarah’s) house and make dinner together (yes, together–it will be a community effort! and then take the time to pray together and talk about what we’d like our group to be like, when we’d like to meet, what our purposes are, etc. etc.

When: Tuesday, October 27, 7:00pm
Where: Sarah’s house: 307 N Fayette St, Alexandria, VA
What to bring: Please sign up to bring one of the following things:

- Italian bread (for making garlic bread)
- Lettuce/greens for a salad
- Black olives
- Tomatoes (also for the salad)
- Dessert (if we want there to be dessert)
- Anything else you want to add in

I’ll take care of the pastas/sauces.

Hope to see you there!

Sarah

Matt’s Spooktacular Goodbye!

Jumoke — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:45:31 +0000

Have you heard the latest word???

Matthew Pritchard is moving to Pittsburgh!

We’re throwing a party and wishing him well!

So….

Wear your Halloween finest if you dare, bring a spooky snack or two to share, but above all else, when it’s all said and done — we hope you can say, “Matt saw me there!”

Join us – it’s a goodbye costume party in the Lower Level, Saturday, October 31, 2009. The party starts at 4. The awards ceremony begins at 5:30!

Bring Clothes/Supplies to Bridgett

Erin Weston — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:38:48 +0000

Hey HG peeps,

Some of you have heard that Bridgett’s town home burned down late last night/early this morning. Bridgett and her roommate are okay, but they have lost everything. Matt’s roommates are driving up on Wednesday NIGHT to Kentucky, so he’s asked us to bring any clothing/supplies we might want to gather to the church basement by tomorrow at NOON. Also, please feel free to send Bridgett an email or prayer of encouragement. Thanks everyone!

Update on Bridgett

Matt Pritchard — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:37:50 +0000

I was able to hop a plane this morning to Cincinnati (with some cloths I picked up from Erin) and have been with Bridgett since then. I’m remaining with her until her parents get here at about 11 and will head back to help with whatever’s needed tomorrow morning. Bridgett is good spirits, but still trying to process and figure out next steps.

Thank you for all your messages and texts. It’s been wonderful to share with her all your love! If you would like to encourage her, I’d suggest not calling her, but rather e-mailing or texting (be sure to include your name as she lost all her contacts when her iPhone burned) and have grace that she may not respond back. Please keep praying for her, her housemate Beth, and their families.

A bunch of my housemates are driving here tomorrow evening for a conference and will have limited space for clothing items for Bridgett. If you have stuff that would be good (she’s a size 6 and a medium in tops), you can drop it off at Fairlington before noon tomorrow. In particular she needs: jeans, comfortable pants, sweaters, socks, and a jacket. If you don’t have clothing and would like to still contribute materially, I know that money would be a real blessing. You can also drop of gift cards (there’s a target and old navy nearby)/checks made out to her at Fairlington (which will give her the most flexibility) or (if you would like your donation to be tax-deductible) you may make it out to Fairlington with Bridgett in the for line.

Keep praying!

Emergency Needs for Bridgett

Matt Pritchard — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:33:35 +0000

At 6am this morning I received a message from Bridgett that her house had burned down last night and she lost everything.

I’m going to the Christian Community Development Association conference in Cincinnati (very near to where Bridgett lives) tomorrow and we were planning to hang out while I was in town. She’s asked me to request clothing from you guys and bring them with me. Shoot me an e-mail ASAP if you’re willing to do this as I’m working on going ahead and flying to Cincinnati today.

She also requested that you pray for the family of a woman who died in the fire.

Here’s a news story I found about the tragedy.

Paranormal Activity CANCELED

JDBorden — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:10:02 +0000

For those who were on the fence about coming out tonight I have to give you a little push and tell you the event has been canceled. If all goes well I will repost for either the 6 or 7 of Nov. Jon

So who’s up for seeing “Paranormal Activity”? I know I am and I’m looking for those who would like to join me this Friday evening? All the reviews say it’s a SCREAM………. I’m thinking – we meet up at the Gallery Place Regal Theater about 7:00 to grabs tickets for the 8:30 show; then go grab some grub before we settle in for a little Paranormal Activity!!!!!!! Jon JonBorden04@msn.com

Painting Part 2

sreinitz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:21:02 +0000

For those of you who missed out on the painting extravaganza this afternoon, we saved some for you :) We’ll be painting again on Tuesday at 7 pm and Saturday at 10 am in the children’s rooms if you’d like to join us!

Leftovers

sreinitz — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:28:14 +0000

Hey all - There are a ton of leftovers from Jan’s party tonight, so please DO NOT bring food to HG tomorrow night. We have plenty!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks all!

Love,
Steph

Email Steph right now please :)

sreinitz — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:43:40 +0000

Hey all – As you all know Jan’s 20th anniversary celebration potluck is coming up on Saturday at 5 pm. It would be really wonderful to have a strong showing from HG. I’m also trying to help get a sense of headcount so please take a moment to email me (today please) and let me know if you’re coming and what you may be bringing with you food wise. It’s an Italian-theme if that helps you decide If you’re not coming, you can email me anyway just to say hi if you want. Thank you everyone – I appreciate it!

HG Planning Meeting

sreinitz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:09:49 +0000

Hello friends -

So our dear friend Matt would like to lead us in a discussion of how we govern ourselves before he leaves for Pittsburgh. We decided to call a planning meeting to discuss it, instead of doing it during worship, since it’s probably not something visitors are overly interested in. Please join us at 4:30 pm on Sunday, October 25 in the basement. Matt will lead the conversation.

If we have time, we can transition into a conversation about our relationship with the larger FPC community. There have been several side conversations on the topic recently and its something we probably really need to grapple with as a community. Please be praying for God’s wisdom for us as we explore the subject.

Thank you all!

Pray for Bridgett’s dad

jledmiston — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:58:49 +0000

Bridgett Hedrick’s dad is not well. They find out in a few hours what’s going on. Please hold him in your prayers today.

Bridgett is part of HG, moved for grad school over the summer.

Next Couple Sundays…

sreinitz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:07:18 +0000

Just wanted to let everyone know the plan for the next couple weeks at HG! This coming Sunday, Matt will be leading one final time before he moves. The following Sunday (October 25), the Vrooms are leading.

And remember, Jan’s anniversary celebration is on Saturday!

Painting Sunday

sreinitz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:13:26 +0000

Hey all,

I wanted to send along an invitation to help this Sunday at 1:30 pm. A group will be painting the kids’ rooms. We’d love to have you join us. If you have any questions, let me know! THANKS!!!

Steph

Support for Joanna

Matt Pritchard — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:12:00 +0000

I just spoke with Joanna this morning. She’s doing really well, but money is tight.

As Joanna’s community, we’ve agreed to share such information and to help her out as the spirit leads. Please consider sending sending some support money to Joanna.

If you are cool with not having a tax deduction (preferred since it is much, much easier for her to get the money this way), send a check made out to her directly to her parents:

Joanna Geiger
529 Freemont St
Lancaster, PA 17603

If you want the tax deduction, you can give it to Fairlington Pres earmarking it for Joanna Geiger.

Jan’s 20th Anniversary

Matt Pritchard — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:37:08 +0000

Jan’s 20 yAnd need help decorating! On Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7 pm, Andi will be decorating the fellowship hall Italian style and could use a couple of volunteers to help set up tables and chairs. I’ve got some red and white checkered tablecloths, red taper candles and (empty) wine bottles to put them in for the centerpieces.

Webmaster(s) Needed

Matt Pritchard — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:10:16 +0000

We’re looking for someone(s) to manage the website after I depart. Anyone interested? We use wordpress and it’s really easy to do. I’m happy to show you all the details of how.

God and the New Physics

sreinitz — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:41:50 +0000

Hey guys - Tim Fry asked that I share this upcoming Sunday Morning Conversation series with the HG crew. Just in case you’re interested…

Sunday Morning Conversation Series starting Sunday at 9:30am:
God and the New Physics: Trying to learn about the Creator by studying the Creation.

Historically, theology has been informed by perceptions of the cosmos. In Medieval times, it was considered that the sun revolved around the earth, and humans were at the center of the universe. Copernicus and Galileo saw an end to that. Isaac Newton discovered laws of mass and motion. With them, one could predict the movement of planets (and apples!) with great precision. Such precise laws tended to support the notion of a “clockmaker God,” who created the world and then withdrew to watch it play out. Humans might only be characters in a foreordained pageant, with limited free will.

Starting at the beginning of the last century, physicists discovered fascinating facts about the very small and the very fast. Quantum mechanics of subatomic particles work probabilistically. That is, one can make accurate predictions about statistical results, but each individual tiny particle could be in one of a number of quantum states. Is that the kind of way the Creator approaches the seeming contradiction between human free will and Calvin’s predestination? The class also describes the quantum entanglement of particles. Einstein said they evidenced “spooky action at a distance.” Is there scientific evidence that “there’s something out there” we don’t understand? Come learn about some of the interesting and surprising facts of modern physics, and join in a freewheeling discussion of what they might mean for us. The material is geared to non-specialists who like to grapple with ideas.

Join us for four conversations beginning Sunday, October 11th at 9:30am for a guided discussion on many of these issues.

This Sunday’s Conversation – Evolving Views of Physics: Implications for Theology? Includes wave/particle duality and quantum entanglement. Discussion includes free will and spooky actions at a distance.

Conversation 2. Stuff: What is it? Includes the Standard Model, quarks, and strings. Mysteries of the Particle Zoo. The complexity of the universe seems to be based on a limited number of physical principles. Are there somewhat analogous principles that drive the complexity of our lives? If we understand them better, can we gain more clarity?

