Food Adventures

Here are two fun aspects of simple living involve saving... money, the environment, ourselves & our society from wasteful consumerism... you know, the usual.

1) The Co-op.
This is possibly the most amusing part of our neighborhood. It's the real deal: labor shifts, dues, organic & local produce, vegan & gluten-free food, etc.
Everything is done by volunteer labor. The mark-up on the wholesale price depends on how much you work. Some jobs get a 10% or 17% mark-up, and little labor minions like us get a 23% mark-up.
The co-op is open on Saturdays from 10am-1pm and anyone can have a key for an off-buy. We rent the space out of a basement of an elderly woman's house. It's not a legal entity and we kinda have to keep things on the DL.
Here's the kicker, his name is Stan. He's been a member of the co-op since 1979. Stan is the produce and cheese buyer, so he's high up on the work-time ladder. He's also very picky and pushy and "brusque" as someone whispered to me when I first met Stan. At the yearly meeting, Stan had a contention with the supplier farm because they've been skimping a pound or so on some produce buys. So Stan BROUGHT HIS ANSWERING MACHINE to the meeting to play a rude message from the farm manager about how pound of apples is not big enough to give us a credit. It was hilarious. But in the not-allowed-to-laugh-because-he's-taking-himself-so-seriously kind of way.
But Stan does a lot of great stuff to keep the co-op running, so everyone treats him really well. I'm told his best quality is that he fabricates badges to look official for this huge Food Expo and brings co-op members to take all the extra food. Basically it's like Robin Hood, steal from the rich to benefit the poor.
Meanwhile, almost everyone else is under 40 and kinda hippie, do-gooder types. It's great fun.

2) Dumpster Diving.
I have to admit that I have not had the opportunity to do this myself, but I have a second-hand story. The Sojo interns took home a load from Trader Joe's in their co-workers car. (We don't have a car, so it makes dumpster diving a little more difficult.) They got so much stuff that they're giving a lot of it away - cakes, pies, desserts, pita bread, cheeses like brie and party rounds, stuffed turkey breast and other meat. FOR FREE! The store can't sell it anymore for whatever reason, so they pack it up and put it outside. So you don't have to go picking through half-eaten stuff. As their friends, they gave us 3 different desserts, several packages of cheese and meet, and a bunch of pita bread. Lovely.

So those are my adventures in the food world. Definitely more interesting just the local grocery store.

Welcoming Advent

Thanksgiving and its aftermath led me to some new musings about entering this Advent season.

After the complete vacation mentality I had over Thanksgiving break, I was on a great high, ready to tackle life again. On Monday I listened to a voicemail from my mom saying hi and she mentioned something about how it's hard sometimes to get back into real life after having a nice break. I thought to myself, "That's sweet of her to be concerned, but I feel great!" Actually, from Tuesday morning on I had a pretty rough week.

My original thoughts at the end of Thanksgiving weekend were a new appreciation for the approach of Advent. I wrote in my journal about the value of Thanksgiving right before the beginning of Advent because it gave me a time to slow down and remember to be reflective in the coming weeks until Christmas. The rest and grateful focus of Thanksgiving is a gift to spur me towards a richer perspective on Advent.

When I started to feel down towards the middle of the week (because of a variety of reasons), I was less excited about Advent because it would just be one more thing to do. That's a dumb reason. I soon realized that it is times of emotional and spiritual difficulty that are the Advent times. I am balanced in the tension of wanting to be joyful about the birth of the Savior and at the same time caught up in my own darkness. I am aware that my need for a light is not a one-time fix. Any current difficulty underscores my need for Christ and brings me into the heart of Advent: the anticipation and hope that comes from knowing how the story ends while I'm still in the middle of the action.

It's funny that a month ago I was so ecstatic with my life at the moment that I couldn't see a cloud in sight. No words could express how fulfilled I felt. And yet I am so fickle in my emotions. Sometimes I laugh at myself for being so human.

I'm still thankful that a weekend away prepared me to be focused on Advent this year. And I'm also grateful that I am learning to live into the darkness as to fully understand the Advent season and expectancy of light.

