Due to a little holiday we call Thanksgiving we will be gathering on the fifth Thursday, November 30th, instead of the fourth. Same time (6:30-9:00 PM) and place (Scandrette home at 3166 25th Street in San Francisco's Mission District).

Please RSVP to info@reimagine.org at least one week in advance if you would like to attend. Thanks

THE BUSINESS OF GOD: Mini Conference

The Business of God
A mini-conference to explore emerging thinking on the role of business in the Kingdom of God with Brian McLaren, Nathan George, David Batstone .

Ever wondered how your faith connects directly to your skills in business? What has the ability to read a balance sheet, design a marketing campaign, or craft a legal operating agreement got to do manifesting the reign of Christ on earth? Are you really only in your secular job to act ethically and be a good witness? Could there be a bigger picture that God has – a role created for you that uses your skills?

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to come and hear both theory and practice of how God is using business to bring good news to the poor and release to the captives.

First Presbyterian Church, Burlingame, California
13th November 13, 2006 from 7:30 – 11:00 am
Cost is $5 at the door (to cover light breakfast)
Schedule
7.30am Business and Transformation – the role of business in the Kingdom
9:00 am Break (everyone is invited to both sessions but there will be a 30-minute break for those who need to leave)
9.30am The Church and Business – Explore the theology and practice of integrating mission with business

Speakers:
Brian McLaren (www.brianmclaren.net ) is a leading author of the subject of the emerging church, author of The Secret Message of Jesus, and the Board Chairman of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
David Batstone (www.davidbatstone.com ) is the author of Saving the Corporate Soul, the editor-at-large of Sojourners, a founding editor of Business 2.0 magazine, and founder of Right Reality.
Nathan George (www.ambata.org ) is the founder of Ambata, a business focused on using consumer spending to create jobs for people freed from human trafficking and poverty.

Event Sponsors:
Sojourners/Call to Renewal , Ambata.org, First Presbyterian Church, Burlingame

Emmaus Road (Emergent Cohort)
6:30 - 9:00 PM
Thursday October 27, 2006


Friends,

We are getting into a rhythm of meeting the fourth Thursday of each month at the Scandrette home in San Francisco for dinner and discussion. We hope to encourage one another on the journey. May our conversations and networks of friendships help us take the steps we need to take to become the people we were created to be. May Emmaus Road be a safe place to ask questions and share our hopes, dreams, doubts and frustrations as we seek the Kingdom of God in our midst.

Please RSVP to info@reimagine.org if you plan on attending, and please plan to bring a dish to share for dinner.


DIRECTIONS TO THE SCANDRETTE HOUSE:

VIA AUTOMOBILE:
3166 25th St. San Francisco 94110
Exit 101 at Cesar Chavez West
Right on Harrison
Left on 25th Street
Second Building on Right after you cross the intersection of Treat & 25th.

VIA BART:
Exit the 24th St. BART station in San Francisco
Walk East on 24th St. to Folsom Street
Take a right on Folsom and go one block
Turn left on 25th. Street
House is second building on the left after Lucky Alley 3166 25th. St.

Last night's Emmaus Road Gathering...

First of all, I have to say that I was quite pleased with the food that people brought last night...wonderful, tasty, healthy...mmmm, good job people. Old friends and new friends came together for a meal and conversation.

We spent a good amount of time in sporadic conversations before gathering in the Scandrette's living room in a circle. Lisa had recently redecorated with a cozy fall theme. Candles flickered and we relaxed into our seats. We were given time to share how we came to be sitting in that room. Colorful and meaningful stories were shared from our personal narratives. Past joys, failures and disappointments were discussed. Hopes for the future were shared. Many of us yearn to speak openly of a God who is bigger than the boxes we have encountered. We yearn to speak our questions and doubts without fear of funny expressions and quick trips through memorized steps to cure us of whatever it is that is making us different. We yearn for community and authenticity. We yearn for Jesus.

We hope that relationships and friendships would spring from these conversations. May each of us find the courage from the Spirit of God to take the steps we need to take in our journey. May we know that we are loved and never alone on our journey.

