Presence

All About Matthew

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:57:00 +0000

This past Sunday (September 13) we began our series on the Gospel of Matthew by laying some of the groundwork and goals for the series. In case you missed it, you can hear it on the podcast here.

MATTHEW MANUSCRIPT BINDERS

If you would like binder of the Matthew manuscript for this series, please email presence.london@gmail.com with the number of binders requested. (Email us by Wednesday at the latest!) The cost is $10/binder. Alternatively, you can download the manuscript and print it off yourself if you would like.

Having a copy of the manuscript is not required for Sunday mornings, but it is pretty much essential for the Thursday night group...

PRESENCE THURSDAYS

This Thursday (September 17) is the launch of "Presence Thursdays", hosted by Kate and Fiona. Note from Kate...

Fiona and I are really excited to have you (and any of your friends) over for soup this Thursday. We will start at 6pm and will eat and will socialize. Next week we will start discussing and studying Matthew... As we are just getting this up and going it would be great if you know that you are definitely coming if you can respond. That way we'll have a rough calculation as to whether to prepare soup for 4 people or for 40 :) That said - if you or someone you know is free on Thursday and would like to come last minute please just come along. We'll make sure there is a bit more food than RSVP's.

RSVP: If you are planning on going this Thursday, please call 519-281-0206 or email kate.pettigrew@hotmail.com - thanks!

NEW WEBSITE COMING...

We're in the process of completely overhauling the website; it should be up and running later this week. Stay tuned for details.

This Week at Presence

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:51:00 +0000

There's some new, exciting things happening with the Presence community these days.

Sunday (September 13) we're starting a brand new series on the Gospel of Matthew. For those who remember our series on Colossians last year, this series will be similar, but with a few new tweaks. This Sunday morning we'll be laying the road map for this new exploration, and hopefully you'll come away as equally intrigued and inspired by what we'll learn in the upcoming months! Also this Sunday: our very own Jan Evans will be sharing some thoughts and perspectives from her recent work in Uganda.

On Thursday (September 17) Kate and Fiona will be launching "Presence Thursday" at their apartment. This is a weekly gathering to share a meal together and to really dig in to the material presented from the previous Sunday. If you are looking to connect with some more people, build on your understanding of the Bible, and enjoy some yummy soup, this is a great point to jump in. To find out more details on the Thursday gathering (location, time, etc), please email Fiona (fiona_is_here@hotmail.com) or Kate (kate.pettigrew@hotmail.com).

Sunday, September 6

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:44:00 +0000

This coming Sunday is an 'extended discussion time' following up on our series over the last few weeks on the Holy Spirit. If there is an area of clarification you would like to pursue, or a specific question arising from the last few weeks, please send me (James) an email by Thursday and I'll do my best to address it on Sunday. The discussion the last few weeks has been great--thanks to everyone for your involvement and eagerness to both share and learn. This topic, the Holy Spirit, is obviously a huge exploration to take on in only six weeks, so I hope that this coming Sunday will be a great chance to focus in on any outstanding questions or areas of interest we might have. It's such a joy to be part of such a unique, diverse and energetic group. Have a great week, everyone.

August at Presence

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:02:00 +0000

Greetings,

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather now that it has finally arrived! (Remember: we waited patiently all winter for this!)

Here is a brief overview of the next few weeks at Presence, we are currently half-way through a series called "Breathality" in which we are studying the history and mystery of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday, August 16
Breathality IV: Fire - we're looking at the story of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

Sunday, August 23
Breathality V: Holy - we're looking at the history and doctrine of the Trinity as understood and developed over the centuries.

Sunday, August 30
Breathality VI: Myst - wrap up to the Breathality series.

I hope you can join us on Sundays for the rest of this August. For those far afield... vacationers, students gone home for the summer, people trekking around the globe, people working at camp, etc ... we miss you! (And we're looking forward to all reconvening again in September!)

Breathality III: Gift (August 9/09)

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Greetings Everyone,

I hope your post-longweekend week is going well so far. Just wanted to give a brief overview for Sunday.

Where we've been so far: we've looked at the origin the word we use for "Spirit" in the ancient's understanding of the wind and the breath of God (listen here - this is pivotal for this series). Last week we looked at the story of Jesus' baptism and the descending God's Spirit in "dove"-like form (listen here).