I just have one more little blurb to share with you as a closing to this post and a beginning of Advent reflection. This morning I lit the first Advent candle at 8th Day Community. In their tradition, the first candle is for forgiveness. This is what I shared:

Today we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of forgiveness. Through forgiveness we understand our humanity and our own need for forgiveness, and at the same time we discover our power through Christ to love and transcend hate in the world.
In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky writes, "At some thoughts one stands perplexed, above all at the sight of human sin, and wonders whether to combat it by force or by humble love. Always decide 'I will combat it by humble love.' If you resolve on that for once and for all, you can conquer the whole world. Loving humility is a terrible force: it is the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it."
And so we begin this Advent season with the knowledge of our need for a light to shine in the darkness, of our need to forgive and to be forgiven. Let us humble ourselves to let Christ live in us this Advent season.

Amen.

Humor, Wake-up Calls, and Transformers

As we sat around the table last week at our community's pre-holiday Thanksgiving meal, I was surprised by the variety of responses to the question of what we are thankful for right now. Most of all I was surprised at what I'm really thankful for at this point in my life. One lesson I've been learning through my community is the value of humor and balance. The security of our community allows for almost everything to be taken in its proper proportion. Insecurity often leads to wise-cracking, humor as a barrier, and insensitivity to true depth. Somehow we've collectively created a community that can hold things in proper respect while always being open to the joy of humor and the ability to not take ourselves too seriously. What a blessing for me! I can be uptight and goal-oriented and solution-focused. And secondly, I feel more comfortable being who I am because I know that there is a balance and I am part of that balance. I hold up my side of the bargain and someone else adds their contribution to the collective personality. When we're all free to be ourselves we create the truest kind of community that uses everyone's strengths how they are best gifted. I'm learning the gift of finding balance with humor and also the ability to not feel responsible for things that are not my part, to just be me.
On a more practical note, I woke up this morning to an awful phone call. I was sleeping late in our hotel suite and awoke to hear my parents answer a call from Jonas. Jonas and his family have become especially connected to my parents through activities at Grace Place which have made us aware of their particular family difficulties and needs. My dad is a special mentor to Jonas' son "Little James" and we've all been involved in helping their family out with one thing or another. This year their family moved into a Habitat for Humanity house and out of the Grace Place neighborhood. On Thanksgiving morning Jonas was calling us, to ask about anywhere that offers food on Thanksgiving. The only solution that my dad could come up with is the single homeless shelter in Naples, St. Matthew's House, but even they are not serving an open meal. There are no options. They are not homeless. They have jobs. But they don't have any food on Thanksgiving, of all days. It's easy to wake up and celebrate a wonderful day of thanks with my family and food and health and warmth and great weather...if I'm not aware, or try to ignore for those 24 hours what else is happening outside my bubble. It's true what Shane Claiborne says that we will only be compelled to tackle poverty if we actually get to know the poor and what poverty looks like. I know Jonas and Little James and his siblings Jason and Crystelle. And yet I still feel at a loss as to how to change the injustices of the world.
After a day of football and horseshoes and conversation and eventually food, food, and more food, we rolled upstairs to watch "Transformers." In the oh-so-clever battle scene diaglogue (sarcasm) between Megatron and Optimus Prime, Megatron berates Prime's defense of humans because they do not deserve to live. Optimus Prime responds, "They have the right to choose." As cheesey as the movie is, the ethical truth of the autobots rings true in our hearts. And it makes me ask, does everyone really have the right to choose to live? Because Jonas doesn't have food for his family on Thanksgiving, does that mean he made that choice? Or are other systemic factors forcing it on him? I don't even know what do with these same questions that have been bouncing around in my head for so long. The only answer I can find is to focus on making the microcosm of my life and my commmunity into a slice of the equal, just, diverse in-breaking kingdom of God. Beyond that, I'm really at a loss.
I tried not to let this color my day. And overall it was one of the better Thanksgivings I can remember. I felt particularly relaxed and engaged and comfortable with my family. I really enjoyed being with all 17 of us today. I thank God for all these things, even and especially the questions that challenge me and let me know that there is still blood coursing in my veins and pumping my heart, physically and spiritually.
To end with a glimmer of hope... maybe if I could only just get that Transformers' soundtrack as the background music to my life, then I can make some epic changes in the world.

