Per Adam's suggestion, I'm putting up this friendly reminder about the blanket and sock drive that my Jr. High girls group is organizing. The plan is to collect donations through Dec. 12th or 15th and then take them out to Tempe to simply hand them out to anyone who wants or needs a way to keep warm this winter.
This is something they came up with on their own and it makes me proud. I love their hearts and really want this to be a success for them. It'll go a long way towards their confidence in starting their own non-profit "ThisSocks".
So, if you all have any old blankets, socks, etc., hanging around the house, please bring them the next couple of Sundays and I'll gladly take them off your hands.
Peace and Love
Christian
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Monday, December 6, 2010
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Stop Hunger Now
Heya friends,
I mentioned the Food for the Hungry breakfast and packing event when we met on Sunday. If you are interested in joining me, shoot me an email or call or text or twitter or knock on my door...they want to know in advance if anyone is coming, but don't let that stop you if you are a last minute kind of person.
The event will be:
Tuesday, July 28th
7:30a-9a
Food for the Hungry US
1224 E Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85034
480-998-3100
7:30am – Light Breakfast
8:00-8:45 – Presentation from Stop Hunger Now and hands on packing event
8:45-9:00 – Opportunities for future involvement in Operation Sharehouse – Phoenix
I mentioned the Food for the Hungry breakfast and packing event when we met on Sunday. If you are interested in joining me, shoot me an email or call or text or twitter or knock on my door...they want to know in advance if anyone is coming, but don't let that stop you if you are a last minute kind of person.
The event will be:
Tuesday, July 28th
7:30a-9a
Food for the Hungry US
1224 E Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85034
480-998-3100
7:30am – Light Breakfast
8:00-8:45 – Presentation from Stop Hunger Now and hands on packing event
8:45-9:00 – Opportunities for future involvement in Operation Sharehouse – Phoenix
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Recap 5.03.09
Adam shared with us a bit of his story, and how he and Tara came to be on this journey. It had been on his and Tara's heart to go see, hear and taste what extreme poverty actually is. While in Addis Ababa, Ethiopa, among the places they went was a church service for those dying of AIDS. Those running the service would care for those in need and give them a place to worship in their final hours. Needless to say this was a life changing experience. This was contrasted later with a mega-church service here in the valley (we'll allow it to remain nameless) in which the happy parishioners were cheering the pastor as he revved his Harley Davidson down the aisle and up onto the stage as a sermon intro. This could be a place marked as the beginning of a change for the Bams...
(Adam and Tara, for me to sum up the depths your experience(s) in a few lines is impossible. Please edit away, or feel free to write "not endorsed by the Bams" in the comments.)
Adam then read to us from pages 136-138 in Shane's book, as a new perspective, or rather a big picture view of the great commission.
In light of some of the points brought up in Jesus for President, the pledge of allegiance was mentioned as a little more difficult to swallow for some of us, especially those of us who have children and are wondering just exactly what it is that we want them to value. Isn't it the people who make a country, not the country that makes the people?
As we take another hard look at becoming the church we want, becoming the people we want to become, we ask "how"? Yet in regards to what we "haven't" done, or to respond to our own critiques that say we are all talk and no action, we discussed the following.
I'm not sure who brought it up, but I believe it was Ron. Yeah you Ron. Here's the idea: no, we're not yet satisfied with where we are, and arguably we may never be. However, if we look back at ourselves 5 years ago (more or less for some of us), we can see that many things have changed. Some things have changed dramatically. We should not discount that this is in fact a journey, and it will be comprised of many single steps, not a small number of giant leaps. As I type this my own impatience is becoming all too apparent. I like big leaps.
Well, I hadn't been made aware of this about myself at the time, so I pressed on. My thoughts were these: We look at those who are examples of drastic change, such as Shane C. We usually respond with "I'm not going to make my own clothes or give my house to the poor so.....what can I do?" And yet I feel that if are ever going to be able (read: willing) to give our houses to the poor were going to have to start somewhere. So here's the question: where is a happy medium between changing the source of our coffee from *unknown to *freetrade, and giving away every possession we have? Can we drum up some creativity to find that middle ground? By the way, I think we all need to become very aware of what we buy, why, where it comes from, and who it affects. That said, I don't believe stopping there will satisfy what it is we're longing for.
