EDIT: LOCATION CHANGE!!! [SEE BELOW]
Hello everyone,
Our next cohort meeting is just a little over a week away. We’ll be meeting next Friday, August 8th, 7pm, this time at Panera Bread on Howe Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls (689 Howe Avenue, 330-928-0112). Here is a map:
As for a discussion topic, I’d like to suggest the following. Our group is made up of “emerging/ent” Christians, former Christians, and perhaps others who are interested in the emergent conversation. We come from different backgrounds with a wide array of experiences, but what seems to draw us together is this sense that “business as usual” in the church just isn’t working- or at least it doesn’t work for us. Perhaps this is going back to basics for some of us but I’d like to pause and ask why that might be the case. What is it about Christianity as we find it practiced by middle-class, mostly young-ish white people (since that’s more or less who we are- with a “wink wink, nudge nudge” to some of you- and you know who you are) that we find disturbing, unsettling, etc.? Some of you know my story (and some of you know it all too well, I know), but I ask the question because it’s one I’m having to almost constantly ask myself these days, in part because of my tremendous struggle to find a faith community in northeast Ohio that I can commit to, let alone tolerate (with one notable exception). Naturally, it’s not that there aren’t any Christians around here who are trying to follow Jesus; in fact, there are some groups who are doing some really great stuff. However, my experience here in the past three years has consistently been that just when I think I’ve found a congregation/community that seems to share my values and outlook, I discover something huge that prevents me from really wanting to be a part of them. I can talk about “my issues” next Friday (only the relevant ones, of course), but I suspect that some or all of you might have something to say about this too; so I thought it might be good for us to talk about it.
As always, if this particular conversation loses steam or others want to talk about something else, we can try that too.
See you then!