Bind Us Together

A common benediction in the CoS churches is the song "Bind Us Together":

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together
with chords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together in love

There is only one God
There is only one King
There is only one Body
That is why we sing

It's painful, yet true, that tragedy often binds people together more than anything else. This week we've experienced one of those tragic glue situations. I don't want to be exploiting the circumstances, so please read this as a prayer request/update.

On Sunday afternoon Chris' mom, Rebecca, got hit by a car while crossing the street in downtown DC. Chris was not with her and his step-dad because they had been in town visiting his step-sister and we were invited to church and lunch by Seekers CoS community. Rebecca was rushed to the hospital with head trauma and a broken pelvis and shattered hip. We all rushed to the hopsital for several hours of waiting for a diagnosis. Fortunately, she's alive without severe brain damage. Unfortunately, she has bleeding and swelling around her brain, of which the effects cannot be determined yet. She also has a broken pelvis and her hip has been replaced in surgery today.

This has been a very scary time for Chris and his family. Please pray for Rebecca's healing and for the spiritual/emotional stability of Chris and his family. On a good note, Chris' brother Will flew in from California and he's been wonderful to have around for Chris and great to meet him for the rest of us.

The week before the accident, we had actually spent a lot of time just hanging around together. With the weather getting chilly and rainy, we spent some evening curled up on the couch under blankets just "snuggling" in a lumpy group or watching movies. It felt like a really lazy week, but it was so good to have that comfortable bond in order to comfort and sustain in difficult times that we had no idea were coming.

And this is the most amazing feeling of all: We're sitting around doing our "Nuts & Bolts" talking about mundane things like grocery shopping and chores and schedule and I look around the dinning room table and can't help but grin and think "I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!" That kind of feeling is totally expected when you're laughing, singing, praying or doing anything that would appear on a sit-com montage. Intentional community is the real thing and it's rocking my world.

Tonight we celebrated Thanksgiving as our DY family. Life isn't perfect, and not always even enjoyable, but I am so profoundly grateful to be here and experience it with this community.

My Job...in a Nutshell

Here's the update/info/clarification now that I actually know what the heck I'm doing. If you don't want to know the detail, you can skip this. I won't be offended. If you do like to know what's really going on, this is it.

I work at Sitar Art Center. Our mission is to serve low-income residents of our DC neighborhood with quality art classes including private music lessons, group music ensembles, visual arts, drama, dance, and creative writing. We have 300 students per semester and are hoping to grow to 500 per semester in our current space. Our goal is that 80% of our students would be from low-income families and pay very little for their classes. That usually equals about $15-30/family/semester/as many classes as they'd like to take. We define low-income as 60% of the area median income. We are funded my major donors and grants.

Our facility contains 2 art studios, 10 individual practice rooms, 2 ensemble practice rooms, 2 dance studios (one ballet and one wood-floor), a computer lab, an arts library, a gallery space, and a 85 seat intimate theater.

Our music classes include private lessons in piano, guitar, voice, cello, flute, violin, drums, electric guitar and bass, banjo, harp, clarinet, and saxophone. There is also currently a band called the Saints Band that incorporates a lot of these instruments and a percussion ensemble. All private lesson students must take music theory tutoring to learn to read and understand the basics of music. Students can also take computer-based music production classes.

Visual arts classes include watercolor, multimedia, pottery, collage, graphic design, web design, jewelry making, quilting, sewing & fashion design.

Dance classes include ballet (levels for children and adults), tap, African dance, capoeira (Brazilian martial arts/dance), and belly dancing. Yoga classes for children and adults are also available.

Drama classes include levels of acting, music theater, and stage combat. Each summer all the disciplines work together to put on a musical. The 2007 musical was You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. (I'll get to be around for the 2008 musical next summer.)

Creative writing classes include poetry, play writing, and short story writing.

We also have Early Childhood Music classes for parents and children together. These classes really stimulate early learning and cognitive skills. This is great for families where parents may have limited education themselves and may not know how help their students start succeeding in academics from the beginning.

