Transitional Housing opening in our neighborhood!!

A while back we met Christa Hillstrom at groundswell and then the sunday meeting.  She just sent me this email about something happening in the neighborhood through an organization she is connected to called common bond communities.  Here is a recent email she sent me……

How’s it going?  Hope all is well with you.  I have been freelancing a lot and in and out of town as well, but still haven’t figured out what to settle into more permanently.  I am working at CommonBond Communities for awhile, which is an affordable housing NGO.  We are opening a new housing place in your neighborhood (we also run Skyline Tower which is nearby) and it’s for people who struggle with chronic homelessness.  All the new residents will be formerly homeless people who will get on-site services to help navigate a new life.  I thought you all might be interested since it’s in your neighborhood.  We’re having a kind of get-together event that is part fundraiser but also part just coming and giving some good energy to the project before its inauguration.  One of the residnents is going to speak, and there will be snacks and everything.  If you or anyone at Third Way is interested in coming, it’s going to be Sunday the 13th from 3 – 5 pm, kind of open house style, at Olivet Congregational Church (1850 Inglehart).  There’s no pressure to give money, although they will be asking for donations specifically to pay for things like toothpaste and cleaning supplies so that residents can move into a fully prepared apartment.

Shalom Mission Communities

I just got this from David Janzen one of our guest from Reba Place a few weekends ago.  This is the shared commitments that shalom communities make together.  What do you think of these.  I even thought it may be worth relooking at our covenant together and incorporating some of this language and ideas.  What do you think?

Shalom Mission Communities: Shared Commitments

We are groups quite different from each other, yet gathered by Jesus’ love and call to discipleship in a community context. We desire the support and encouragement of our brothers and sisters of the Shalom Mission Communities to faithfully live out the following commitments:
Stability: We desire community bonds that will uphold us in lifelong commitment to service in Jesus’ name, remaining faithful to our brothers and sisters in their needs through all of life’s stages. We want to remain faithful in our relationships, to confess our sins, and forgive one another. We want to commit ourselves, with God’s help, to give and receive admonition according to Matthew 18:15-20

Non-Violence and Self-giving love: Jesus calls us to love our enemies as he has loved us. We are committed to a non-violent struggle for justice in solidarity with the oppressed of our world. We want to resist racism and all other powers that divide our human family, seeking a life of repentance and reconciliation with all.

Leadership: The Holy Spirit has given gifts of service to each member of our communities. Among these are gifts of leadership “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building of up the Body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:1-16)

Since many persons in our society and in our communities have been wounded by their experience of leadership, we want our communities to be places of healing, accountability and growing trust—where each person can be heard and where leadership is open to all according to God’s gifts and calling.

To this end our communities have procedures for reviewing and commissioning leaders in which all members participate. Leadership will normally function in a team approach. We open our communities to the counsel and support of other Shalom Mission Communities in periodic visitations, to review our body life and our experience of leadership.

Possessions: We renounce personal possessions as our security, and we reject accumulation of possessions as our goal. Instead, all we have belongs to God. We trust God to care for us in a body of mutual aid and radical sharing. We are called to an ongoing conversion of life that is especially shaped by our experience of Jesus in the weak, the poor and marginal.

Sexuality: We accept celibacy for singles and chastity in marriage for husband and wife. Commitment to singleness for the Lord’s sake is a real option, with community recognition and support.

Vocations: Our vocations are found in Christian servanthood and community, rather than in pursuing personal careers wherever they might lead us. At the same time, we want to assist each one to discern and develop the gifts God has given, so they can be of practical service for the Kingdom.

Decision-Making: We want to live in mutual submission for the sake of the Gospel, accountable to one another in our lifestyles and basic decisions. We present ourselves ready to stay in community or to be sent in mission, according to God’s call as discerned in our community.

Family: Our family responsibilities are supported by community so that our service need not be limited to our families.

Spirituality: We accept the need for community disciplines that shape a common life of prayer, Bible study and worship, so that the Holy Spirit can teach and lead us together concerning what we should do and how we should live.

Good News: In Jesus the world has good news, which we are privileged to share and to proclaim. The power of sin is broken, making community possible! By his death on the cross we also die and are set free to live for the One who has loved us—empowered to risk all for the Kingdom of God because of the resurrection which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I have been elected…..

In a close race between me and NOONE, I have  been elected to the Hamline Midway Coalition Board.  This is the Coalition’s mission statement.

The Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC) — District Council 11 — is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to making the Hamline Midway neighborhood a better place to live, learn, work, and play.

