Rochester Emergent Cohort

New Year - New Cohort Conversations!

2012-01-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rochester Emergent Cohort and Friends!

We're Back!

Happy New Year, Friends. For the last semester... or so, the KPs have been learning how to balance baby, work, school, ministry -- and the cohort has repeatedly been put on the back burner. Well, it's a new year and a great time to welcome the Cohort out of hibernation and invite new conversation. Conveniently, there is an opportunity to gather in conversation around an Emergent Village event at the end of this month.

Emergent Village Theological Conversation, 2012

January 31 - February 2

The Emergent Village Theological Conversation (ETC) is an opportunity to consider different theological perspectives and then, well, talk about them. At the end of this month, in Claremont California, the ETC will gather to consider the Open and Relational perspective of Process Theology. Much of this gathering will be streamed and certainly most of it will be talked about on Twitter. Out hope is that some of us in the Rochester Cohort might gather to watch the streaming content together, talk about it, and even contribute to the larger conversation via social media.

The ETC will be Jan 31, Feb 1, 2. (Here is the schedule of speakers) It kicks off Tuesday night (late here on the East Coast). I want to propose gathering Wednesday AND / OR Thursday night (2/1 & 2/2) to follow the live streaming, eat snacks, drink tea, and have our own conversation. I have been assured by Bo Sanders, of Homebrewed Christianity, that we'll be able to follow what is happening in Claremont.

Let us know if you want to join us for one or both of those nights! It will be wonderful to see you and to dig into some God-talk.

(We'll be meeting in our living room so that the baby can sleep upstairs. Please email me for location details! Kristina -- stina [dot] perry [at] gmail )

2011-03-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

March Cohort Gathering: Pub Theology (with fries).

Your Cohort conveners are surfacing from the travails of parenting to, much belatedly, announce a Rochester Cohort meeting for March!

Tuesday March 23rd, 6pm.

Since it feels like we've run out of coffee shops that are either open or audibly suitable we're moving our gathering to THE TAP & MALLET on Gregory Street, near Clinton. In the tradition of many cohorts around the country -- we're going to try an experience of "pub theology".

We've set an earlier time so that folks can have some dinner and get home not too late.

There are a couple of theme ideas we have but, first we'll open it up to see if anyone is itching to talk about something in particular?

It will be good to see you !

2010-10-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

Our Next Meeting!!

The Rochester Emergent Cohort is scheduling our next meeting. Your conveners have been absent as they have been adjusting to parenthood. And, as summer turns to fall I am reminded that it has been almost a year since our first meeting. When we thought about coming together at that time I remember reflecting on one of the wonderful things about coming to a Cohort Gathering, that I'd found, is the chance to meet with folk of diverse Church backgrounds and have conversations about aspects of what it means to be church in the 21^st century. I had (and continue to) experienced these to be some very nourishing and inspiring interactions, as we share common dreams and growing edges with each other, as we stumble along trying to live a faith-filled life.

In that spirit, I hope that y'all will mention our upcoming gathering to other folk you know who might want to be part of this conversation. Pass on the LINK TO THE DOODLE POLL for scheduling. Talk to them about what excites you and what stretches you about these gatherings. Bring them along!

I pray that this post finds you all enjoying the splendor of Creation that is fall in Western New York.

Hoping to see you soon.

In Friendship,

Kristina

August 26th Meeting: Thursday

2010-08-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Please all feel free to gather, however Kristina and I will not (likely) be able to attend. We didn't pick a place, however Starry Nights seemed to work, so I suggest that again, at 7pm as usual.

As far as a topic, I think it might be interesting to address the issues that Anne Rice has made public regarding profession and Christianity. Namely, if there is so much that we disagree with in what is often called Christianity, why do we bother calling ourselves Christians?

For info about the whole Anne Rice thing (in the event you did not hear about it) see the following link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/04/anne-rice-on-her-decision_n_671097.html

While we won't be there in the flesh know that we cherish the time we get to spend with you all and hope that you can all get together yourselves in our absence. Remember that you can contact each other through Facebook to touch base.

Our intention is to be back with you all again for September.

Until then,

-C

Cohort Meeting Tonight at 7pm!!

2010-07-22T13:39:00.001-07:00

Hey Cohort Members!