This is just an overview of the classes that we're offering this semester. And I'm sure I'm forgetting some. The classes change each semester because all of our teachers are volunteers. (Perfect segue to the next section...)

Our 100+ volunteer teachers are mostly professionals in their fields. We have several amazing partnerships: Corcoran Gallery of Art's Artreach program, Washington Ballet, National Symphony Orchestra, Arena Stage theater group, the National Opera, to name the ones off the top of my head.

I am the Programs Intern. Lorriane, the Director of Programs, coordinates all the classes and volunteers, so I work under her mostly. I spend most of my day doing administrative work with processing volunteer information. It's nothing really interesting to write about here. What is interesting though, is participating in the meetings and discussions that evaluate the service we're giving to the community and how to run the organization better to better serve the community. My job may be un-revolutionary, but it is part of the structure that is making an impact. I'm learning a lot about working with a staff, management, synthesizing ideas, and cooperating effiently towards a common good.

I do get to work with the students some. On Wednesdays I do music theory tutoring for kids age 7-teens. On Thursdays I assist the intro-level art class for ages 6-8.

Please feel free to email me any questions you have about things I left out or didn't clarify.

[Coming Soon: a wrap-up on my Servant Leadership School classes for the 9 week fall semester]

Clarification

Soooo, I have neglected to explain the other agencies where my housemates are serving. Sorry about that. Also, this will better help explain who my (awesome, lovely, wonderful, hilarious, insightful) housemates are:

(Alphabetically...)

Chris - just graduated from college in WV this past spring; background in the Episcopal and Mennonite denominations; huge advocate of all kinds of justice causes - peace, anti-racism, anti-consumerism, environmentalism; works for Jubilee Housing in the Resident Services and Youth Afterschool Program of this affordable housing ministry of CoS.

Clay - from NJ, but graduated from college in Kenya in 2006 - he went to school there because he wanted to be immersed in Kenyan culture; from a Presbyterian background; plays awesome fiddle and has started a band with some other volunteers from other programs; works for Christian Community Group Homes which advocates for low-income seniors to stay in their homes or move into group homes rather than ending up homeless on the streets.

Emily - graduated from Messiah College in PA in 2006, but originally from California; pk of Brethren of Christ pastor; enjoys playing worship songs on the piano and generaly causing a ruckus in the house with her hilarious antics and infectious laughter; works for Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns that advocates for humanitarian policy chance around the world.

Isa - from El Salvador (came here expressly for the DY program); Catholic; out of college a few years; enjoys eating meat and cheese and dancing; works for the Family Place which is a literacy and family support ministry for low-income Latino moms and pre-school age children.

Katy - graduated from Wheaton this past spring; grew up in a moderate-to-conservative United Methodist church; compassionate and care-giving, likes to make collages; works at Joseph's House, a hospice for otherwise homeless AIDS and cancer patients.

Paige - graduated from Messiah College this past spring; also grew up in a moderate-to-conservative United Methodist church; enjoys the outdoors and experiencing all the cultural things of the city, very conscientious of others; works for EvenStart, a literacy program for Latinos, at Mary's Center a medical and social support agency for low-income Latino families.

Next up, I'll tell you more about my job...

Attachment

About a month ago I taped up this verse on my bedroom mirror: "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Tim. 6:6) In many ways it's very easy for me to be content right now - I love my housemates, I like my job, I feel connected to the community around me, I am learning about myself and the world and generally becoming more of the person I want to be and see as who God is creating/has created me to be. October has been extremely busy and I've been stressed at several different times, but never once did I think that I'm not content to be where I am.
There have been two very different loses that have affected the house this month. First off, chronologically, 4 of our bikes were stolen out of our garage, mine included. (Yes, we filed a police report, but there's not much to be done about it since we didn't have our bikes registered with the city.) And secondly, this past week two of the residents at Joseph's House died. One of the members, Josh, was particularly dear to Katy, my housemate who works there. On top of that she missed his memorial service because she was taking another resident to a doctor's appointment where they were treated rudely and made to wait hours on end. I had met Josh a few weeks earlier and even though he was sick and tired, he was able to walk around and put on a mixed CD of R&B for our enjoyment during dinner. He had a ready smile and was a very gentle, kind-hearted guy.
So that brings me to this question: What are we supposed to hold on to? At first I was going to write about not holding onto things because if I held tightly onto my bike as my personal possession I wouldn't be able to handle the current situation with grace and perspective. But the opposite is true of Katy's loss. If she had not held on tightly to Josh's life, then she would not have been able to love him as well as she did.
The obvious point would be that we can only hold onto the things of God. But this takes a lot more discernment than that small statement. I hope this doesn't seem trite, but my bike took me on some awesome rides in God's creation and I loved every minute of it. And I'm sure that Katy loved every minute that she got to spend with Josh. So I'll just keep clinging on to love, which is what is making my life so great right now.