SEPTEMBER 28 6:30-9:00 PM
EMMAUS ROAD GATHERING
SCANDRETTE HOME, MISSION DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO


Friends,

We are revamping and relaunching our Emmaus Road Gatherings for the coming season, and we will host a dinner gathering the fourth Thursday of each month. Emmaus Road is a monthly gathering for people seeking friendships and conversation around pursuing the way of Jesus in this complex Bay Area. Some are interested in emergent and the emerging church conversation while others simply seek friendship with people who share their heartbeat and passion. We hope to encourage and to connect people so that we can together take our next steps as followers of Jesus.

This gathering is designed to be casual, and everyone is welcome. There will be the possibility of forming more intentional learning groups if that would be helpful.

We will meet at Mark and Lisa Scandrette's home in the Mission District of San Francisco. Please bring a dish or drink to share and RSVP by September 21 if you would like to attend. If you have questions feel free to call or email us at info@reimagine.org Thank you.


Nate Millheim
ReIMAGINE!

nate@reimagine.org
925-588-5657 (cell)
www.reimagine.org

Peer Learning Community on vocation
August 9th, 2006

This week at the peer learning community gathering, we had a discussion about vocation. Here are a few notes from that conversation. The notes were pulled in part from my own experiences over the last year or two and from a book called Courage and Calling by Gordon Smith.

Before we began, I threw out some definitions of vocation. One definition of vocation is our engagement with the world in response to God. Another is an individual’s mission in the word. It was noted after reading these definitions that there is no mention of wages or employment.

We started off talking about the state of work in our society. I used some of Gordon’s categories for the current state of things to get started. You’ll probably find that most or all of them are familiar experiences.

* The economy is changing: We live in a global economy that is dynamic. The expectations are also changing. Think of your father’s view of work and commitment to an employer compared to yours…
* We are experiencing a crisis in confidence: Ask yourself if you are a master of your trade or discipline. Can anyone say they are a master of a discipline and have that affirmed by the community?
* Crisis in focus: Do you sometimes feel overworked and confused? Do you live a busy hectic life?
* A crisis in meaning: Do you struggle finding meaning in work, relationships, or your identity? Also consider the perceived importance of busy people. Do we need to stay busy to feel or look important?

All of us at the gathering were able to identify with some or all of these. For my part, I think a struggle working for a large company was finding meaning. When you are one of ~100K workers, it is hard to grasp where you fit into the larger efforts of the company. As a computer scientist, it is also difficult to wrestle with never feeling like you can master the discipline. There is always more to learn, and it is always changing.

At some point, I would like to spend more time thinking about a theology of work, vocation, and self. Gordon provides some thoughts on this, but we didn’t have time to go into it.

We need to remind ourselves that our vocations are sacred and that our vocation is not our career. It is also important to note that our vocation can exist outside or within our gainful employment (think of someone who fulfills their vocation volunteering). Also note that you can lose your job, but you never lose your vocation.

This brought us to a conversation on where to go from here. Our vocations are an integral part of who we are and who God created us to be. It makes sense then that in order to discern and live into our vocation, we need to come to terms with ourselves. Our vocation will be congruent with who we are. We also noted that our vocations will likely change throughout our lives as experiences, circumstances, and responsibilities shape who we are and our time.

We need to learn to nurture reflection and self-perception and live intentional lives. It is also important that our vocation is discovered and embraced in community. We are part of a collective and not just individuals. Our vocation is individual, but it is discerned and worked out with others who also have a role to play.

After this discussion, we decided upon three actions to take in response to our discussion:

* During the course of the month, make intentional choices towards your true self. Begin to ask the questions about who you are and make decisions based on it.
* Ask for input from someone close to you on your gifts and dreams. What do they think you were made to do?
* Affirm the gifts and dreams in someone else.


-Damon Snyder

UPDATE:

Currently several people who have been a part of Emmaus Road gatherings have formed a temporary Peer Learning Community to help each other along in our journeys in a more intentional and relational way. We hope to coordinate a new Peer Learning Community every couple of months for those who have the time and energy to pursue dialogue and action in a communal setting. For many in the Emmaus Road Gatherings a consistent group of people was desired to dig into conversations at a deeper level.