Conversation 3. The Anthropic Principle. Certain mathematical constants that describe the natural world have values that are extremely precise, and relate to each other in a way that supports the generation of human life (the cosmos becoming self-observant, if you will). Because the probability of all these constants lining up so precisely is vanishly small, can we make the claim that human beings (anthropoi) are in the cosmological center stage? If we’re important, what should we be doing? Did God initiate a cosmic series of events because he wanted to create an outstanding good?

Conversation 4. Life. The cell and the living complexity that has evolved over time. Most life is single cell and mostly autonomous. However, some cells have diversified, specialized, and become part of larger complex organisms. Was this the goal all along? Whose? What larger wholes are we part of?

An Update from Joanna

Joanna Geiger — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Namaste from India!

I was trying to sort through some pictures today which lead down a trip through my memories of places I’ve been and places I’ve loved. Like DC in the spring, when you can almost mistake the cherry blossoms for snow. I reflected about people I have grown to love, roommates, childhood friends, and new acquaintances, the kind you instantly love. India and it’s people have now achieved spots on both of those lists.

India completely took me by surprise in almost every way. I had heard many accounts of what I could expect and I was sure that I was going just to survive. I never expected to actually enjoy this place. India is like a little globe within it’s country boundaries. Every part and province you go to has different people groups and different language. Even though Hindi is the national language many of those provinces and people groups do not speak Hindi. Luckily we were able to get by everywhere we went with English. Our trip started in Chennai then we traveled to Bangalore, Mysore, Dharwad, and ended in Goa.

In many ways I didn’t understand why I was going to India. India was never on my list of countries that I really wanted to see. I expected just reigning chaos everywhere. I also have a sensitive stomach that hasn’t really taken a liking to curries in the past. I also expected to be sick the entire time. However, as I prepared to leave the US I knew that God wanted me on this trip and so I knew that I would, indeed, survive. I was happy to find that I not only survived quite well but that India has no more chaos then Chicago or New York might have and that my stomach has actually done quite well here and have had very few issues!

The travel schedule was the most chaotic thing about the trip. We were only in any location for up to three days! I had all of what I thought I might want for the next two years or so in my pack and had to carry my laptop bag with me. I felt like I was weighed down to the max and really dreaded travel days. God is good and he supplied people to help me. My team mates were wonderful and were always helping me carry my bags. My pack got nicknamed “the beast!”

For those of you who don’t know I came to India with a team from Australia called Rahab. Rahab is a ministry that reaches out to Sex Workers in Adelaide. I will be returning to Adelaide to work with this team. Since I had to go back to the US I met the team in Chennai instead of going to Australia and traveling with them. Again, God was good and we had traveling mercies the entire trip start to finish. I didn’t have any trouble meeting up with them in Chennai, despite a few of my flights being delayed, I was still able to make all my connections. Before the team left they held a fund raiser and were able to raise quite a bit of money for us to give away.

The numbers of this trip in and of itself make a great story: seven woman, one country, five cities, four train journeys, twelve days, countless cups of tea, many many times of laughing until your sides hurt and one big adventure! We knew we were only in the country long enough to get some exposure and that was the purpose of the trip. However, as we went through every location we were able to leave some of ourselves behind. We were able to buy mattresses for a home that rescues the girls of temple prostitutes so they aren’t dedicated to the temples themselves. 70 mattresses in all! That home gives the girls a hope and a future.

So what did we do in India? We tried to be a blessing wherever we could. We gave what we could and saw God moving in every location. We played, laughed and cried. My team was absolutely fantastic. I don’t think I’ve laughed like I have in the past three weeks in a very long time. In Bangalore, I met a fellow YWAMer who worked on the base. She helped us around Bangalore and took us to ministry locations and the markets etc. While we were in a rickshaw ride she told me how she was raised in a Christian home but she was the first one to be formally educated. Her family had big dreams for her and were not pleased when she told them that she wanted to join YWAM and be a missionary. They don’t support her and she has been praying and longing that they’ll come around. God gave me a few words for her and told me that I was to try to support her as her “family.” While I know she has been encouraged it has encouraged me as well because I believe that was a divine appointment for me. I love seeing how God’s economy works!

After the team left I stayed on in Goa with Pat, one of my teachers from DTS, who recently came to India to work in Goa. I originally thought that I would be working with her while I was here but when I got here we found that there really wasn’t anything for me to do. So I rested. It was a much needed respite. I have just been on full steam for almost a full year and really full steam since I returned from my DTS. It was so good to just rest and pray and hear what God would say. God really reaffirmed and spoke about these next two years and He really breathed some life and dreams in me. I am excited to see how they come about!

My last month at home was incredibly difficult. There seemed to be ages of things on my “To Do” list and not enough time to accomplish all of that and be able to say good-bye. There were many times that I just felt completely desperate. I shed a lot of tears but many of you constantly were encouraging me and I cannot thank you all enough for all the support you gave me during the last couple of months. It is so much easier to say good-bye knowing I have a big team in my corner.

I apologize for the length of this letter but didn’t know if I could do India justice by making it shorter. I leave for Adelaide tomorrow. I have two full days of travel with an all day lay over in Malaysia. Please pray for continued traveling mercies and for protection. Thank you all for being who you are and what you mean to me! I miss you all very much and can’t wait to hear from you!

May abundant blessing come your way!

Joanna

Photos

Holy Grounds — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:02:42 +0000

Alright Friends, since some of you have asked… I’m posting all of the pictures that I have from HG/Friends-of-HG-related adventures on Flickr. You can find my page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrnwllms/ . Let me know if you want originals of anything. Enjoy

Celebrating Jan’s 20 Years of Ministry with FPC

Matt Pritchard — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:52:50 +0000

You and your family are cordially invited to join us as we celebrate and give thanks for Jan’s 20 years of ministry at Fairlington Presbyterian Church with an Italian dinner in the fellowship hall at 5pm Saturday, October 17.

What to bring: Most importantly, bring yourself! If you would like, you can also bring your favorite pasta dish, salad, bread or dessert. If you aren’t able to bring food, don’t let that stop you from coming! We always have more than enough to share.

Questions? Contact Andi at andi_allen05@yahoo.com.

Buon appetito!

Helping Casa Chirilagua

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:24:23 +0000

Friends of Casa Chirilagua, we need you!

WHO: Casa Chiri and 12 of our closest volunteer friends!

WHAT: We need help for our Art on the Avenue booth. We will be helping children make bird feeders out of recycled materials.

WHEN: This Saturday, October 3 from 9:00 AM – 6 PM

WHERE: Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria on Mt. Vernon Avenue

WHY: Not-for-profits in Alexandria host art projects for children at their booths at the festival. It will be a fun way to give back to the community, meet people nearby, find volunteers, and promote Casa Chirilagua.

HOW: If interested please sign up for a 3 hour slot (9-12 AM, 12-3 PM, 3-6 PM) by contacting Rachel Hoppe: rachel_hoppe@hotmail.com

We hope to see you there!

Nationals Game & Computer C.O.R.E.

FB_830620633 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:46:24 +0000

Our wonderful friends at Computer C.O.R.E have two events going on tomorrow.

All day long, you can stop by and eat at La Tasca-Clarendon. They are donating a portion of the days sales to C.O.R.E.

Tuesday night 7:05, you can see the Nationals play the NY Mets. Computer C.O.R.E. has free tickets for anyone interested. Email beth@computercore.org. First come, first serve.

Anybody got any games?

sreinitz — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:55:27 +0000

Hey all – So I need a little help with something I’m doing for work. I need to collect the following games and I’m wondering if any of you have them and would be willing to bring them tonight and let me borrow them for a week. It would be very much appreciated!!! Thanks all -see you tonight!

Jenga
Hungry, hungry hippo
Boggle
Connect 4
Candyland
Hi Ho Cherrio
Memory (any version)
Pictionary – just the clues… or any other game that has actual clue cards people can draw out of a hat
Any other games you can play one on one quickly without a lot of instruction.

I can actually use more than one copy of some of them so I would appreciate whatever you’ve got. Thanks all!

Love, Steph

It’s a Fun Family Filled Weekend @ FPC

FB_830620633 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:27:35 +0000

We invite you to join us this weekend for two events. Come to play or to volunteer a bit of your time. Or… both!

Saturday, September 26th

Come out and play or choose from one of our activity stations and help lead an activity.

All activity stations are easy and have instructions on how to lead.

Recycled Bead Making, Games, Bounce House Monitor, Paint Wall or help with set up or tear down.

Contact Natalie @ office@fpcusa.org and let her know if you want to help out.

Sunday, September 27th

Painting Party in the Children’s Rooms

Looking to have a little fun, spend some time with friends and do a good deed?

Well, run home after worship, grab something to eat, change clothes and meet Jon Borden and others at 1:30 (until about 4:30) to paint the children’s class rooms in the Education Wing. Two classrooms need the walls and ceilings painted and it would be great to have at least 2-3 folks in each room.

See Jon Borden for more details.

December 20th

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:56:28 +0000

The Billion Dollar Gram

Lisa Miller — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:58:47 +0000

Since I know many of you are interested in how the world’s wealth is spent, I thought you may be interested in the graphic I read on Information is Beautiful called the Billion Dollar Gram. It is an interesting representation of what our wealth is doing… and a few of the things our wealth could do, put to different use.

Highlights include:
$465 Billion would feed every child on earth for 5 years.
$21 Billion would save the Amazon
$300 Billion is given to charity by Americans
$103 Billion is spent in foreign aid by leading nations.

I suggest you check it out.

Get Rob Bell Tickets from Matt

Matt Pritchard — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:34:16 +0000

Rob Bell will be in DC with the Drop Like Stars tour on Saturday, October 10th at 8pm at GW’s Lisner auditorium. The tickets just came in and you can get from Matt for $20. Make checks payable to “Fairlington Pres.”