A Newsy Note

Not so many profound thoughts this time, just life.

Last weekend we went to a workshop on non-violent safety techniques. The methods covered everything from physical attack to objectifying of women to preventing parents hitting children (in public, at least). Marty Langelan teaches about harassment and non-violence. Her goal is to not only stop the harasser in his/her tracks, but to also create an avenue of thought that will stop the chain of harassment and violence. The most memorable response that we practiced is how to react to men cat-calling women. The studies show that the most effective way to do this is to say, in a clear yet unauthoritative voice, "Stop harassing women. I don't like it. No one likes it. Show some respect." I have yet to get up the gumption to use this one even though I get cat-called all the time in my neighborhood.

Now that I've sunk into my work schedule and study routine, I've worked my life so I can participate in some other interesting CoS activities. On Tuesday I got to Potter's House to meet with a handful of people at the Race Reconciliation table. Every day at PH there are lunch tables that discuss different topics, and it just so happens that I can go on Tuesdays and this is the one I'm most interested in. We just talk about our experiences or whatever is on our minds about racial issues. I also get off early on Fridays so I can help with the homeless feeding at PH. Every day at 2pm they give away the extra soup and bread from the lunch crowd. I was surprised that it's all homeless men that come to the feeding. In regards to the harassment paragraph above, I've experienced the initial machismo objectification, but I'm trying to assert myself as friendly and expecting respect from the men there. It's a good way for me to get to know other aspects of the community.

Dixcy and I went for a bike ride Wednesday morning before work. She showed me a quick cut-through to get downtown and bike along the Potomac. It was perfect weather. We talked about her mentoring me this year and she agreed enthusiastically which was encouraging for me to hear that she enjoys getting to know me as much as I enjoy spending time with her. Thank God for that answer to prayer.

Tonight (Thursday) we got to hear a sermon by Ched Meyers, a respected Christian thinker and author, about restorative justice. Then he invited us out for a drink at a little bar nearby. That was also encouraging to hear him say that he really respects CoS and the Discipleship Year program and he thinks it's one of the best set-ups for this kind of volunteer program. We talked about the importance of the Civil Rights movement and MLKJr. in American history and how it's underrepresented. And lots of other things. He's very genuine and easy to talk to. I'm reading one of his books (Say to this Mountain) right now for my Servant Leadership School class on the gospel of Mark.

Tomorrow (Friday) the 7 of us and Dawn are headed to WV for a community retreat. Our main focus is the development of our community and a community covenant that we will seek to live by during this year. What is our real purpose for living in community? What are our objectives? Of course we'll also be roasting marshmallows on a campfire and playing frisbee and all that good stuff. It should be a restorative and restful time.

Good thing I didn't really have anything profound to say tonight because that was a lot of info! Thanks for keeping up with me on the journey!

Art Therapy

This week has come full circle. As I look back at my emotions, experiences, and journal entries, I see a full week of exploration within myself, which is what I want. Of course, the week is a short cycle in a long journey, so nothing is resolved or perfected, if it ever will be anyway.

At the beginning of the week I was praying for a challenge. The set-up of my life right now is to be pushed to the edge of our societal norms so that we can grow in God's way, not the world's way. But I still didn't feel truly challenged yet. On one hand, following Jesus should be difficult because of the lifetime of bad habits that I've formed and continue to form. On the other hand, it's a path of simplicity and joy and pure life when I let myself fully become part of it.

