Baltimore Emergent Cohort

Baltimore Emergent Village Cohort

1. July Meeting
   Just a reminder: our next meeting is this Tuesday, July 7 at the Austin Grill in Canton (2400 Boston St # 108, Baltimore, MD 21224) at 7:30 pm. We live in an age of Wikipedia, open-source software, and crowdsourcing, when the assumption is that too many cooks will make the broth better, where texts, images, and songs are increasingly simple to remix and reproduce. Should the church build a broader, more inclusive structure for leadership? Is it better to have a church with a few highly trained leaders who finds its authority in the careful deliberations of the few, or with an open leadership that trusts that mistakes will be made, corrected, and fixed quickly? What does an "open-source church" require in terms of community, commitment, and humility? For this meeting, we'll be discussing Sam Kean's article Open to Revisions from the May/June issue of Search Magazine.
   
2. Meeting Info
   Hi all! Just a reminder that we are now meeting every first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 at Austin Grill (2400 Boston St # 108, Baltimore, MD 21224). Our July meeting will be discussing the topic of Open Source Theology; if you were not at the last meeting to get the article, just come anyway! The August book is Why We Are Not Emergent by DeYoung and Kluck. Please join us for what will prove to be a challenging discussion!
   
3. Tuesday June 2nd
   The next Baltimore Emergent Cohort meeting will be Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30 pm at the Austin Grill (right next door to where we used to meet at the Chesapeake Wine Co.) We will have a table in the back dining room -- and the food is quite tasty! Our usual lively discussion will center around "The Dirty Word: The Vulgar, Offensive Language of the Kingdom of God" (ISBN 13:978-0-88177-539-6) by Jim Walker. Please plan to join us at our new location and time! Joan
   
4. Baltimore cohort is multiplying!!!!
   Hello all! I have some exciting news to share with everyone. The Baltimore Emergent Cohort is about to multiply. The cohort has met in two main places over the last 4 years: first, at the Bare Bones Grill in Ellicott City and most recently at Chesapeake Wine Co. in Baltimore City. Now there are people who are interested in facilitating these conversations both in the Ellicott city-area and in Baltimore city. Personally, I will be moving at the end of May to Charlottesville, Virginia to pursue a Ph.D in Theology, Ethics, & Culture. I will miss the monthly opportunities to facilitate these conversations with you all and the many discussions we had. I am excited for these new options believe that these two cohorts will offer distinct opportunities for people seeking to converse about the church that is emerging in the Baltimore-area. The two 'new' cohorts will both be meeting during the last week in April: Maryland Cohort of the Emergent Church This branch of the former Baltimore Cohort will meet to discuss and engage in action around what is emerging in both theory and practice in the church today. It will be a monthly gathering to hear and learn from each other and from what is coming into view through the conversation of the church and the world. This will be an opportunity to create a laboratory of learning and practice for what church can be today. Rod Miller is serving as the convener. You may reach him at: Roderick (dot) miller (at) verizon (dot) net The Maryland Cohort of the Emergent Church will meet on Monday, April 27 @ 7 pm at Bare Bones Grill: 9150 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042, Phone: 410/461-0770. Future meeting dates are: June 1st and June 29th, also at 7pm at Bare Bones Grill. Baltimore City Emergent Cohort This cohort will focus on issues of life, faith, and theology that are emerging both within and outside conventional church structures and will (by virtue of its location) have more of an urban feel and approach. The Baltimore City Emergent Cohort will meet on Thursday, April 30th @ 7:30pm at the Chesapeake Wine Co. (2400 Boston St., Baltimore 21224). Joan Stiles is going to organize this cohort. If you know you want to learn more about either cohort, I encourage you to e-mail Rod and/or Joan. If you do not want to hear any more about cohorts in Baltimore, just reply to this e-mail with 'unsubscribe'. Thanks everyone, it's been a pleasure. Tim
   
5. A "Burgeoning" vision for faith, church, and the Baltimore cohort too?
   Our next cohort gathering will be on Thursday night March 26th from 8-10pm at the Chesapeake Wine Co. (2400 Boston St. Baltimore 21224). Our topic will be a short article (email me for the article) by Rod Miller entitled, "Burgeoning 2009 > A WAY OF LIFE! ". Rod will join us for the discussion of this passionate and thought-provoking piece. It should be a lively discussion about life, church, faith, and a next steps for the Baltimore cohort. I hope you can make it! Tim