“Dark Knight” after Burgers

David Moore — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:07:47 +0000

“Dark Knight” will be playing outside tonight over by the Crystal City Metro. It’s free!

We’re heading over after burgers if anyone wants to join us.

peace,

dave m.

Update from Andress

Sarah Dale — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:43:36 +0000

For those of you who know Andress, I just received an update on her tonsil surgery recovery.

She’s had quite a lot of pain from the surgery and bad side effects from the pain medicine, thus inhibiting her from having much contact with people. She seems to be well taken care of with her mother in town, but is still very out of it and feeling the full side effects of this not so fun process. She wanted me to express to the church that the get well basket really meant a lot to her (nice job everyone!).

Please continue to pray for her and I’ll let you all know if I hear of anything else and hopefully we’ll be seeing her within a week or so.

-Sarah

Night of Worship for the Persecuted

Erin Weston — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:56:20 +0000

Hi everyone–please see the announcement below for a night of worship that my organization is hosting in October. I hope you can come!! If you would like to volunteer to help with worship stations (journaling, drawing, prayer) or directing people as they arrive to the church, let me know.

Anecho: [An-eck-oh]: Gr eek word meaning”To Bravely Bear One’s Suffering”

~A night of Prayer and Worship for the Persecuted Church ~

When: Friday, October 9th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Sovereign Grace Church, 5200 Ox Road, Fairfax, VA 22030

Please set aside Friday, October 9th, for a night of worship at Sovereign Grace Church in Fairfax, VA.

Details: http://jubileecampaign.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/anecho/

We have been given such a precious gift of worship-public worship. Let us focus together one evening, to enjoy the privilege of worship and intercession for our brothers and sisters around the world who do not have this precious gift.

Brothers and sisters in North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Eritrea are prohibited from exercising the right to publicly worship together. In parts of China, Vietnam and a number of other countries the gift of public worship is restricted.

Let us together give the gift of prayer for our brothers and sisters and worship to our Lord and Savior on their behalf. This will be a night of praise and prayer as we remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who are not able to worship freely.

To R.S.V.P., please contact Erin at:
anechoworship@jubileecampaign.org or call 703-503-0791.

A love offering will be taken to support Jubilee Campaign’s work for the suffering church. Child care will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Painting Party

JDBorden — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:41:33 +0000

Looking to have a little fun, spend some time with friends and do a good deed? Well then mark your calendar for the afternoon (1:30-4:30) of 27 Sept and join me in painting the children’s class rooms at Fairlington Presbyterian Church. There are two class rooms that need the walls and ceilings painted and it would be great to have at least 2-3 folks in each room. If you can make it or think you can make it please let me know by sending an email to jonbordeno4@msn.com. Thanks! Jon

Prayers for Joe & Jason

jledmiston — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:36:29 +0000

We prayed for my sister’s friend the other night – the young mom dying with cancer. She passed away this morning. Please pray for her husband Joe and 8 year old son Jason. Thanks. Jan

IJM Movie Premier

sreinitz — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:33:42 +0000

Hey all – I will be at this (of course) and would love to have my HG friends join me. If you’re free that evening, feel free to come!

Dear friends, I’m excited to invite you to the premiere of International Justice Mission’s new documentary, At the End of Slavery, on September 30th at The Tivoli Theatre (3333 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20010). This 31-minute film is narrated by Danny Glover and features interviews with Gary Haugen, Samantha Power, Mark Lagon, Kevin Bales, and IJM clients and staff. Tickets for the premiere are $10, which includes a house party planning kit and a copy of the film so you can share it with others. Doors open at 7:00p.m., and the screening is followed by a panel discussion with IJM staff and other leading experts. You can purchase a ticket here: http://ijm.eventbrite.com/. Please visit www.AtTheEndofSlavery.com to learn more about the film. I hope you can join us!

King’s Dominion Tickets

sreinitz — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:14:23 +0000

Hey all – I just got online to buy a ticket for King’s Dominion. The single day deal that Josh mentioned is actually only available online. If you want to get that deal, you need to buy the ticket online ahead of time!

See everyone at the baptism, barbeque, birthday celebration at the Dales!

Last updates on Labor Day…. I hope

Josh Williams — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:25:38 +0000

So here’s the deal. I poked around on the King’s Dominion website and it looks like they do have single day tickets for $32. Since the price I was getting was only 3 dollars less most people have opted to get their own tickets because it is just easier for everyone. So if you want to go with us on Monday you should either get your tickets from their website or at a ticket stand the day of. If that is an issue for anyone let me know so we can work something out. This will also allow people to join us at the last minute. If you do decide sometime this weekend that you want to go and meet us there just give me a call on my cell @ 318 5473489 so we know to be looking for you. I’ll have my cell on me that day so people can contact me for meet up locations and that sort of thing. Oh and for those of you who want to know we have 6 people going @ this point. Looking forward to seeing you all then.

Josh

Update on King’s Dominion

Josh Williams — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:01:02 +0000

So here’s the deal on tickets. I can get single day tickets for $30. If you go through King’s Dominion website they are $55.99 but they are good for any two days this season. If you want me to get your tickets I need to know by Thursday so I can get them Friday. You can just repay me on Labor Day. Thanks guys.

Josh

Call for Volunteers: Computer Distribution and Set-up

Jumoke — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:23:39 +0000

Hi, Everyone –

Computer Distribution begins this week at CORE and we need your help with Setup and on the distribution nights.

1. We’ll need two or three folks on the Tuesday evenings: 9/1 and 9/8 at 7pm to set up tables/chairs and the computer preset. Click here to sign up on the spreadsheet.

2. We’ll also need volunteers to ‘float’ around the room helping the students one-on-one with the practice run of setting up their computers at home. And, to help carry CPUs out to their cars at the end of the session. We need two or three folks at each session — all from 7pm – 9pm on 9/2, 9/3, 9/9 &9/10 (These are Wednesdays and Thursdays). Click here to sign up and help!

Thanks so much!

Jumoke

Baptism, BBQ & Birthday: Who needs more?

Sarah Dale — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:52:05 +0000

Joanna has decided to become baptized this weekend, before leaving the U.S. again for more international adventures! If you would like to be a part of this wonderful event, please meet at our house (John and Sarah Dale’s) at 4:30 p.m. this upcoming Sunday, before the Holy Grounds BBQ.

Everyone will gather at our place in Old Town, then walk down to the river where Jan will baptize Joanna in the refreshing waters of the Potomac. Afterward, the group will walk back to the house, and spend the evening celebrating with good food, drinks and conversations. Please come early to support Joanna in this wonderful decision she is making. If you can’t make it until later, stop by whenever you can; we’ll be partying all night! (or until the food/drinks run out).

And this just in…. Sunday is Jon Borden’s birthday!! Even though he might be the type who doesn’t want to be the center of attention, he’s going to have to suffer through it as we take this time to celebrate his birthday as well (Jon, blame Steph, she provided me with the intel). Who knows… there may even be singing involved…

Come one, come all: Sunday Sept. 6th

4:30 p.m. Meet at the Dale’s (307 N Fayette St, Alexandria, VA 22314) to walk through Old Town down to the Potomac for Joanna’s river baptism

6:00 p.m. Holy Grounds BBQ celebration at the Dale’s (please bring family & friends!!)

- Main dishes will be provided, please bring a side dish, something to drink  or a dessert that goes well with vanilla ice cream
– Email Sarah with any questions: sarahedale (at) gmail (dot) com

If driving: 
– Park anywhere on the street, it shouldn’t be hard to find a space within a block or two

If taking the Metro:
– Take the Blue or Yellow line to Braddock Road, it’s a 10 min. walk to our house.

Labor Day @ King’s Dominion

Josh Williams — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:59:25 +0000

So Lauren and I were going to go to King’s Dominion for Labor Day if anybody wants to join us. Park opens @ 10:30. We are going to leave from our house in MD and travel route 301 to avoid some of the Labor Day traffic. You are more than welcome to Caravan with us or meet us there. We will probably leave the park around 3-4 in the afternoon so we can come back and take care of our puppies but you are welcome to stay later if you’d like. The tickets if purchased on the King’s Dominion website are $55.99 but they are good for any two days this season. I’m going to check @ the MWR at Andrews AFB this week to see if there are any better prices to be had. I’ll repost when I have more info on that but I will need to get the tickets on Thursday so I will need money by Wed if you want me to get your tickets through the MWR. I need a count of people who are interested in me getting tickets for them. So for that and any questions email me @ wllmsjv@gmail.com

For people planning on being in the city over Thanksgiving

Josh Williams — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:58:24 +0000

Lauren and I are going to visit our family in NM and TX over Thanksgiving. Our puppies need a home for about 10 days. It costs way too much to board the two of them in the kennels in MD. So we are asking for a volunteer or volunteers to take them for all or part of that 10 days. We are willing to pay you. You can keep them at your house/apartment or you can keep them at ours and live in our house for 10 days while we are gone. For more details you can call me @ 318-547-3489 or email me @ wllmsjv@gmail.com. Thanks guys.

Poll on women’s fellowship nights

Karen Vroom — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:22:57 +0000

OK, some of you may cringe at the “christianese” sounding title of the post, but I wrote “fellowship” on purpose: I think we need to move the format into a more structured shared prayer time. Hopefully I am not alone in this thought.

On the scheduling: How would you all feel about meeting more frequently, say, every 2 weeks? I would like to keep it on a weekday since ppl are busy on weekends.

On where to have it: I would like to have it at someone’s house, which means ppl need to volunteer to host. This means YOU! You wouldn’t have to provide dinner, or even your presence technically (although that would be preferred). Also, anyone who wants to help me with providing dinner to a half dozen ppl would be appreciated!