Some ideas that came up...
(Adam and Tara, for me to sum up the depths your experience(s) in a few lines is impossible. Please edit away, or feel free to write "not endorsed by the Bams" in the comments.)
Adam then read to us from pages 136-138 in Shane's book, as a new perspective, or rather a big picture view of the great commission.
In light of some of the points brought up in Jesus for President, the pledge of allegiance was mentioned as a little more difficult to swallow for some of us, especially those of us who have children and are wondering just exactly what it is that we want them to value. Isn't it the people who make a country, not the country that makes the people?
As we take another hard look at becoming the church we want, becoming the people we want to become, we ask "how"? Yet in regards to what we "haven't" done, or to respond to our own critiques that say we are all talk and no action, we discussed the following.
I'm not sure who brought it up, but I believe it was Ron. Yeah you Ron. Here's the idea: no, we're not yet satisfied with where we are, and arguably we may never be. However, if we look back at ourselves 5 years ago (more or less for some of us), we can see that many things have changed. Some things have changed dramatically. We should not discount that this is in fact a journey, and it will be comprised of many single steps, not a small number of giant leaps. As I type this my own impatience is becoming all too apparent. I like big leaps.
Well, I hadn't been made aware of this about myself at the time, so I pressed on. My thoughts were these: We look at those who are examples of drastic change, such as Shane C. We usually respond with "I'm not going to make my own clothes or give my house to the poor so.....what can I do?" And yet I feel that if are ever going to be able (read: willing) to give our houses to the poor were going to have to start somewhere. So here's the question: where is a happy medium between changing the source of our coffee from *unknown to *freetrade, and giving away every possession we have? Can we drum up some creativity to find that middle ground? By the way, I think we all need to become very aware of what we buy, why, where it comes from, and who it affects. That said, I don't believe stopping there will satisfy what it is we're longing for.
Some ideas that came up...
- Jim suggested that we consider starting a neighborhood Laundry Love project in Mesa. This would be very cool: hanging out together, making new friends, and extending our love to those who need it. Check out the link - it's all sorts of good stuff. At this point we're just looking to see if somebody would like to kick it off. Are you that person? (I should go into recruiting, that was powerful)
- Sarah mentioned a friend of theirs who is a pastor and is experiencing some heart-ache from the decision to leave his church. Sarah said they are going to try and be there for him and support him through this time of transition.
- This kicked off a discussion about how pastors in many church contexts can be very overworked and under-appreciated. Yet while they need support, they may not be able to be supported by staff or laity because of the nature of the job, and the way you should "appear" to your congregation (I could type a novel about this, but I shan't). Jamie suggested there could be an opportunity here to serve those working in the church. I wonder: is this a hint of what it could look like to have a positive and mutually beneficial connection between the emerging church and the institutional church? I dream I dream....
- Mr. Grzecka suggested as a group we look at an Amor Ministries (or similar) weekend trip. That would also be way cool.
- Another good idea is one that Tara brought up (years?) ago. I think it fits into the question of what things we can do to live differently, yet not scary differently. A simple (online?) way of sharing resources among the group. Those items that we would be willing to let someone borrow we could have on a list, and basically could be able to say what's mine is yours. Tara, do you care to extrapolate, or have you modified the idea at all since way back when?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Recap 3.15.09
We began our trek up the mountains of discussion that are the crux of what we're reading in Shane Claiborne's book - Jesus for President. Ironically, in this section, Shane admits that Jesus actually would be a bad president, because Jesus "...aspired to something different from state power." (86)
Using Adam's thought-provoking questions as a start, we tried to make sense of what "Jubilee" would look like today. Questions lead inevitably to questions, eh?
Where were we? Oh yes...Jubilee leads to socialism, and now all the lazy people get to eat. Okay seriously, somebody stop me.
We moved to the discussion on how "freely" we should give, not knowing all the time whether our money is going to be used for good or for ill. Everybody seemed to have differing perspectives on this, mainly according to the context of any given situation. There are certainly stories on both side of this coin, and I think there always will be. It is good to discuss though, because it keeps us moving, changing, and thinking, rather than giving in stagnation.