I am excited to see how we can partner together to become more of a force for justice and good in our neighborhood.  This new relationship will mean that our community will be called on to serve our neighborhood alongside with our neighbors.  Jesus calls us to create communities that not only care for and encourage each other, but calls them to care for and be a blessing in their communities.  I am excited to see the ways we can place a towel around our waists and follow our teacher in serving people by humility and personal sacrifice.  I will work hard to keep folks updated on ways we can be of service.

I would first off, encourage everyone to try and set aside Monday June 14th for the Homeless Connect Event.  This is a gathering of all kinds of people and resources to care for and serve the homeless community of the twin cities.  If you are going to volunteer you must be at a training session.  Here is the site of where you can get more info and register.  http://www.eastmetrophc.com/

Part of community life is common work.  Let’s call this a day where we will work together to bring small parts of the kingdom to folks lives who are hurting!!

Shalom, Seth

Leadership Team Meeting

This past Saturday we had a short leadership meeting after meeting with the Reba folks.

Wednesday from 6-8:30pm Seth, Tim, Danny and Natalie will be having dinner at the Thomas House with some new folks interested in our community.

Budget: We are collecting and gathering the amounts committed.  We will let you know after the friday meeting where we are at.

We talked about how to approach freeing up other folks to share the common work needed in our community.  We had some initial discussion of what to do if we reach our financial goals.  We felt like we had enough committed to free up one person to work with Seth, and are having initial discussion with candidates for this role.

Next week- We will further discuss small group life. What should we be doing with the folks in this immdiate neighborhood to get to know eachother better, share meals, serve together, etc. This needs to be more defined before we think about another missional neighborhood community in the Frogtown area.

Our next leadership team meeting will be Friday night from 6-9.

Job Description

Alright folks.  Here is the first pass at my job description.  What do you think?

Thirdway Lead Pastor

What Am I Supposed to DO?

We had an encouraging and insightful visit from the leaders at Reba Place.  I am grateful for the time and energy that you all took to meet with them.  Special thanks to Natalie who did all of the coordinating for the team, and for the folks that gave up beds for them!!

One of their recommendations is that I develop a job description for myself.  I have some ideas about this, but wanted all of your input.  What are one or two things you think are important for me to give time to for the community?  I will be posting the notes from the leadership team meeting later today.

Shalom…Seth

Circles of Influence

A while back I read a book about how people get along.  One of the things that stuck with me most what what this author said about circles of influence.   As people that follow Jesus, we have a lot of interest and passion in helping people change.  Whether it is inviting folks to change the center of their lives and faith to Jesus and God’s kingdom, or trying to help people move towards more peaceful sustainable lives, we want to change personally and to help others transform.

We all have circles of concern.  We are concerned about…. the violence in our world, the inequality between wealthy and poor, the greed that keeps the global economic system grinding, the ways we are bringing life and hope to our neighbors, the attitudes and behaviors of our community members.  We can be passionate and that is the way God created each of us.  How do we affect change in the circles of concern we have.

We also each have circles of infuence.  We all have people that trust, listen to and consider our ideas and challenges.  The problem is that our circle of concern is most likely wider than our circle of influence.  It is almost impossible to share our concerns with people we have not earned influence with and hope to see change and transformation.  This is why the central activity of communities that follow Jesus is not activism, rather relationships.

If we can each take the time to till, water, and nurture existing relationships and new ones we can affect change one person at a time.  We must be willing to walk alongside the people who we wish would embrace our ideas, to build the friendships where change is possible.  Jesus placed his hopes on a slowly growing community of disciples he referred to as friends.

This is how the kingdom comes.  It does not drop out of the sky like an imperial vision of regime change, it comes as the mustard seed slowly includes one more person at a time until it takes over the garden.  May we be a community that earns the right to speak truthfully to each other, then to our neighbor about our dreams of how another world is possible.  We must always remember we have been given two ears, but only one mouth, and that mouth is filled with a tongue that is set fire by hell itself.  Nothing in our world can be more damaging than hurtful words spoken out of concern without love and without influence.

Shalom, Seth

Words for a recent guest

I just got an email from Ivy who was a guest with us this weekend.  I thought I would share her response from being with us this weekend…..