Reminder that our meeting is tonight at Starry Nights Restaurant in Rochesters stylish Neighborhood of the Arts. The cafe is at the corner of University and Atlantic -- just past Goodman. Come from 7pm - 9pm for continuing conversation regarding Philip Clayton's Transforming Christian Theology. We're reading chapter 3 this week but, you don't have to have read anything to come.

You can read that chapter here: http://tinyurl.com/TTchp3

The Rochester Emergent Cohort seeks to gather people from the area for conversation, fellowship, encouragement and community as we explore what it means to be faithful in today’s postmodern, multicultural world. All are welcome!

Hope to see you there!

Kristina

Map of Starry Nites is here...

2010-05-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Rochestemergents, your conveners moved house and seem to have missed the month of May in the process!

It's time for another Rochester Emergent Cohort meeting to happen - there's lots to share and discuss. If you have a book, blog, reading, or vid you'd like to share to get the conversation started - pop Kristina an email.

As is our custom - we are going to use the Doodle method of poling to set a time. Please click the link below and respond with the best time for you and we'll choose a date.

Blessings!

Kristina

Linky Linky Go Here!

2010-03-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Rochestemergents! It's been awhile since our last Cohort meeting and your conveners took a trip to the Theology After Google conference in Los Angeles that has set us back a week (or was it the time change?). But, it's high time for another meeting to happen - there's lots to discuss with each other. As promised we are going to use the Doodle method of poling to set a time. Please click the link below and respond with the best time for you and we'll choose a date. Blessings!

Kristina and Callid

Linky Linky Go Here!

We Need Your Help: February's Rochester Cohort Meeting Time

2010-02-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

So cohorts often have regular meeting times (i.e. every third Wednesday) but given the number of folks we've heard from lately that would love to come out but don't have consistent schedules, we thought we'd give more flexibility a go. This is a short survey to see what would work for the majority of folks this February. Please give it a click and help us figure out when we'll meet this time round.

http://ow.ly/13B20

Thanks,

C+K

STEWARDSHIP 2010: KEEPING FAITH IN AN AGE OF UNCERTAINTY

2010-01-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Rochester Folks may be interested in the following:

STEWARDSHIP 2010: KEEPING FAITH IN AN AGE OF UNCERTAINTY Saturday, January 23, 2010 – 9AM to 3:00 PM (Registration begins at 8:30 am) Baptist Temple – 1101 Clover Street Rochester NY 14610 Keynote Speaker ANTHONY CAMPOLO, PH.D. Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He previously served for ten years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Eastern College and earned a Ph.D. from Temple University. Founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education(EAPE), Dr. Campolo has worked to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries.

Info about the day is here.

November Meeting will be December 2!

2009-11-17T04:11:00.000-08:00

Wanting to maximize participation we are moving the November cohort gathering to DECEMBER 2nd -- after Thanksgiving. Seems like a good time to talk about our Advent practices; of preparation and waiting....

Mark your calendar for Wed December 2 --7pm and it will be the last visit to Muddy Waters (at that locale) since they are moving...!!!

Next Meeting

2009-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

All,

We hope that you have been enjoying this colorful, chilly, and warm again, fall. Already, it's time for another meeting of the Rochester Emergent Cohort! We are going to gather again at Muddy Waters at 752 South Goodman, in Rochester (it is behind the Cinema Theater) - on Wednesday October 28th at 7pm. Mark your calendars. We'll send more reminders. Hope to see you then.

-Kristina Keefe-Perry

First Meeting, Sept. 22, 7PM at Muddy Waters

2009-09-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

First Meeting!
Tuesday, September 22, 7PM
at Muddy Waters Cafe

Tonight we will be having our first meeting and we hope to see you there! For our first get together we thought we'd try out Muddy Waters Cafe in the South Wedge neighborhood of Rochester. They are a locally owned business that supports other local businesses, fair trade products, and homegrown artists to boot! We will gather there for 7PM and plan on staying no later than 9PM when they close down. Remember that all are welcome, and that we'd love to have RSVPs, so if you think that you are coming, please either shoot me an email or send an alert via the Facebook event if you use it. That being said, don't let RSVPs stop you... come on down no matter what, late or not. Bring yourself, bring your friends, bring someone you just met, just make sure to bring your curiousity and interest. We're looking for connection, not perfection. Hope to see you all shortly!

What to Expect?

We are mostly interested in conversation and fellowship. We will not be enacting liturgy, looking to convert people, engaging in worship, or leading any prayer or study. We want to connect with other folk who are Christian or Christian questioning and want to ask those questions and are eager to meet one another. Our flyer with some additional copy can be found here.