We talked a little about how on a small scale we've tried to live in a more giving way, and that hopefully this can start to lead us down a path to be a unique culture within our western culture. I'd really like to discuss this further - how these questions could not just lead to more questions, but to some sort of continued action. This is where the rubber meets the road, and frankly where the emerging church has it's biggest struggle and has enjoyed rightful criticism. Shall we discuss until our throats are sore? Don't get me wrong, the discussion has been invigorating thus far to my life. And of course there is not an answer that will fulfill every question and every person. I guess I'm just wanting to apply some of these things. The discussions in fact have inspired me...What comes to mind immediately is this - what about every third or fourth time we meet, we still show up at the Schroeder's, maybe gab for a bit, but then go and DO. Comment away...
To end the night, Ron suggested we invade Canada to prepare for ourselves some nice beach front property that global warming will soon be providing. Really not cool Ron, I think there may be Canadians in our midst.
Using Adam's thought-provoking questions as a start, we tried to make sense of what "Jubilee" would look like today. Questions lead inevitably to questions, eh?
- Was God invoking the first pillars of socialism?
- How closely could we follow the laws within Jubilee, given our current context?
- Would it be mostly about debt cancellation?
- How would it even be possible for us to explore while we remain firmly planted in capitalism?
Where were we? Oh yes...Jubilee leads to socialism, and now all the lazy people get to eat. Okay seriously, somebody stop me.
We moved to the discussion on how "freely" we should give, not knowing all the time whether our money is going to be used for good or for ill. Everybody seemed to have differing perspectives on this, mainly according to the context of any given situation. There are certainly stories on both side of this coin, and I think there always will be. It is good to discuss though, because it keeps us moving, changing, and thinking, rather than giving in stagnation.
We talked a little about how on a small scale we've tried to live in a more giving way, and that hopefully this can start to lead us down a path to be a unique culture within our western culture. I'd really like to discuss this further - how these questions could not just lead to more questions, but to some sort of continued action. This is where the rubber meets the road, and frankly where the emerging church has it's biggest struggle and has enjoyed rightful criticism. Shall we discuss until our throats are sore? Don't get me wrong, the discussion has been invigorating thus far to my life. And of course there is not an answer that will fulfill every question and every person. I guess I'm just wanting to apply some of these things. The discussions in fact have inspired me...What comes to mind immediately is this - what about every third or fourth time we meet, we still show up at the Schroeder's, maybe gab for a bit, but then go and DO. Comment away...
To end the night, Ron suggested we invade Canada to prepare for ourselves some nice beach front property that global warming will soon be providing. Really not cool Ron, I think there may be Canadians in our midst.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
for the northerners
Hey folks,
I know some of you live on the north side, but would like to participate in feeding the hungry on Sundays. A couple years ago, I attended some networking meetings for people like us around the valley, and I met some cool people doing something called Taco Church. Basically, they are doing what we are doing but out of a Mexican restaurant. The Lord works in mysterious ways. And awesome ways. Mmmm...Mexican food...
Anyway, I wanted to provide the link to their site--fancy, I know--we don't even seem to know how to give proper directions to smoking church most of the time. So here you go...contact and attend at your own risk.
I know some of you live on the north side, but would like to participate in feeding the hungry on Sundays. A couple years ago, I attended some networking meetings for people like us around the valley, and I met some cool people doing something called Taco Church. Basically, they are doing what we are doing but out of a Mexican restaurant. The Lord works in mysterious ways. And awesome ways. Mmmm...Mexican food...
Anyway, I wanted to provide the link to their site--fancy, I know--we don't even seem to know how to give proper directions to smoking church most of the time. So here you go...contact and attend at your own risk.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A family sticks together...
We as a community have enjoyed the company of some truly remarkable people. People who not only have chosen to seek out what it means to follow Jesus, but people who have constantly open arms to others who struggle spiritually, physically, financially, etc. I'm proud to be a member of this new family - I only wish to spend more and more time with all of you. I also wish I could blag (a combination of blog and brag) about this all day, but it just wouldn't do justice.
One result of our continued conversation has been the idea that we should 'adopt' some families into our family. One main thread of this idea has been that we will strive to not just simply provide material things, but also to provide an open and constant invitation into our lives. A more holistic approach to supporting those in need.