On the content: As I said, shared prayer time is good, however there may be interest in a women’s study of some sort. I personally am not sure if we are at that point yet, or whether ppl would prefer a coed study. But anyway, I am bringing this to the floor. If you have a particular book to pitch, let’s hear it!

Hey Guys

Josh Williams — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:34:37 +0000

So as a lot of you guys know Lauren and I are trying to move to Old Town at the end of the year. That means we have to get rid of some stuff. The two biggest items are the Washer/Dryer combo and a bar. So if you know anybody who needs these things we are selling them fairly cheap. You can email me @ wllmsjv[at]gmail.com for more info and they are on Craigslist so I can send you the link if you want to see them.

Thanks

Josh Williams

Pray for Matt

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:24:06 +0000

Plan for September

sreinitz — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:07:00 +0000

Hey all -

Thought I would give everyone an update from our last planning meeting.

Here’s the plan for September:

August 30 – No Holy Grounds (combined service at 10 am to welcome back Jan)

September 6 – Labor Day Weekend Barbeque at the Dales

September 13 – Tithing Rescheduled (assuming this works for Lisa & Corey)

September 20 – Special Guest Speaker: David & Kathy Dawson from Maya Mission (friends of the Dales)

September 27 – Musical Worship Night (assuming John, Erin, or Matt are willing to lead for us)

Following the kind of random schedule for September, we’re going to start looking at the book of Isaiah. Lauren has offered to look into some of the predominant themes, particularly as it ties into the coming Incarnation of Christ and leads into the Christmas season.

We also discussed incorporating more music and intercessory prayer into the evening. If you’re leading on a particular night, please keep that in mind as you plan. And although we’d still like to break momentarily at 8 pm, if conversations need to continue or we want to use the end of the evening for prayer or musical worship we can do that.

Thanks everyone – I missed you all last week!

Rob Bell in DC October 10th, RSVP for tickets

Matt Pritchard — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:38:49 +0000

We plot, we plan, we assume things are going to go
A certain way and then they don’t and we find ourselves
In a new place, a place we haven’t been before, a place
We never would have imagined on our own,

And so it was difficult and unexpected and maybe even
Tragic and yet it opened us up and freed us to see
Things in a whole new way

Suffering does that—
It hurts,
But it also creates.

How many of the most significant moments in your
Life came not because it all went right, but because
It all fell apart?

It’s strange how there can be art in the agony…

The Drops Like Stars tour is a two
Hour exploration of the endlessly complex
Relationship between suffering and creativity—
And I’d love to see you there.

Rob Bell will be in DC with the Drop Like Stars tour on Saturday, October 10th at 8pm at GW’s Lisner auditorium. Tickets are about $25 all inclusive. It’s assigned seating, so I’ll be ordering the tickets for everyone. Let me know by 8am Tuesday, September 1st if you want to go.

Derek Webb at Jammin’ Java September 26th

Matt Pritchard — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:14:52 +0000

Derek Webb is playing at Jammin’ Java in Vienna Saturday, September 26th at 6pm. He’s one of my favorite artists and I know several other folks from Holy Grounds like him as well. He’ll be playing with a full band and his wife, the incredibly musician Sandra McCracken will be opening. If you order now, tickets are $15. They are running out quickly! Let me know if you are going. I can’t wait!

Labor Day Weekend Events

Sarah Dale — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:42:53 +0000

Labor day weekend we have two events going on:

1. BBQ

John and I (Sarah) will be hosting a cookout at our house during the normal Holy Grounds time ( 6 p.m.) on Sunday, Sept. 6th. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy good food, good discussions and a great community. Please feel free to bring family and friends. We’d love to pack out our house!

Cookout at the Dale’s House
Sunday, Sept. 6th 6:00 p.m.
307 N Fayette St
Alexandria, VA 22314

If driving:
- Park anywhere on the street, it shouldn’t be hard to find a space within a block or two
If taking the Metro:
- Take the Blue or Yellow line to Braddock Road, it’s a 10 min. walk to our house.

- Main dishes will be provided, please bring a small side dish, dessert or something to drink
- Email Sarah with any questions: sarahedale (at) gmail (dot) com

2. Day Trip

There are talks of going to King’s Dominion or possibly Williamsburg or even a quick trip to the beach on Monday, Sept. 7th. If you have suggestions or are game for whatever, please contact Lauren or Josh Williams (I’ll let them post their email if they would like too). More details will come later.

Have a fabulous Monday!

-Sarah

Karen turns permanently 29

Karen Vroom — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:22:57 +0000

Please come celebrate with me as I enter my 4th decade of life (gasp!):

Friday, Aug 28 (actual birthday 8/30)
6:30pm-ish
Jen Gillett’s house
8252 Townsend Ave, Apt 104
Fairfax, VA 22301

Please, no gifts. Your presence alone is a “present”
Bring a board or Wii game to play!

Girls’ dinner w/Joanna this Tues

Karen Vroom — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:59:19 +0000

Ladies,

Let’s have dinner w/ Joanna and hang out this Tues (8/25) around 5pm. Jen Gillett will host at her house:

8252 Townsend St
Apt 104
Fairfax, VA 22301

It’s down the street from Fairfax Hospital, off the beltway (exit Gallows Rd). I will probably bring a cold noodle salad dish for main course and some snacks, very low-key. Just bring yourself.

thank you

Kimberly Schisler — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:59:43 +0000

hi everyone!

i am all settled in here in Connecticut, and just wanted to say a big thank you for helping me get off to a good start. phil gave me your letters and it was so wonderful to read such encouraging notes! i love you all so much and cannot wait to visit! i’ll be filling you in about what i’m learning and how much i miss you.

thanks again!

love,kim

Georgetown InterVarsity seeking baked cookies

Matt Pritchard — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:52:35 +0000

Each year, Georgetown’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship seeks to greet interested students with homebaked cookies and an invitation to Bible study and other New Student events.

We’re praying that the Lord will lead us to 200-250 new students this fall–which means we’ll be looking for 400-500 cookies (bagged in 2s) (35-40 dozen).

Are you able to bake cookies? buy cookie dough (or grocery gift cards) that others could bake?

We’re trying to get the cookies in by September 1st, delivered to someone on campus–or my house:
1818 Minnesota Ave SE Washington, DC 20020.

If you’re able to participate, please email me at keperk@gmail.com with how many dozen cookies you’d like to supply–that way I can keep track of where we are in the process.

Thank you for helping prepare the way for new students to encounter Jesus!

Blessings,
Kate Perkins
Georgetown IV

Reminders for Today

Matt Pritchard — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:30:05 +0000

4:30pm Discussion with the wider Fairlington Presbyterian Church community about adult discipleship. Please make plans to participate as each of you have a lot of wisdom and insight in this area.

6:00pm Potluck

6:45pm A discussion on tithing and giving lead by Lisa and Corey

Something for the Gentlemen, Something for the Ladies

emily — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:27:36 +0000

Happy weekend everyone I just put Ryan on a plane for Doha and Kabul, so he us pretty dang excited. I know that you must be bored as a nail right now, so I have 2 opportunities to make your Saturday amazing.

Guys: my neighbor is by herself here and trying to move some furniture tomorrow morning. She wants to pay (which I could talk her out of) and is talking about hiring strangers. If any of you guys want to volunteer your male muscle, let me know and I will talk her out of it tonight. You get to choose the time.

My ladies: I am seriously considering painting tomorrow- if any of you love to paint, we can make up some brownies and have a girls hang out time in my house. I will buy the paint supplies, so lemme know if you are coming. I am thinking about starting at 2PM.

Rock on Holy Grounds!

Adult Discipleship Meeting at 4:30pm Sunday

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:42:54 +0000

The greater Fairlington Presbyterian church community is exploring how we do discipleship/Christian education. We’ll be having a conversation specifically about adult discipleship this Sunday before Holy Grounds at 4:30pm. Please make plans to attend. We really need everyone’s input and insights into this important topic!

Labor Day Weekend at Joanna’s Cabin

Matt Pritchard — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:14:08 +0000

We are looking at spending Labor Day weekend at Joanna’s Cabin in Pennsylvania.

There is enough bed space for 8 people (3 double beds, 2 single beds) We also have a pull out sofa and two other sofas for people who would prefer those to air mattresses. There is plenty of floor space as well
Dogs are perfectly fine but they can’t sleep in the beds.
It’s about 5 and a half hours to get up to the cabin (it’s a little past Scranton PA)
People would need to bring sheets, drinking water, and food
Just a heads up it is rustic there is no indoor pluming (or outdoor for that matter): there is an outhouse and a lake we pull water from.

Is it something any of you would be interested in? Let me know ASAP.

Ryan & Emily are Moving Today!

emily — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:15:12 +0000

Ryan and I are moving all of our stuff at 430 pm today We are super excited about being in our first apartment. If you want to help us move, stop by 1204 S Alfred St, Alexandria, and we will order some pizza.

Batman after Burgers!

David Moore — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:51:58 +0000

Crystal City is showing superhero moveis all summer and this week, it’s Batman! The first one, with Michael Keaton.

Here are the details.

Sundown today is at 8pm, so we’ll probably make our way down to 18th and Bell sometime after Burgers. If you’re interested, let me know or just meet us there. And bring a blanket to sit on (or maybe one of those camping chairs).

peace,

dave m.

Adam at Shirlington AMC Saturday Morning at 10

Matt Pritchard — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:24:30 +0000

I’m wanting to go see the new film Adam. It’s about a lonely man with Asperger’s Syndrome who develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor. I’ll admit, that doesn’t sound that interesting, but, before you decide to blow me off, watch the trailer.

Let me know if you want to come. We’ll be at the theater in Shirlington at 9:45am this Saturday.