This coming Sunday, building on where we've come so far, we'll explore what the Apostle Paul writes about the Spirit. As we've discussed before, the letters of Paul form the very earliest writings of Christianity--so our objective this week is to encounter this mysterious spirit in a second-century frame of reference as best as we can. Some people think of Paul as the first classic, Jesus mystic--they may very well have a point! Hope to see you on Sunday for another great discussion.

Peace,
James

Sistine Chapel on Talbot Street

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:07:00 +0000

Be sure to leave a few extra minutes of free time on Sunday (August 2) afternoon and head over to the intersection of Talbot and King after Presence to checkout the chalk rendition of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel replicated on the pavement. Our good friend and artist Axl is involved in this project as well! This is probably the next best thing to actually going all the way to Vatican City!

Breathality II: Dove (August 2)

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Last week we began our series on the Holy Spirit. In case you missed it, you can listen to the podcast here -- it provides some very foundational material for the this series. We will be continuing this week by looking at the story of Jesus' anointing by John the Baptist as recorded in the Gospels. Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday at 11am... and if you can't make it, here's hoping you have a great holiday weekend all the same!

New at Presence

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Kate has initiated a contact list to circulate among the Presence community. The idea here is to share contact information to help people get in touch during the week. Of course, this is voluntary only: if you would like your name on the list, please sign up at Presence on Sunday or email your name / phone / email address to presence.london [at] gmail.com to have it included.

Emerging from our "Directions Sunday" a few weeks ago we have collectively decided to put a greater emphasis on music at our Sunday gatherings. So that everybody is in the know, please note that we will begin each week with a time of music and singing. This also means that we are going to do something never before heard of in the history Presence: actually start on time.

Yes, folks, that's right--we're actually beginning at 11am now! Please feel free to come anytime between 10:30am and 11:00am to mix and mingle, get in some pre-drinking (of coffee, that is), and -- if you are really ambitious -- help setup chairs!

Last but not least: we are starting our 'summer series' this Sunday. We'll spend the remainder of July and the month of August exploring the mystery of the Holy Spirit.

Breathality: Wind of the Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:43:00 +0000

On Sunday, July 26, we will be starting a series exploring the story, history and work of the Holy Spirit. This series will take us back to many ancient stories, and will land us smack dab on the cores of spiritual and religious belief--faith, experience and those inexpressible moments of 'something more' in life.

This journey will probably take us through to the end of the summer. If you are interested in really diving in (i.e. a "keener"), here are some readings that you may find helpful in filling in lots of the back story:

The Meaning of Revelation by Richard Niebuhr (meaty reading, but a great series of connecting thoughts that bridge our last series on the origin of the Bible with the theme of divine revelation--a prominate focal point in the study of the role of the spirit)
The Left Hand of God by Adolf Holl (warning: this work is rather demeaning to many traditional beliefs, and is written in a manner which some may consider rather sarcastic; for a more "middle of the road" approach, more sensitive readers might prefer Aristotle's Children by Richard E. Rubenstein which covers most of the same historical periods)
I have also found Karl Barth's The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life to be a very thoughtful and meaningful read, although, quite frankly, ample caffeine is required to slug through it.

When we are doing a series like this I often blog quite a bit about it as well. If you are interested in following along, you can subscribe to my blog here. -- James

Sunday, July 19

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Special thanks to Fiona for sharing her thoughts and reflections from her trip to Bangladesh on Sunday. (Fiona built and expanded on several of her thoughts from her last teaching at Presence back in March, which you can still listen to here.)

This coming Sunday (July 19), our friend Gil Clelland from YFC's Streetlight will be speaking. It's always a privilege to hear what Gil is thinking/studying/wrestling through, and I'm looking forward to what he'll bring on Sunday.

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:28:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who participated in the discussion on Sunday!
'Directions Sunday' was a great time of reflecting on where we've come
from and dreaming about the future together. A couple years ago, when
Presence was still in the embryonic "vision stage" several of us would
refer to it as "open source church" -- the hope that a community could
grow and be defined by the sum of all its parts, it's members
directly, equally contributing to its identity, shape and direction.
It was encouraging to see this in action on Sunday!

This coming Sunday, Fiona Jack will be sharing about her recent
experience in Bangladesh. Hope to see you there.

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:45:00 +0000

This Sunday (July 5) will be "Directions Sunday" -- we're taking some time to look back over the last two years, ask ourselves where we've been, where we're going, and how we're going to get there together. Please plan on joining us for a community pow-wow, collaborative 'town hall' Sunday together. (Yes, we will be meeting at our usual location, the Arts Project, at 11am.)