The passage from Jeremiah and the quote about consciousness (quoted in my last post) provided a frame for the challenge with which God answered my prayer. Jeremiah reminded me that I will be challenged if I feel the pain of the world separated from God. The reminder about consciousness affirmed that I can choose how much of the pain I feel. I have a choice every time I'm deciding between the paying the price for regular or fair-trade coffee; when I say hello to or avert my eyes from the homeless man half-conscious on the sidewalk in front of my house; when I run around at work or stop for a moment in my busy-ness to tell a young girl that she did a good job in ballet class today; when I sleep-in or get up early to bike or jog in the early morning beauty of almost-autumn.

It is urgent to love. Freely and fully. It is urgent to apply the balm of Gilead against the wound of the world. Don Miller made famous the metaphor of his pastor, Rick McKinley, that we must press against the gaping wound of the world in any attempt to ease the gushing blood and the huge pain. But it is also a dichotomy that it is urgent to love. Urgency usually precludes doing the task quickly and efficiently. Love is not quick and efficient. Love keeps you up late at night to talk through a problem with a friend. Love is countless bowls of soup served to the hungry without knowing that any lives will ever be changed. To love usually takes more time than to not love. And when I'm breaking all my habits of unloving, it takes even more time because I must be even more deliberate and consciencious.

As with most challenges, I'm forced to see my faults. It wouldn't be a challenge if it didn't challenge me, right? My friend Avery preached a sermon this week and there was one thought that particularly stuck out to me. There are two ways to sweep out a house: sweep out all the dust and dirt, or sweep it under the couch and into the corner, so it's out of sight, but still present. Actually, even when we sweep out all the dust and dirt there is inevitably some left. Then, when we least expect it, we stumble upon that pile of dirt that we thought we already swept away. It's frustrating to see the faults that I thought I had already dealt with come back. Dirt that I thought was gone resurfaces and then I'm plagued with fresh and past guilt. But this is the ultimate time for grace to work and humble me.

Just last night we went to the Potter's House for open mic night. I could not have hand-picked a more beautiful collection of people! The people sharing their music, poetry, stories, and thoughts there were so much more glorious than at places where people are trying to be beautiful. Once again I was caught in wonder at the beauty of God's way. The wonder is not in the fact that we are all beautiful despite the wound, but we are beautiful because we are working through the wound, we are facing the pain with joy and life and love. These people do not shy away from the pain, but the pain does not define them. Their art and just simply their lives are an imperfect yet determined facing of the hurt, but with an over-arching power that is winning in ways big and small every day. I hope that, in my best moments, I am beautiful like that too.

Impact Quotes of the Week

At some point in our lives, we decide just how conscious we wish to be. We establish a threshold of awareness. We choose how stark a truth we are willing to admit into consciousness, how readily we will examine contradictions in our lives and beliefs, how deeply we wish to penetrate. Our brains can censor what we see and hear, we an filter reality to suit our level of courage. At every crossroads we make the choice again for greater or lesser awareness.
- Marilyn Ferguson
(printed in a Ministry of Money newletter, which is a ministry of CoS)


You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.
Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away:
"Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?"
"Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?"
"The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved."
Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me.
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?
Oh that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.
- Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
(lectionary OT reading for this week)


To fight aloud, is very brave-
but gallenter, I know
Who charge within the bosom
The Calvary of Woe-

Who win, and nations do not see-
Who fall--and none observe-
Whose dying eyes, no Country
Regards with patriot love-

We trust, in plumed procession
For such, the Angels go-
Rank after Rank, with even feet-
And Uniforms of Snow.

- Emily Dickinson

Retreat

Life is getting busier around here. Evenings are getting gobbled up: starting this coming week, Tuesday night is Servant Leadership School dinner and class, Thursday is community night with the house, and Sunday night is a SLS class and sharing time in the house.

About the middle of the week, I started praying for a friend outside the house. I thoroughly enjoy all my housemates. This living situation couldn't be better if I had planned it. I'm completely grateful. I also feel the need to get to know some other people. So I'm just asking God to open my eyes to a friend. And also a mentor.

This is where Retreat comes in.

