The
Emerging Desert cohort (an extension of the
Emergent Village) is simply a place to connect and dialogue with other people in the Phoenix area about the Church. The people involved share a common interest in discussing new & old ideas about Christian community and working towards an increasingly genuine & holistic pursuit of Jesus.
In the words of the Emergent Village,
"These learning communities are geared toward post-critical, constructive conversation, rather than merely deconstructive rants about the current state of the Church."
Accordingly, we, as a cohort, are motivated to
move the conversation forward, (i.e., build the Kingdom of God) with personal-reflection, innovation, and evolving action.
Emerging Desert welcomes...
...doubt
...conviction
...questions & uncertainty
...humility
...radical love
...diverse backgrounds
...people of all ages.
Intentions:Participation in
Emerging Desert is intended to play a flexible role in peoples' lives. If you are currently involved in a church or faith community, then this cohort could supplement that aspect of your journey. If you currently find yourself without a community connection, then please fill that gap by hanging out with us.
Gatherings:Initially, we plan to meet monthly while we find our rhythm, yet aim to increase the frequency to every other week if everybody's up for that. We have decided that late Sunday afternoons tend to be fairly workable times for most people. We would like our meetings to last about an hour, allowing people enough time afterwards to get ready for the coming work/school week. We will be posting subjects of discussion on this blog, most likely stemming from thoughts in a book we are reading together.
Children:We hope the cohort will be a place where people can experience focused & sincere conversation. In order to do this, childcare will be provided for the little ones in an adjacent room. Therefore, kids of all ages are welcome. This aspect is a work in progress, as we hope to soon be able to provide more than just childcare, extending our experiences into the lives of our younger ones and intentionally addressing this core issue.
This Blog:Periodic meetings may be enough for some, but others may be left desiring to connect more dots in the meantime. This blog will be a place where our conversation is summarized and hopefully deepened. It will be contributed to by all who want to have a productive part in the discussions. (Please email Adam or Jacob if you would like to be added as an author for this blog... the way we see it, the more the merrier!)