Reminder: HG Planning Meeting

sreinitz — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:02:41 +0000

Hello folks! Just a reminder that we’ll be having a HG planning meeting at 4:30 pm on Sunday. We will go until 5:30 pm and then have a break before the potluck in case people need to pick up food or what not. Let me know if you can’t come but have input you’d like to share. Thanks!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!

Sarah Dale — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:19:55 +0000

Anyone up for ice cream in Old Town tonight? I think John and I will be strolling down that way around 8:30pm-ish. Hope to see you there!

Where:
The Scoop Grill and Ice Cream–(homemade ice cream and sorbet, yum!)
110 King St.
Alexandria, VA 22314

-Sarah
sarahedale[at]gmail[dot]com

Whoops – date correction!

sreinitz — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:56:46 +0000

Sorry guys – I’m an idiot Kim’s party is THIS Saturday, August 15! She and I will both be gone by the 22nd. Sorry about that! Let me know if you’re coming!

Farewell Party for Kim

sreinitz — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:06:54 +0000

As you all know, our dear Kim is leaving us to head to Yale very soon. To ease our depression about it, I’ve decided to hold a farewell party for her at my place on Saturday evening (August 15) at 7 pm. Everyone is welcome, but please let me know if you can join us.

I will be making one of the four things I cook – stuffed shells – but it would be great if other people volunteered to bring side dishes, drinks, etc. Please e-mail me and let me know if you can come and what you want to bring.

My address is:
200 Yoakum Pkwy #1101
Alexandria, VA 22304
Parking is a bit obnoxious at my place, so I recommend carpooling. Call me when you arrive and I’ll get you a visitor pass.

Thanks all!
Steph

PS – Sorry for the late notice, but it’s purely for selfish reasons since I’m leaving town next week and wanted to have it while I could still come

Giving Thanks for Little Things

David Moore — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:55:18 +0000

On Sunday, the two Fairlingtons got together to begin a discussion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Book “Life Together”. We’ll be meeting through September 6th to continue the discussion and think about how we can apply some of the things Bonhoeffer talks about (9am in the parlor at Fairlington UMC; everyone is highly encouraged to attend).

One thing that came up during the discussion was thankfulness, specifically being thankful for the small blessings that God provides for us everyday. Bonhoeffer says it like this: “Only he who gives thanks for little things receives big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us because we do not give thanks for daily gifts.“

So here’s a challenge for folks: Let’s give thanks for the little things! From now through September 6th, let’s use this space to thank God for the small blessings in our lives. When something comes upin your life, add a comment to this post. This is open to everyone, not just people who came to the bookstudy. Nothing is too mundane or too small. If you have a joy or a blessing or something makes you smile, share it with the community and give thanks to God. Everyone, let’s practice the art of thankfulness and see where it takes us.

peace and grace,

dave m.

Please help Libby!

Matt Pritchard — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:35:50 +0000

Hey Everyone!

Please help me win a $100 gift card to CustomInk to help out pay for my team’s field hockey shirts! The picture with the highest rating gets the prize. Below is a link to rate my picture (of my family at the beach in our shirts). Simply go to the right and click the highest rating in order to vote for the picture.

http://inkspot.customink.com/iotw/photo/monkey-is-our-business.html

Thank you all so much, I’ll let you know the outcome!

-Libby Lyon

Holy Grounds Planning Meeting

sreinitz — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:15:34 +0000

One more announcement – we need to hold another planning meeting to figure out what we want to focus on following our redemption theme. I’d like to do it the same way we did last time, meeting prior to HG on Sunday evening. Let’s meet at 4:30 pm on Sunday, August 16 in the basement. We’ll talk about our next emphasis and hopefully spend some more time talking about where we’d like our mission focus to go.

If you have ideas and can’t come, please send them to me by e-mail beforehand. Thanks!

HG Plan for the rest of August

sreinitz — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:07:16 +0000

Hey all!

So I realized that although I know what we’re doing the rest of the month, I haven’t told any of you! Here’s the plan for our poverty/justice emphasis in August:

This week, August 9 – More debrief of last week and a Biblical look at poverty & wealth (Steph with fabulous input from Kim)

August 16 – Living Simply (Dawnielle Miller)

August 23 – Tithing (Corey & Lisa)

August 30 – Something Contemplative (I think )

Thanks all – See you all on Sunday!

Shenandoah Trip Details, Please RSVP

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:17:55 +0000

We are so excited about Saturday’s trip down the Shenandoah! It’s going to be a blast.

People will be meeting at Fairlington Presbyterian’s parking lot at noon to carpool out to Mike & Toby Gress’s house in Bluemont, VA (33868 Snickersville Turnpike). We’ll have canoes/inner-tubes available for everyone. Pack a lunch to eat on the way, we’ll have a cookout for dinner. If you would like to come out earlier, please feel free (I will be heading out Friday night so that everything’s in order when everyone arrives).

Some folks are planning to camp Saturday night. If that’s something you’re interested in, let me know.

Everyone should bring:
$5 for the cookout
Shoes to wear while in the river
Clothes/swimsuit to wear in the river
Change of clothes
Towel
If you have any life-jackets, please bring those as well (we’ll have some there also.)

Optionally bring:
Sunscreen
Bug Spray
Inner-tube(s)
Kayak, etc.
Tent/other camping supplies to spend the night
Something to contribute to the cookout
Alcohol (to be consumed in moderation at the cookout)

If you run into any problems or have any questions you may e-mail me or call/text 434-962-4927.

If you are planning to go, please let Matt know at matt@fpcusa.org ASAP.

Update from Margie

sreinitz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:21:35 +0000

Hey all – I got the following email from Margie and thought I would post it for everyone! Enjoy!

Hi friends, I’m still unsure how to best communicate with you all, but
I figure if I send an email to more than one person I have a better
chance to get through. First I realized that I never sent the promised
photo of the art you all made for me with words of encouragement about
prayer and community. As I sit here listening to the call to prayer I
can’t tell you all how thankful I am for this collage for my wall.

I would really appreciate prayers for my grandfather as we think he is
close to the end of his life, my job situation in that God would give
me wisdom,and for the beginning of living in community as 3 girls move
in with me this month.

Thanks for the intercession, and thank you for being who you are.

Salaam,
Margie

Final reminder – Starting at 6 pm tonight

sreinitz — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:43:35 +0000

Hi friends – Just one more obnoxious reminder that we’re doing program for HG first tonight and potlucking afterwards. Please drop any food your bringing off downstairs and then meet us in the Fellowship Hall at 6 pm. I think it’s going to be fun! Thanks all!

THAI AND ORPHAN SATURDAY NIGHT

JDBorden — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:28:08 +0000

MEETING FOR DINNER AT 6:00 MOVIE STARTS AT 7:20

Looking for something to do this Saturday night? Let’s get together for some good food and a movie!

The Plan – To meet up at Galae Thai Restaurant, 215 Swamp Fox Road, grab dinner and then walk around the corner to the AMC Theater to watch a movie about an outwardly angelic little girl who displays an unforeseen devilish streak upon moving into the home of her new adoptive parents.

I won’t have the exact time for gathering until after the movie time is posted on Wednesday, but I suspect it will be dinner around 5:30ish and the movie about 7ish; I’ll update this post once I know the times.

As always you’re free to RSVP me at jonborden04@msn.com or just keep an eye out for the exact time we’ll be gathering and just show up!

Reminder – Starting Early on Sunday

sreinitz — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:21:16 +0000

Hey all – Just a reminder that we’re starting at 6 pm sharp on Sunday. We’ll potluck afterwards. Please drop food off downstairs in the kitchen at then meet us in the Fellowship Hall (upstairs). Thank you all!

Congregational Forums

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:42:48 +0000

The greater Fairlington Presbyterian Church community is invited to participate in two Open Congregation Forums.

August 2nd, we’ll be discussing Disciplemaking

August 9th, we’ll be discussing Building & Grounds

The forums will take place immediately after Sunday morning worship at about 11am. I know it’s early, but I would really love for each of you to be a part of the discussion and think it would be really helpful as we seek to have stronger relationships throughout the greater church community.

“Life Together” @ Fairlington UMC

David Moore — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:15:28 +0000

Please join the entire Fairlington UMC congregation as we read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” this August. Our Sunday School class will be meeting at 9AM, starting August 9th, to discuss the book. The service (which is at 10AM over here in August) will also focus on the book. There will be a general discussion of the book after the service (open to everyone, not just the ‘young adult’ sunday school class).

If you are interested, email Dave Moore (cruguru@gmail.com) or Matt P. We both have copies of the book, although I think Matt might give you a copy.

Pray for Lisa

Matt Pritchard — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Lisa is sick with bronchitis. Keep her in your prayers!

Starting EARLY on Sunday

sreinitz — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:53:03 +0000

Hey folks! Next Sunday I’m leading and I want to do something a little different. In order to pull it off, however, we need to start with the worship portion of the evening and do the potluck following. We will start at 6 pm SHARP on Sunday. Please arrive on time because it will be hard to incorporate latecomers.

I promise it will be an interesting evening not to be missed – mark your calendars now Love you all!

Steph

Little Micah

sreinitz — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:46:54 +0000

Thank you to everyone who prayed earlier today for my friends Cory & Heather and baby Micah. Tragically, Micah passed away this afternoon. Please continue to pray for Cory & Heather as well as those who are around them and trying to be a support system for them. Thanks all.

happy birthday to who?

Lisa Miller — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:37:29 +0000

hey all!

please send me an email with your birthday… i am compiling a list so that we can help you celebrate! as a community and church family, it’s important that we can share these milestones together…

after all, my mom always said that birthdays don’t count unless there is cake!

email me a lisa.r.miller[at]gmail.com, or reply to this message. if you include your favorite dessert (or food if you aren’t a big cake/cookie/pie eater), that would also be helpful!

thanks,
lisa

Thai and Orphan Saturday Night!