Dixcy and the 8th Day faith community of CoS [see previous post about CoS] invited us to go on their annual retreat. Even though, and maybe because, all my housemates were busy, I jumped on the offer. Let me preface by saying that the only time I ever worshipped with 8th Day it was children's Sunday and the sermon involved a lot of child interjections about dreams of fairies. Obviously that could make me a little wary about spending a whole day by myself with these people. But CoS is full of interesting people and Dixcy draws me as a possible mentor figure. And it was a great time for me.

I really hit it off with Sarah who is a graduate student in social work at Catholic U. And I got to know Nathan who is in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Spending time with Dixcy was good. I'm still praying about asking her to be my mentor or disciple me or whatever you want to call it. I don't want to rush into an important decision, but I do want to spend more time with her.

The environmental focus of the retreat was uplifting. The nature is beautiful and the people are genuine about their care of the land and how they can be eco-conscious in their homes and lives. We walked in the woods and toured eco-friendly houses and examined our carbon footprints. To top it off there was a cook-out and square dancing.

I still love living here - I wonder when that is gonna wear off? DC is an amazing city because so much culture and power is packed so close to parks and farms. I want to experience and appreciate all these things - city and nature - this year.

If you're so inclined, please pray for a friend and a mentor for me.

PS - I'm trying to change to only using one email address, so I'll be sending you emails from sarahlynncampbell@mac.com and you can reach me there as well. Thanks!

Life in DC

This post is just a quick update of what I've been doing over the past couple weeks - starting work and getting to know the city.

I jumped into work at Sitar Arts Center and got swept up in the current of registration and semester prep that was flooding all the staff. My co-workers admitted that this is the busiest and craziest time of year. On one hand, they really needed my help. On the other hand, I got to work right away without very much orientation or direction. All hands on deck, pretty much. Actually I enjoy the thrill of it and the craziness actually helped me to get to know my co-workers fairly quickly and feel comfortable around the office. Bonus: we have staff yoga for an hour on Wednesday mornings!

The Center provides everything from parent/baby music classes to afterschool classes to adult classes in music, visual art, drama, dance, and creative writing. Music classes include private lessons in a variety of instruments and music theory tutoring. All the teachers are volunteers - it's amazing! I will be helping with a children's studio art class and tutoring music theory in addition to my administrative duties. The staff is dedicated as well as very fun and creative. We had a break to do a relay race around the halls on our rolling office chairs - so silly!

This past week we had our first community curriculum time with Dawn, our program director. We also tried our hand at our first intentional community night. We're dedicating Tuesday afternoon times to Dawn's sessions and Thursday evenings are for household nuts-n-bolts and fun time for the whole group. So far we've been spending a lot of time together, but as people get busier, these times will be crucial for us as a community. Also, since our community night is Thursday, the TV show The Office will be predominantly featured as our comedy of choice. Good thing we all like it :)

Other happenings include:
- Mom and Dad taking us out for Ethiopian food over Labor Day weekend (yum!)
- free concerts all the time, including Ben Kweller and live jazz
- Adams Morgan Day - a huge festival in our neighborhood
- Nationals vs. Braves with the excitement of a tied-score with bases loaded bottom of the 9th
- shopping for groceries at a local co-op and considering membership for the house (how city and how hippie at the same time - I love it!)
- my first attendance of a large protest/rally to end the war in Iraq and promote peace (very interesting experience)
- Drea visiting for the day (so good!)
- celebrating Central American Independence Day with Isa (our housemate from El Salvador) at the Marx Cafe (for the irony of course)

This has been quite a full update. Maybe I can be more creative and contemplative when I have less newsy updates. Love, prayers, grace, and peace to all of you.

By the way, here's my address in case you'd like to send some old-fashioned and highly-appreciated communication:
Sarah Campbell
3321 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20010

Church of the Saviour History and Tradition

The Church of the Saviour is a very different community than the traditional structure of church. In an effort to explain it better to those of you who can't be here to experience it, the following is copied from a bulletin at one of their worship community meetings.