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Important reminder: Every year the Fringe Festival hits the streets of London, which has immediate implications for our meeting space since it is one of the central venues for this event. As a result, we will be meeting off-site for the next two weeks, taking the opportunity to do two of our most favorite things together: eat and hangout. Here is where we are going to be for the next two Sundays:

Sunday, June 21, 11am: pool party @ Jack and Dallas' house

Sunday, June 28, 11am: BBQ @ James Shelley's house

Email presence.london@gmail.com if you need directions to either location! To help with food planning, please reply with an estimated "headcount" so we can make a better educated guess for food prep! Thanks!

Sunday, July 5, 11am: Back at our usual spot, at The Arts Project

The Point of Origin series on the origin of the Bible concluded on Sunday -- if you would like to access the resources from this study, they are available here.

Point of Origin

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:53:00 +0000

The focus of this series, Point of Origin, is the story of the Bible: who wrote it, when, why? How were the books "selected" for the Bible as we have it today? Who exercised control over this book's creation? Who had agendas and motives?

These questions are at the bedrock of faith. The ramifications of the Bible's creation directly correlate with how we interpret it: and people interpret the Bible goes on form their core ideas about God, Jesus, and the even very nature of truth.

You can't separate people (us) who base their faith story in an ancient story (Bible) from the story of how that ancient writing was put together in the first place. This is the story of our story.

My hope is that this adventure will give us as a community a refreshing, invigorating perspective on the Bible -- perhaps we have only just begun to scratch the surface... I hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be an exciting journey back to the very early, embryonic stages of Christianity!

For more material and a bibliography, click here.

Paul the Complicated

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Paul. His letters and writings were penned before the accounts of Jesus' life were put to papyrus. He is the closest material evidence we have, historically speaking, to the life of Jesus. He is a figure of controversy, both in his day and in current times -- considered homophobic and subjugative of women by some modern readers. Yet, still loved by conspiracy theorists and faithful, devoted adherents alike, he represents one of history's most surely complicated characters. Meet Paul. He did more to shape the world's ideas about Jesus than any other person to live: over the next few weeks, get ready to see Paul, Christianity, and (especially) Jesus in a shockingly, unsettlingly ancient way...

Series: Paul the Complicated begins Sunday, February 1, 2009

Community Garden 2009?

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:14:00 +0000

If you are interested in being involved in a community garden initiative this summer please email us. Planning and collaboration meetings will be starting shortly.

Looking Ahead to '09...

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:51:00 +0000

We hope your time with friends and family over the Christmas holidays were refreshing, rejuvenating and meaningful. We are looking forward to the great adventures ahead in 2009, as we continue to strive to live out the paradox belief: questioning/exploring our faith and living/practicing it fully. Happy New Year, everyone!

Book Rummage ~ 01/11/2009

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:19:00 +0000

Have a bunch of extra books clogging the shelf or the desire to simplify and downsize your library? You are invited to bring your books to Presence on January 11th for a little community book swap.

Advent at Presence

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:44:00 +0000

This Christmas we are once again making a journey through the season of Advent, a time of waiting for a Saviour. Ancient texts propel us back in time to contemplate the "wholeness" of our lives as we spend this time in waiting. It is, however, not just a passive waiting. Advent is a time of deep reflection; a searching of the soul.

Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:06:00 +0000

Thoughts of flocks and shepherds... an exploration and reflection on Ezekiel 34, in preparation for Advent.

Hope Against Hope VII

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:05:00 +0000

In conclusion to the series, Richard Goetze overviews the past six weeks and reflects on the question of 'why share the good news?' if all will ultimately be saved in the end.

Hope Against Hope VI

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:03:00 +0000

Richard Goetze explores the question of human free-will in relationship to the concept that God would want to redeem all of creation.

Hope Against Hope V

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Richard Goetze tackles the question of God's judgment and wrath, and how these attributes reflect his mercy rather than a vindictive agenda.

Hope Against Hope IV

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Richard Goetze explores a possible third interpretation of life beyond the grave: inclusivism. What if God's agenda is to redeem and reconcile the whole of creation?

Hope Against Hope III

noreply@blogger.com (jshelley78) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:34:00 +0000

Continuing his exploration of the various interpretations the after life, Richard Goetze contemplates the theory of annihilation. Is hell just an empty void of separation?