We will resume monthly Emmaus Road Gatherings in San Francisco in the very near future and will post those here and other places. We were considering Friday afternoons, but many have suggested that weekends would work better. If you have any ideas let us know.


Nate Millheim
nate@reimagine.org

SIX MONTH PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING MEETING
FRIDAY APRIL 28. 12-3 P.M.
MEDJOOL RESTAURANT ROOFTOP
2622 Mission Street, San Francisco (at 21st)
http://www.medjoolsf.com/

During the Fall of 2005 and the Winter of 2006 ReIMAGINE sponsored a series
of regional gatherings for faith leaders and seekers exploring the way of
Jesus in emerging contexts. Approximately 100 people attended these events
which ranged from casual networking meals to facilitated topical
discussions. In feedback we received from regular participants they
suggested a more covenanted opportunity to connect with others on a
consistent basis.

A group of us would like to explore connecting through what I would describe
as a peer-learning community. This would be a group primarily composed of
leaders (thought leaders, those exploring spiritual leadership, and people
leading with their lives in various vocations-- business, social
entrepreneurship and the arts. It seems as if faith leaders in the present
future will be multidisciplinarians-- people who exercise leadership in a
particular life domain in addition to guiding others spiritually.

We think that this kind of peer-learning group might be helpful to people
who are:

Captivated by what it might mean to be seekers of the kingdom of God in our
time with a holistic, integrative and relational perspective.

Fascinated by Jesus as a teacher and source of energy for life

Exploring intentional communal formation

Seeking to address their spiritual hunger with optimism, creativity, and
Risk-taking.

Navigating life with a global, multicultural and ecological awareness.

This peer-learning group would be an advanced conversation with a practical
orientation and might involve a group project at the end of a six month
contract to meet monthly as a group for 4-6 hours. Participants would
encourage one another to take their courageous "next steps" as life leaders.
We hope that this covenant community can offer solidarity and encouragement
to life leaders who are trying to cut a new groove for what it means to be
followers of God in our world.

If you are interested in participating in this peer learning community, we
would like to invite you to meet with us on Friday April 28. At this meeting
we hope develop more specific goals and expectations for a group that would
meet monthly for the next 6 months. We think it might be best to limit the
group size to 10-12 participants.

Please R.S.V.P. To nate@reimagine.org. If you are not able to make the
meeting on April 28, but would like to stay abreast of how you can be
involved, please also indicate this in your response.

ReIMAGINE will periodically continue to offer more general opportunities to
connect in conversation about faith in emerging contexts through Emmaus
Road.

--Mark Scandrette

EMMAUS ROAD: A Bay Area Emergent Cohort
Monday, March 27, 6:30-9:30 PM in San Carlos



Friends,

We have enjoyed some wonderful conversation and made many new friends at our first couple of Emmaus Road Gatherings. This month on March 27 we will gather for dinner and discussion at the home of Bob and Lisa Carlton in San Carlos. If you would like to come please RSVP to nate@reimagine.org. These dinners are owned by all of us, including the food and the discussion, so please bring a dish to share.

Dinner & Discussion: Monday February 20, 6:30-9:30 PM
(Burnett home – 185 Kimberlin Heights Drive, Oakland)

Last month many of us gathered at the Scandrette home for dinner and conversation, and we continue our rhythm of meeting together for a potluck meal and facilitated discussions at rotating locations throughout the Bay Area.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to nate@reimagine.org by February 15th. Please also think about how you would like to contribute to the meal and to the conversation. Let us know what food you would like to bring for the potluck and if there is a certain topic you would like to see discussed.

February 20

Some possible topics for facilitated discussions at our next Emmaus Road Gathering:

A Kingdom Theology & Obeying the Commands of Jesus
Post-Congregational Community
Social Justice

Is there anything you are dying to talk about??? Add a comment and let us know.

First Emmaus Road Gathering

Monday night 25-30 of us crammed into the Scandrette home. We ate, met, discussed, connected, read Matthew 16 and prayed together. After dinner we split into 2 discussion groups. Some topics that seemed to be popping up throughout the night: a Kingdom theology, post-congregational community, living an integrated and holistic life and social justice. If you have a comment or question to follow up on the night, please post it here. We'll meet again February 20th in Oakland at the Burnett house.