JDBorden — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:53:34 +0000

MEETING FOR DINNER AT 6:00 MOVIE STARTS AT 7:20

Looking for something to do this Saturday night? Let’s get together for some good food and a movie!

As always you’re free to RSVP me at jonborden04@msn.com or just keep an eye out for the exact time we’ll be gathering and just show up!

Please pray…

sreinitz — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:22:51 +0000

Hey all. I just got news this morning that a friend’s baby went into cardiac arrest yesterday morning. His name is Micah, he’s 9 months old, and he’s not expected to make it. Please pray for his parents, Cory & Heather. They aren’t close friends of mine, but they are very close to a lot of my friends and it’s going to be really hard for a lot of people I love back home. Thanks all.

Nicaea’s Canons

Phil Bolles — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:40:38 +0000

A big thanks to Lauren for leading tonight’s discussion on church history!

Now that we’ve talked about the Council of Nicaea, here’s some more information about it. If you’re interested, take a look at the “canons” (decisions) of the council.

Castration is the first issue! And the issue of the Scriptural Canon doesn’t come up at all.

Text: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3801.htm

Potluck and church history tomorrow

sreinitz — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:26:03 +0000

Hey guys!

Just a reminder to bring something nummy for the potluck tomorrow. Lauren is going to be doing a riveting presentation on church history as well. See you all then!

Steph

Erin’s CD Release Show

JDBorden — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:24:26 +0000

Erin’s CD Release Show is tonight at Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse, 201 F Street NE from 8 to 10pm. So I’m looking to see who all’s going and who would like to hook up before hand for dinner around 6:30ish at Union Station? My plans are to be at Union Station between 6 & 6:30 if you can make it give me a call (919-288-0583) when you get there and I’ll tell you where I’m at or drop me an email beforehand if you have any suggestion on where to eat. Jonborden04@msn.com

Seven Deadly Sins Wednesday Night at 10

Matt Pritchard — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:56:36 +0000

The Lent before last, Jan preached a sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins. Tomorrow night at 10 (and the 24th at 8pm and 26th at 2pm) the Capital Fringe Festival is presenting “The Sin Show” at Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist (900 Massachusetts Ave NW). It features “storytellers taking on one of the Seven Deadly Sins for true first-person tales about facing temptation.”

I got a call from a friend about going tomorrow night. I’m not really sure what to expect, but think it could be interesting. Anyone want to come along? Tickets are $15. Text me at 434-962-4927.

Turning Our Focus Outward

sreinitz — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:28:06 +0000

Hey all!

The second half of our planning meeting discussion Sunday was around turning our focus outward. We had some great discussion around developing some ongoing service projects. There was conversation about what that should look like and some good brainstorming around possible opportunities.

Although there weren’t a lot of concrete decisions, we did thing this was a good opportunity to partner with the morning service in some fashion. A woman named Andi Allen (not sure of the spelling), is going to be coordinating missions for the morning service. We thought it would be good to have a small group of us meet with Andi to discuss possibilities. If you are interested in being a part of that discussion, please let me know and Matt will help us coordinate it.

Thanks!

Holy Grounds Liturgy

sreinitz — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:15:56 +0000

Thank you to all of you who participated in our 2nd Holy Grounds planning meeting on Sunday. I wanted to share some of the conclusions we came so everyone is up to speed.

One of our discussions was around the rhythm/liturgy/order of worship for Holy Grounds. Here are some of the thoughts we had:

1. Announcements will now be done on a whiteboard instead of verbally. Feel free to add anything you’d like people to know at the beginning of the night.

2. We would like to engage in more intercessory prayer for one another, either as a large group or in small groups. It will be up to the leader for the evening to decide how to facilitate this best, but we’d like to incorporate it in some fashion at the end of each night.

3. There was a very positive response to Lakesha’s contemplative prayer service a few weeks ago which was more directed than what we’ve done in the past. We will be doing something similar every 4-6 weeks. The next contemplative service will be this Sunday (Lakesha leading).

4. We would like to incorporate more music into our worship. We’ve decided to pick a song that correlates to the current theme for our discussions and sing that song each night during that unit. The leader for the night is also free to include other music (and can coordinate with John or Erin if they’d like).

We will try to start implementing some of these ideas right away. If you have song suggestions for our redemption theme, let’s discuss and see what John and/or Erin are willing to help us with! Thanks all!

NoVa Pet Sitting Co-op

Sarah Dale — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:06:39 +0000

I decided today that if John and I ever want to enjoy our vacations without going overboard on costs, we’re going to have to find a way for our dog to get care while we leave town, for free. While we are very happy with the doggy day care and boarding services in our area, they are all really expensive. We can afford to leave our dog there for a weekend, but what if we wanted to go on vacation for a week? That tacks on a serious cost to your overall trip.

So… I started a Google group called NoVa Pet Sitting Co-op. I’m currently looking for others in my area (Northern Virginia) to join. If you know of anyone who would be interested please pass along the following info:

Group web address: http://groups.google.com/group/nova-pet-sitting-co-op

HG Planning Meeting Sunday at 4:30 pm

sreinitz — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:10:19 +0000

Hey friends! Just a reminder that we’ll be having a Holy Grounds planning meeting on Sunday at 4:30 pm – on the playground if it’s nice out. We will talk about adding a liturgy of some sort to HG as well as beginning conversations about how to develop some sort of mission focus. If you can’t come but have thoughts to contribute, let me know!

Oh, and potluck at 6!

Steph

National Portrait Gallery

JDBorden — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:42:15 +0000

If you’re looking for something and some place “cool” to go and hang out at this Saturday how about meeting up at the National Portrait Gallery for lunch and a tour. Here’s the deal; the Museum Cafe is having a “Summer Feature — Hot Dogs as America” Featuring three authentic hot dogs from baseball cities across the country. We can meet at 12:30 pick our dog, have a great lunch and then tour the Museum. RSVP to jonborden04@msn.com or just show up!

New York Deli Dog– New York City’s delicatessen tradition brings us this great natural-casing beef frank topped off with sauerkraut and deli mustard.

Chicago Red Hot– A jumbo Vienna Beef frank on a poppy seed bun, is “dragged through the garden,” topped with mustard, relish, onion, tomato, dill pickle, peppers, and a dash of celery salt.

Fenway Frank– Boiled and grilled Fenway-style, a beef hot dog served on a New England-style bun and covered with mustard and relish.

Canoeing and Inner-Tubing Down the Shenandoah Saturday, August 8th

Matt Pritchard — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:46:37 +0000

We’re so excited about our upcoming day on the river, Saturday, August 8th! We’ll carpool from the church parking lot at noon and head out to Bluemont, VA to spend the afternoon floating down the Shenandoah in canoes and inner-tubes. Pack a lunch and bring $5 for the cook-out we’ll have in Bluemont after we’re done on the river.

It’s sure to be a fun day out in the country!

RSVP matt@fpcusa.org so we can make sure we have enough equipment for everyone.

World’s oldest Christian Bible digitized

Matt Pritchard — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:16:25 +0000

Exciting news from the Charlotte Observer, especially given our discussion Sunday night:

LONDON The surviving pages of the world’s oldest Christian Bible have been reunited – digitally. The early work known as the Codex Sinaiticus has been housed in four separate locations across the world for more than 150 years. But starting Monday, it became available for perusal on the Web at http://www.codexsinaiticus.org so scholars and other readers can get a closer look at what the British Library calls a “unique treasure.”

Potlucks continued…

sreinitz — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:10:33 +0000

Hey all!

Just in case you weren’t at Holy Grounds last week and didn’t hear, we’re going to continue doing potlucks at 6 pm, at least through the summer. See you all tonight!

Monkey Underwear

Lisa Miller — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:23:52 +0000

so i was reading my daily comics and came across this one.

after laughing really hard, it caused me to wonder…

is our theology or belief system the philosophical equivalent of monkey underwear? are we doing the things that are spiritually challenging and helping us to grow, or are we secure in our faith because we are spiritually supported? honestly, i don’t think this is what the comic artist intended, but it is worth pondering. besides, i wanted to share a smile

HG Planning Meeting (and schedule for July)

sreinitz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:29:53 +0000

Hey friends! Couple things upcoming for Holy Grounds…

First, here is the schedule for the month of July:
July 5 – Church History: Redeeming our common history (Phil/Lauren)
July 12 – Forgiveness & Letting Go: Redeeming our relationships (Lisa)
July 19 – Peacemaking: Redeeming our relationships – Jessi? (Matt, please confirm with her)
July 26 – Church History: Redeeming our common history Part 2 (Phil/Lauren)

Second, it’s time for our second planning meeting of the summer. I thought it worked out pretty well last time so I’m thinking we’ll go with the same plan. The next planning meeting, therefore, will be SUNDAY, JULY 12 at 4:30 pm. At the moment, I’m thinking we should talk about whether or not we want some kind of liturgy for HG (for example, some kind of prayer routine, always doing music, including some kind of small group element, having a more contemplative focus from time to time, etc). There’s also been some discussion about Holy Grounds needing to incorporate some sort of service element/outward focus. I think it would be good to start that conversation as well.

If you have other things you’d rather discuss, let me know – I’m definitely open to suggestion. If you can’t make it but have thoughts to contribute, feel free to e-mail me!

Thanks all!

Reminder: Potluck tomorrow!

sreinitz — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:33:12 +0000

Remember to bring something yummy to Holy Grounds tomorrow! Dinner at 6 pm.