Please feel free to forward this email to people you think might be interested, and have a great day!

-Callid Keefe-Perry, Cohort Convener

Promotional Poster and Posting

2009-08-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

All,

As we get closer to our first meeting date, Kristina and I are getting ready to hit the street and flyer up some places at which folks gather who might be interested in connecting with a Cohort. If any folks out there in web-world have ideas for places to go flyering in the Rochester, NY area, let me know and/or download the flyer below and hit it up yourself.

Remember, this is an additional opportunity for people of faith, NOT a replacement for church, so there may very well be folks in your congregations that could be interested.

Blessings in all things,

Callid

A RoEmCo Promotional Poster

End of the Summer Greetings

2009-08-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends: As I write this, I sit under a canopy of trees, in the darkness. The only light from houses surrounding a nearby lake, the campfire at my feet, and my trusty laptop screen. It seems that even here at Sunset Lake, which straddles the Massachusetts-New Hampshire line, we've gone wireless. It's a beautiful way to update the blog, remembering that Creation is very good -- even the occasional light-loving bug that lands on my screen.

Ah.. but, first, let me introduce myself: I am Kristina Keefe-Perry (sometime referred to as the “wife” in Callid's blog posts). I am glad to be making a first contribution to this blog, as I am quite excited to be moving to Rochester and co-coordinating the startup of the Rochester Emergent Cohort.

One of the wonderful things about coming to a Cohort Gathering, that I have found, is the chance to meet with folk of diverse Church backgrounds and have conversations about aspects of what it means to be church in the 21^st century. I have experienced these to be some very nourishing and inspiring interactions, as we share common dreams and growing edges with each other, as we stumble along trying to live a faith-filled life.

I hope that y'all will talk to other folk you know who might want to be part of this conversation. If it is new to you, visit the Emergent Village website and read or listen to some of the podcasts. What excites you? Stretches you? Jot that stuff down for future Cohort conversation.

And... have a great end of the summer. We're arriving in our South Wedge home this week and have lots of unpacking to look forward to. See you at the South Wedge Farmers Market or at our first meeting in September! Blessings, Friends – do keep in touch!

Expectantly,

Kristina

Facebook page and event

2009-07-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

For all of you Emergent (and Emergent curious) folks who are also Facebook users:

The RoEmCo FB Group will also have information about our first meeting in September. I've marked it as an FB event, and folks can RSVP there are well as continue to get info here.

Cheers,

Callid

Delayed Start

2009-07-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

I write from lovely Wallingford, PA where my wife and I are serving as core staff at the Quaker Retreat Center Pendle Hill. This place owes much to our summer having been made exciting and powerful, the reality of which means we will not be back in Rochester long enough to make the publicity push we wanted to prior to the first gathering of the Cohort. Consequently we're going to be moving the date back a month, meeting on Tuesday September, 22 at 7 for the first time, allowing us to connect to some of the college folk as they come back to school and get some Emergent literature out to people who may be interested. We're still not sure where, but we'll make sure to send out info when we have.

As we move along, if you have ideas for a public meeting place, or thoughts about other folk in the general Rochester area that might be interested in getting together, feel free to let Kristina or I know.

In anticipation,

Callid

June Update

2009-06-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've heard from three people in as many days that are interested in connecting to the cohort once it gets kicking in August. Very exciting. My wife and I will not be in Rochester until the second week of August or so, but we are very much in anticipation of connecting to other people who are engaged in the emerging church conversation as well. If anyone out there knows folks in the Rochester Metro area that might be interested, send them a link to the page here, encourage them to sign up for our email updates here, or shoot me an email and let me know so that we can get in touch.

See folks soon,

Callid

First Rochester Emergent Cohort Meeting!

2009-04-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

I sent an email to the Emergent Village folks a while back asking about the possibility of starting a cohort in Rochester as there didn't seem to be one. I got an email yesterday that said there wasn't one and that it might be cool to see if there is interest here for it. That rocks! My wife and I are moving back to the Roc after having been in Boston for a while and hanging with some of the Boston Cohort folks, so cohorting felt like it would be good to continue.

More information will be forthcoming, but for now it is enough to know that come August we'll be trying to get a set of folks together to discuss.

In the Light,

Callid Keefe-Perry