"The Church of the Saviour was founded as an ecumenical Christian church in 1947. Since that time, the structures of our life together have changed shape several time following the leading of God's Spirit. In the period from 1976 to 1995, a number of sister communities formed under the umbrella of The Church of the Saviour. Since October of 1995, we have let go of that umbrella and each of the nince churches existing at that time is now a legally separate entity. Thos who were members in the early 1995 hold a dual membership in one the nine sister communities and in the remaining entity of The Church of the Saviour. New faith communities have also emerged in addition to the nine, such as The Church of the Servant Jesus, which meets during this time.
The basic principles from The Church of the Saviour experience are lived out in churches formed from these roots. These include serious commitment to following Jesus; a faithful,disciplined life of prayer and scripture study; active, hands-on involvement addressing some area of need in our broken world in response to God's call; and faithfulness to the covenant of one's particular small faith community."

Gordon Cosby founded the church after he returned from WWII envisioning a church that truly worked as the hands of Jesus to alleviate pain and injustice in the world. Something like 40 ministries have arisen from The Church of the Saviour communities. The communities are intentionally small - around 30 members - to allow for deeper relationships and hands-on ministry. One of the main goals of the church is to help each person find their calling in God's Kingdom. That's how so many ministries have started, b/c the church really encourages following God's call in new directions. Worship is held in houses-turned-chapels, a coffeeshop called the Potter's House, a homeless shelter, and various other locations. There's really no pretense and everyone is extremely welcoming. It's just real people worshipping and living their lives earnestly trying to follow Christ.

I want to become a consistent attendee of one of these communities, but I'm still trying to decide which one. I've been to several services, but this morning I went to New Community and it really clicked. Hopefully I'll find a home there. Please pray that I'll be led to the right place.

Lessons in Community Living

Last Saturday night around 10:30pm I was riding the Metro from dinner with my parents to my neighborhood. It wasn't too late and there were plenty of people out, so I was sure I could take care of myself. On the first train of my ride a slightly drunk middle-aged man sat down next to me and started talking to me, eventually asking if I had a boyfriend and asking questions about where I live and such. Obviously I tried to cut off the conversation by using short, curt answers, but he didn't seem to notice. Not seeing a way out of the situation while staying on the train, I got off at the next stop in order to wait for the next train. I still felt like I didn't have anything to worry about, but it reminded me of things that can happen to a girl alone in the city. While waiting at the station, I called one of my housemates, Clay, and asked him to come meet me at the metro stop in our neighborhood to walk me home. I felt, and still feel, somewhat silly about doing that, but I guess I have to face the facts. Clay was very gracious as a I apologized while we walked home. I said that I'm so used to being independent that it's hard for me to come to terms with not knowing if it's safe to walk home in my new neighborhood. And then his simple comment meant so much to me, especially in terms of the larger picture: "But that's ok, because all this stuff is about learning to be interdependent." And we are learning. Together.

New Home and New Homies

I arrived in DC in the morning on Sunday August 27 on a red-eye flight from California. That day my housemates and I moved in and met for the first time. We got to know each other pretty quickly though as we spend the entire next week together in orientation. We live in a large 1920ish built house on a main street in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of DC. The 5 girls each have their own rooms and the 2 guys share the master bedroom.

The most striking thing to me is the welcome that we've received from members of Church of the Savior (our supporting church). A diverse group of people have welcomed us with open arms and sincere hearts to really get to know us and build relationships. And they're pretty radical in how they are trying to live out this Christianity stuff. I'll probably explain more about Church of the Savior in a later post.

Our time during orientation included sessions on the inner journery, social justice, anti-racism, and community living. We were challenged among ourselves with deep discussions and everyone who we met also began genuine conversations. We also visited the 7 organization in which we will be working, which also started discussions about the social issues of DC and justice in general. I realized very quickly that these are my kind of people when my second conversation with Avery (a black, middle-aged recoveries ministry pastor) began by him asking me what I thought about the phrase "mutually liberating relationships."

Now that I've had some time to think about it all - why I'm here and what I'm doing here - there's been one thought bouncing around in my head. The song "Christ, be the center of our lives" really resonates with me and I like to think of that phrase as a defining focus in my life. First of all, a key word is "our" rather than "my" because life is a communal thing. And to take that a step further, if Christ is the center of our lives and whatever I do to the least of these I so do unto Christ, then the least of these must also be the center of my life.