We have been given the oppurtinity to help three families. They have specific needs appropriate to the holiday season, and longer term needs that we will try to address as well. We want to be respectful of these families' privacy, and so we should refrain from posting specifics, as the caseworkers have asked.
However, we need to move forward, and I'd like to include everyone. I'm going to post a list of needs on our shared google docs - so that we can at least kick this thing off. If you don't have access to our google docs - comment that you need an invitation.
Once in, find the tab at the bottom called 'families'. Just put your name by those items that you would like to provide or help with, and feel free to put any notes, etc. Feel free to duplicate names, and I'm sure we can find more families or rearrange as needed. Also in this document, I've put three spots to become 'concierge' for each family. This may or may not be the way we want to structure it. For now, I just wanted to get it off the ground, so please feel free to comment away...
One result of our continued conversation has been the idea that we should 'adopt' some families into our family. One main thread of this idea has been that we will strive to not just simply provide material things, but also to provide an open and constant invitation into our lives. A more holistic approach to supporting those in need.
We have been given the oppurtinity to help three families. They have specific needs appropriate to the holiday season, and longer term needs that we will try to address as well. We want to be respectful of these families' privacy, and so we should refrain from posting specifics, as the caseworkers have asked.
However, we need to move forward, and I'd like to include everyone. I'm going to post a list of needs on our shared google docs - so that we can at least kick this thing off. If you don't have access to our google docs - comment that you need an invitation.
Once in, find the tab at the bottom called 'families'. Just put your name by those items that you would like to provide or help with, and feel free to put any notes, etc. Feel free to duplicate names, and I'm sure we can find more families or rearrange as needed. Also in this document, I've put three spots to become 'concierge' for each family. This may or may not be the way we want to structure it. For now, I just wanted to get it off the ground, so please feel free to comment away...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
sunday mornings
I just wanted everyone to know that you are more than welcome to join us any Sunday in Tempe to feed the hungry.
A few years ago, my neighbor Paula invited me to join her and others from her church as they met at a park for "outreach". Basically, we'd all bring food and someone would bring donated eggs that we'd scramble over a camping stove. Clint, a former homeless man/drug dealer/addict, would share a sermon, and we'd serve the food. Since then, we've moved to other sites including a long stint at the Salvation Army, and now we are located at 2051 E. Apache at a working man's halfway house.
Basically, the format's still the same. We show up anywhere between 8:15 and 8:45(? Adam, help me out here), Clint shares his message to whomever wants to hear, then we serve eggs, potatoes, and hot dogs. Clint has wrangled Starbucks pastry donations, and I think he makes the coffee and punch himself. The whole thing is his baby; a dream of reaching out to people with whom he really identifies.
It's not super organized; there's plenty of chances to get to know the homeless and the hungry. You can sit and talk, you can serve, you can do dishes, clean up trash...the opportunities are endless. I don't need to know if you are coming or not, and you don't have to come every single week. For awhile we were shorthanded, but currently we're doing okay, so anyone else is icing on the cake.
I've always felt safe, and other volunteers have brought their young children. The biggest dangers are scraped knees and explaining why that man smells like gin.
A few years ago, my neighbor Paula invited me to join her and others from her church as they met at a park for "outreach". Basically, we'd all bring food and someone would bring donated eggs that we'd scramble over a camping stove. Clint, a former homeless man/drug dealer/addict, would share a sermon, and we'd serve the food. Since then, we've moved to other sites including a long stint at the Salvation Army, and now we are located at 2051 E. Apache at a working man's halfway house.
Basically, the format's still the same. We show up anywhere between 8:15 and 8:45(? Adam, help me out here), Clint shares his message to whomever wants to hear, then we serve eggs, potatoes, and hot dogs. Clint has wrangled Starbucks pastry donations, and I think he makes the coffee and punch himself. The whole thing is his baby; a dream of reaching out to people with whom he really identifies.
It's not super organized; there's plenty of chances to get to know the homeless and the hungry. You can sit and talk, you can serve, you can do dishes, clean up trash...the opportunities are endless. I don't need to know if you are coming or not, and you don't have to come every single week. For awhile we were shorthanded, but currently we're doing okay, so anyone else is icing on the cake.
I've always felt safe, and other volunteers have brought their young children. The biggest dangers are scraped knees and explaining why that man smells like gin.
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