July 4

Corey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Don’t have plans on July 4? I’ll be on the D.C. Metropolitan Police Harbor Patrol Unit’s pier, located at 550 Water Street, SW (Southwest Waterfront, next to the dock for the Odyssey and Spirit of Washington). The families of the police officers and firefighters stationed there throw a mean barbecue, which will be followed up by the fireworks around 9 p.m. (there’s a great view of the Washington Monument from the pier). I’ll probably be there around 6 p.m., and I’d love for any of my Holy Grounds friends to join me!

The officers have the meat catered (pulled pork and chicken, usually), so if you think you might attend, please let me know via email. The rest of the meal is potluck, so you’re welcome to bring a dish to pass. If you don’t, that’s okay, too. Trust me, there’s always plenty of food.

Also, let me know if you’re interested in carpooling. If you’re a Metro rider, the Waterfront-SEU station is about a 5-minute walk.

Hope to see you there!

Corey

Two reminders…

sreinitz — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:36:43 +0000

Two reminders…
1. Our 2nd potluck will be tomorrow evening – dinner starts at 6 pm!
2. If you want to contribute to a going away gift for Jarrad at Crystal City Sports Pub, please do so soon – Matt, Steph & Dave are collecting.

Thanks everyone!

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Lakesha Bradshaw — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:16:16 +0000

Holy Grounds- June 21st

During our time together we will rediscover and explore the ancient Christian practice of contemplation–and the sense of wholeness and peace that it offers.

During contemplative prayer we center our full attention on the presence of God, on the will of God, and on the love of God. We will use two prayer forms Centering Prayer (a method designed to facilitate the development of Contemplative Prayer by preparing our faculties to receive the gift of God’s presence) and Lectio Divina (a way of sacred reading and listening to the texts of scripture as if we were in conversation with Christ and He were suggesting the topics of conversation). Contemplative prayer is centered on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by which we can know the presence of God in very real ways.

The following are quotations about the nature and experience of contemplation, drawn primarily from Christian mystics and authors throughout the centuries.

The secret of Christian contemplation is that it faces us with Jesus Christ toward our suffering world
in loving service and just action. Catherine of Siena
Finding God in all things. Ignatius of Loyola
Looking deeply at life as it is in the very here and now Thich Nhat Hanh

Further reading in preparation for our time together.
We will begin promptly at 6:45pm, to respect the time of those who will need to leave at 8:00pm

What Does “Contemplative” Mean?
The word contemplative has many meanings today. It comes from the Latin roots cum (with) and templum (temple), connoting a sense of the sacred.
Stated simply, the classical tradition understands contemplation as a loving quality of presence in which one is open to things just as they are in the present moment.
In Christianity and other traditions that understand God to be present everywhere, contemplation includes a reverence for the Divine Mystery, “finding God in all things,” or “being open to God’s presence, however it may appear.” When referring to prayer or other spiritual practices, contemplation is classically distinguished from meditation.
Generally this means that meditation seems like something we “do” by means of our own effort and intention, while contemplation always seems to come as a gift. Further, the reverence for mystery implies an openness to unknowing, a willingness to be led and guided by God without having to comprehend what is happening.
In this understanding, contemplation is in no way opposed to action. In fact, our sense is that truly effective, responsive action in the world needs to be undergirded and informed by contemplative awareness.
Also, although silence and solitude play a role in the contemplative life, contemplation does not mean withdrawing from the world. On the contrary, it is a responsive, participative presence in and with God, oneself, one’s neighbors, and all creation. Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation

Small Group Norms
Listen attentively, honor spaces between words, let each other finish.
Use “I” statements rather than “ we or “they”
Commit to confidentiality
Self disclosure appropriate to focus and trust level
Say only what you really think and feel
Respect time and timing
Be responsible for your own learnings
Resist moving into discussion, debate or problem-solving
Look forward to seeing everyone!Peacefulness

Rounding Up Matthew Commentaries

Matt Pritchard — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:34:47 +0000

I am trying to round up all of Jan’s commentaries from our Matthew Study. If you have one, would you please 1) let me know and 2) give it to me next time you see me? Thanks a bunch!

Postcard from Joanna

Matt Pritchard — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:34 +0000

Summer Holy Grounds Worship Plan

sreinitz — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:05:59 +0000

Hello all – Below you will find the schedule for the summer at Holy Grounds, as it currently stands. As you can see, we still need someone to lead on July 12 on the issue of Forgiveness/Letting Go. Kim and I would also love input or ideas for the August focus. Let me know if you’re interested in leading. Thanks everyone!

Theme: Redemption
Redeeming Our Relationship with God, One Another, and the Rest of the World

June 14 – Redemption: An Introduction (Phil)
June 21 – Contemplative Service (Lakesha)
June 28 – Discipleship: Redeeming relationship with God(Matt’s friend)
July 5 – Church History: Redeeming our common history (Phil/Lauren)
July 12 – Forgiveness & Letting Go: Redeeming our relationships – ?????
July 19 – Peacemaking: Redeeming our relationships – Jessi?
July 26 – Church History: Redeeming our common history Part 2 (Phil/Lauren)
The month of August – Redeeming our relationship with the rest of the world: Justice, Poverty, Money, Stewardship (Steph & Kim will coordinate but we’d love others input and help with this if you have thoughts, ideas, would like to lead, etc…)

Reminder: Potluck Tomorrow Night!

sreinitz — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:43:01 +0000

Hey all – Just a reminder that we’re starting potluck night at Holy Grounds tomorrow night. Dinner will start at 6:00 pm so come a few minutes early to set up your food! Thanks everyone!

Bio Ritmo at Summer Solstice Salsa & Swing Dance

Matt Pritchard — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:26:21 +0000

I’m so excited about the Summer Salsa & Swing Dance coming up Saturday, June 20th. Nationally acclaimed Bio Ritmo will be playing and it’s sure to be a ton of fun! Even better, it’s free.

Here are the details:
Saturday, June 20
7-10pm (come to learn and teach at 6:30)
3846 King Street, Alexandria

Join us for this FREE, fun and family-friendly evening of dancing in an alcohol-free environment! Proceeds from concessions will support the Computer CORE program (www.computercore.org).

Please invite your friends. Posters are available for download here or can be gotten from Matt.

FPC Yard Sale and Bake Sale

FB_830620633 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:22:00 +0000

We’re just a couple of days ‘til “Showtime,” the FPC Yard Sale and Bake Sale, to benefit the Children’s Ministry and Vacation Bible School, will be held this Saturday, June 13 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. There are still plenty of opportunities to help:

We’re seeking donations! If you have DVD’s, Video Games, Books or other items that you would like to donate please drop them off by Friday evening. You can leave items in the baby nursery across the hall from the Computer Core offices (look for the yellow sign on the door.) Tax donation receipts are attached to the bulletin board inside the nursery near the door.

Please contact Dana Andy at theandyfamily@comcast.net or (703) 671-3460

The Power of Goose …An Update from Joanna

Joanna Geiger — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:45:37 +0000

The Power of Goose
I was sitting amongst the cuddliest group of kids I’ve ever been with, thinking. I had a cuddle bug to my right and to my left, as did most of the people on our team. I wondered how hard it would be to leave, for them, for me. There are twins that just melt my heart and little girls that give me drawings daily. We were sitting in a big circle. They like making circles, they get to all fight over holding our hands. I had one of the twins on my left playing with my panda watch, which I bought as a joke and would give it to him if there weren’t 16 other little ones who would be jealous. To my right is a young girl, about 13 who passed me notes and drawings all day that say, “I love you.” I didn’t expect to make such strong connections. So here we are, in a circle, playing, “Duck, Duck, Duck…GOOSE!!!”
It’s at odd times that Jesus just shines through to make a point. I’ll be on a ferry to the orphanage that we’ve been working with, thinking, about poverty. When you think you’ve seen dismal conditions, just wait, you’ll see something more dismal yet. Cambodia is the first country where the poverty is this tangible, in the capital never the less. I wish some more remote regions were on the itinerary so I could see what some less “developed” regions look like. I saw three hammocks strung in a circle and had a sense that that was were the old women in one of them slept. I have seen more naked children here and have no doubt that it was either food or clothes.
As a child I hated Duck Duck Goose. I never was fast enough to catch whoever had chosen me and would be happy to never be chosen at all. However, the kids requested the game and we found out that they REALLY loved it, regardless of the fact that most of them don’t know what a duck or a goose is and is likely to never come in contact with one or the other. There are about 50 children and as Michael starts around you start to hear the choruses of “Cho me!!! Teacher, cho me!!!” The latter part of chose seems to have escaped them and it sounds a lot like “chew.” Many, as the game goes on, start to plead the phrase wanting desperately to be chosen. It was as I watched the kids put their hands up and yell out, “Teacher, cho me” that I realized the power of goose.
As a child, “goose” just meant I had to run and show everyone how slow I was. But now, I see it through an orphan’s eyes. They rarely are told they are special, chosen for anything. So here we are playing a silly game and I get to tell them that I chose them. For a few moments, running around the ring, their faces light up. I start to cry but it isn’t the time for tears so I put a smile back on my face and tickle a little girl of about two who plops herself in my lap. Jesus chooses us but how often we see it with a privileged perspective. I think we all need to go back to seeing things as spiritual orphans. Maybe then we can see the power of “GOOSE!”

Thank you gift for Jarrad

sreinitz — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:44:52 +0000

Hello friends -

Many of you have been a part of Monday night burgers at Crystal City Sports Pub. Very sadly, our usual wonderful server and friend, Jarrad, recently announced he’s leaving the sports pub for new job opportunities. We thought the best way to deal with our depression over losing him was to do something nice for him as a send off.

If you would like to contribute to a gift for Jarrad, you can give money to Steph, Dave, or Matt. We will collect it all and pass it along to Jarrad. If you want to write a check, you can make it out to me and I will get them all cashed. We’re looking into doing some sort of scholarship for his son, but if that doesn’t work we’ll come up with a new plan.