My Sunday with your community was delightful.  You folks (I like this alternative!) were the most welcoming, friendly community I’ve visited so far.  And I don’t tell everyone this!  I promise.  I also found the Visitation Sisters in North Minneapolis warm and engaging — yet Third Way.  There’s something about you all.  Very organic.  You know who you are and you live your values.  I sensed a deep connection and commitment to one another.  As I watched a few of the couples, their affection and love was awe-inspiring.  And I heard an invitation for growth.  I appreciate each of you.  I am grateful for your hospitality, the delcious breakfast, the tour of the house, the thoughtful gathering… Thank you.  My time with you inspired my dreams….a community who welcomes in people for a season and supports them in their journey of becoming holistically well — physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, vocationally….
Giving and receiving love is one of my deepest values so….I hope to come again.  I will be heading to Kansas tomorrow for a week.  When I get back, I’m sure you’ll see me again. I’ve kind of been bouncing around between a Quaker service (by Lake Harriet), twice a month Celtic and Nordic Contemplative services and an African Mass.  A few other things sprinkled in.  Kind of ecletic.  Once I move, I want to focus and invest my energy and gifts in a more rooted, intentional way.

What do you think?

Today I wanted to shoot out an idea and get a sense of what you all thought about this.  Soon a few folks will be asked to form a team that will being looking at and evaluating options for our next meeting space.

Then I had an idea which is either terrible or brilliant.  I often cannot tell the difference between the two.

Here’s the idea.  As I was thinking about space for our needs, it seems like the only time we need more space than we have is for the sunday meeting.  Now every month we pay rent in three places.  The Hamline and Thomas houses, and groundswell.  It made me wonder what if we invested some money into fixing up the basement of groundswell and met there for our sunday meeting?

What do you think?  It will be helpful for our leadership team to have some of your feedback for the next time we get together which is Sat morning.

Leadership Meeting

We started off our meeting with listening prayer, and then read through the concerns that were written down on the previous Sunday. It was good to hear the concerns, and there were a few themes that came up. There were concerns that our community would get too big too fast and loose the organic, relational feel that we have now. There was also a conern that we need to focus more on prayer and the Holy Spirit moving in us, as well as concerns about unity within the community.

Third Way was the ministry that had the spotlight last weekend at Woodland Hills. Approximately  40 people came to chat with Seth afterwards, all of whom were interested in what Third Way and wanted more info. Seth got all of the contact information, and has initiated contact with each person/family about attending a dinner/potluck. We’re shooting for approximately 8-10 new folks and 3-4 Third Way folks at each dinner so that we can get to know them a bit, share with them what Third Way is all about, and answer questions in a comfortable, home enviornment. Dinners have been scheduked for 5/11, 5/19. 5/24, nad 6/2 from 6-8:30pm. The dinners will be held at the Thomas House and the Gilbert’s residence, each of whom will be in charge of the main dish, plates, cups, etc.

We went over the budget. No decisions were made at this time as we are awaiting commitment cards to be turned in from Third Way folks this upcoming Sunday. We did discuss the importance of freeing up a few more folks and discussed a few ideas concerning this topic. We will pick up on this conversation once we have more information on the budget next week.

Those who took the Third Way Covanant last fall with now be called “Covenant Community.” Covenant Community is for the folks who have agreed together to be accountable to the Third Way covenant, which simply describes “What does love look like in our community?”. We will meet the third Sunday of each month starting on July 18th from 6-8pm. These meetings will be designed to address, encourage, and deepen

our covenant community .

We talked about how newer folks can discover, discern, and covenant with us.  We didn;t finalize anything but were leaning towards one or two series of teachings like Manna & Mercy, discussions/teachings about our covenant.  This is to ensure a similar understanding of the bible and worldview. These classes will meet once a week over 2-3 months. Once the classes are completed, each person/couple will meet with another person/couple from our community to ensure their calling. They would most likely share a meal together once a week for 6-8 weeks. This Covanent Community process would occur 2x/year.

We have decided to drop “Church” from Third Way Church and we will now be called “Third Way.” This is so that we will not be confused with America’s idea of “church.” We decided not to add anything to the name such as “fellowship” or “community” as we don’t want to be limiting in our name. Leaving the name as “Third Way” alsone will give an open door for folks to explain what Third Way is adn who we are without prior assumptions being drawn from the name alone.

The Menonite Conference is the last weeekend in June. Danny will attend and it will be open for the other Thomas House folks as well. Third Way will pay for gas and registration fees.

Seth, Angi and Alisha will set up a time to discuss childcare/children’s ministry for

Sunday am.

Sunday mornings will no longer be considered “Third Way”, but rather the “central teaching” or something of that sort. We’d like Third Way to describe everything that happens during the week as opposed to Sunday am alone.

We hope to get the 4 current small groups in Third Way- Midway to serve, bbq, hang out. As other small groups and communities pop up within Third Way we will encourage this in differnet locations. Lisa suggested the possibility of serving at the Wilder Foundation.

We will be meeting again this Saturday after our conversation with the team from Reba.

Peace,  the leadership team.