Jarrad’s last Monday is June 29 so please have it to us before then so we can give it to him that night. Thank you everyone!

Potluck Month (& a slight schedule change)

sreinitz — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:32:38 +0000

Thank you to everyone who came out on Sunday for our planning meeting. There are a couple decisions we made that I wanted to update everyone on.

First, we want to try and experiment with different ways of doing dinner together. Therefore, June is potluck month! Everyone is invited to bring a dish to share and we will eat together prior to Holy Grounds. We’ll try this for the rest of June and then decide if we want to continue. Time to show off your cooking skills (or your skills at swinging by Giant on the way to church)

Doing dinner before service also means a slight schedule change. Starting next week, we’re going to try the following schedule:

5:30 pm Prep for dinner for those who need it
6:00 pm Dinner & social time
6:45 pm Holy Grounds “program” portion
8:00 pm Dismiss

Let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing what everyone brings!

Sexuality as a Follower of Jesus

Matt Pritchard — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:54:30 +0000

Jan wrote about changing cultures last night and posted a link to an NPR story about ‘Retro Talk’. After listening to it NPR suggested Sex Without Intimacy: No Dating, No Relationships.

A few quotes…

“It’s a lot easier for me to go for [a hook-up] than really inviting them into my life and into my inner-circle and the people who are closest to me, who I’ve had all these shared experiences with. To me that seems like a bigger step–that kind of emotional intimacy. “

“For many of us, the requisite vulnerability and exposure that comes from being really intimate with someone in a committed sense is kind of threatening.”

And the thought of being in love with someone, Wilkerson says, “is the most terrifying thing.”

Questions surrounding sexuality continually come up as I hang out and talk with people.

Part of it certainly emanates from our experiences with broken homes. It is certainly also true that church’s have been co-consipirators with our culture in creating a fear of intimacy.

How do we live out intimacy with all the fear and pain that so often goes with it? How do we develop deep and real romantic and friend relationships with others? How do we truly grapple with the difficult questions of sexuality and intimacy?

A couple of books that have been helpful to me as I’ve thought about this over the years are Lauren Winner’s Real Sex and Rob Bell’s Sex God (I have copies if anyone wants to borrow them).

Still, I believe that we (meaning both the Holy Grounds community and the church universal) have a long way to go in exploring the call of Jesus in the realm of sexuality and intimacy.

What are your thoughts?

Brian McLaren on Plurality 2.0

Lisa Miller — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:53:40 +0000

Good Morning!

I don’t know how many of you saw Brian McLaren’s recent writings on Plurality 2.0 on pomomusings, but I found it really got to the heart of one of my own most vexing questions of faith. He frames the question “What about people of other faiths?” into the question “What about us?”

I found it really illuminating and challenging and hope you will also!

Fairlington Sabbatical Blog

Matt Pritchard — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:06:09 +0000

This summer the community of Fairlington Presbyterian along with Pastor Jan Edmiston will be taking a sabbatical to explore God’s calling on us in the coming seasons. It will be a wonderful time of reflection. Follow along with thoughts from people throughout the congregation and Jan’s travels on the Fairlington Sabbatical blog.

Finish Painters Needed

JDBorden — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:14:57 +0000

Folks we are down to the wire in getting the Fellowship Hall painted and are looking for folks who can come by tonight and or tomorrow night to help finish the project.

What we have left is:

· Completing mid and upper level white trim

· Doors

· Window Trim

· Hang Blinds

· Store Ladders and other Paint Supplies

If you can spare a couple of hours tonight or tomorrow please just show up after 6:30 ready to spread a little paint. Thanks, Jon

After-Shower Party/Game Night/BBQ

David Moore — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:55:31 +0000

Kim and Nathan Ringham are expecting little Hank to join them in July…what better way to celebrate than with Food and Games! Come join us this Saturday at 6PM to eat way too much, get way too worked up over the rules of scatergories and congratulate the parents-to-be. The address is:

5133 52nd St. NW Washington, DC 20016 (same as the New Year’s shindig)

Shoot me a quick a email if you can make it so that I can make sure there’s enough to eat (cruguru@gmail.com). We’ll have the basics, but if there’s a particular grilled item that you want, you should bring that. And make sure you bring your game of choice (especially if your game of choice is Taboo).

peace, dave m.

Reminder: Holy Grounds Planning Meeting

sreinitz — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:59:32 +0000

Just a reminder that we’re holding a planning meeting on Sunday at 4:30 pm to talk about the focus for the summer and a schedule around dinner. Details below! Thanks all!

I’ve been talking to a handful of you about pulling together some time to talk about what we want Holy Grounds to look like moving forward. I’ve volunteered to pull together a few meetings (I’m thinking once a month for the summer) to talk about some specific things we need to make decisions on.

I would like to do the first of these meetings on Sunday, June 7 from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. Here are the things I’d like to get your input/feedback on and I thought it might be helpful if you could think about it ahead of time. If you have thoughts you’d like to contribute to the discussion, but can’t make the meeting, feel free to shoot me an email (sreinitz@hotmail.com).

There are two agenda items:
1. Schedule & dinner plans – There are some of us who think it would be helpful to have a slightly more concrete start and end time for worship on Sunday evenings, in order to be respectful of people’s time and allow those with children and other responsibilities to plan accordingly and join us. We want to do this in a way, however, that doesn’t jeopardize our community-building focus or keep us from engaging with what the Spirit may be leading us to do in a given evening. It has also been suggested that we do dinner together at Holy Grounds instead of going out afterwards. This is a less expensive option but still allows us to eat with one another. The question is how and when to do it – before or after worship, changing worship time to incorporate this, etc. I’d love to know what different people think and come away with a recommendation.
2. Focus for the summer – We also need to decide what we want to focus on for the summer as a community and then decide how to divide up leading worship (similar to the grief focus we developed over Lent). If there is a topic or series of topics that you’d like to see us grapple with together, please come and let us know.

We hope to focus on several other issues in future meetings, including our relationship with the morning service community, supporting Holy Grounds financially, possibly incorporating a liturgy of some sort into our worship, etc. If there are other discussions you’d like to see us have, let me know and I will add it to the list. Thank you all!

Volunteers Needed for CORE Graduation!

Jumoke — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:02:43 +0000

Computer CORE is holding its Spring 2009 Class Graduation next week on Tuesday, June 9th in Fairlington Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall.

We will need ten (10) volunteers to help setting up pews, tables and chairs on Monday night, June 8th between 7pm and 9pm.

We also have a need for event assistants on the night of the graduation -June 9th – between 5:00pm and 9:00pm.

Both evenings would be a great opportunity to volunteer with friends while serving the Fairlington Community. If you are able and available to help, please send an email to Erica Landrau at erica@computercore.org.

Ellen Quaresma’s Family Needs Help

Jumoke — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:32:30 +0000

Friends,

Ellen Quaresma’s family is in need of emergency financial assistance. The Quaresmas emailed Grace Community Church last week. Due to the economy, some people have stopped sponsoring the family — but their expenses remain the same. Futhermore, recent illnesses have caused them to spend more on healthcare — and this is likely to continue as they move into the winter season.

Would you consider making a $10, $25, $50 or $100 one-time and/or recurring donation to help Ellen’s parents, Mazinho and Ana, take care of their still growing family of 39?! Any and all gifts -big or small- matter right now.   Click here to donate now! (This link will take you to the Action International Ministries online gift site).

Here’s why… Ellen’s family has had to take out a bank loan to pay for food and healthcare. Not only do they need money to pay back a bank loan, but they also need more supporters to help sustain their ministry in the future. Ultimately, they will need more supporters as a long term solution.

Please spread the word about this family and make a financial contribution if you are able. You can go to www.quaresmafamily.org to learn more and this will link you to the action international website; click on the orange button that reads “Donate to Mazinho and Ana” and that will take you a secure online giving site.

If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them for you, OR you can talk with Matt. We’ve both been to Brasil to visit this family and seen this ministry in action. This family is very dear to my heart and as we share their story with the rest of the world, the hope is that more people will want to help them out as well.

All the best,

Jumoke

Goodbye Dinner for Bridgett Friday at 6:30

bdhedric — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:47:53 +0000

Please come to dinner this friday night at 630 at Noodles & Company beside four sisters in Merryfield/Tysons Corner Area.

I would love to see everyone before the move. If you know anyone that would like to come that I have missed on this email invite them too.

Directions: 8190 Strawberry Ln Falls Church, VA 22042

Let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see everyone there. I’m going to miss all of you and glad you have been apart of my life in DC

Erin Playing at Vienna Town Green on Sunday!

Erin Weston — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:31:39 +0000

Hey everyone! Since we are having an unconventional Sunday, I decided to accept an offer to play at an open mic night on Sunday. I would love for you all to come if you can! The event is Sunday, May 31st at 6:30 pm at the Vienna Town Green (an outdoor event). I don’t know the exact address of the green but it is on Mill street off of Maple Ave. (Maple is the main street through Vienna; rt 123). It is across from the Whole Food store and where the W&OD bike path crosses Maple Ave. I am performing about 20 minutes at approximately 7:45 pm .

In the event of “iffy” weather, I’m not sure what will happen, but feel free to have a point person call me if so. I should know the plan by 5 PM.

Hope you can make it!!!!
Erin

Poets Prophets Teachers

Matt Pritchard — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:34:25 +0000

I’m thinking about going to a conference in Grand Rapids, MI: Poets, Prophets, Teachers with Rob Bell, Peter Rollins, and Shane Hipps July 5-7. Want to come with me? The cost is $250, but it covers two people (I’ll cover this cost). Flights are about $212 round and I think we can probably find someone to put us up while we’re there. I’ll cover the rental car as well. You’d need to pay for your meals.

Let me know if you are interested.