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Join us for worship on Sundays normally at 6 PM at the Annapolis Friends Meeting at 351 Dubois Road, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.
Click here for directions.
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August 5, 2012
Seventh Sunday of Via Positiva
wonder...joy...trust...awe...cosmos...beauty...amazement
hospitality...delight...blessing...creation
Sacred Gathering at 6 PM
Reflection by The Rev. Wayne Schwandt
at
Annapolis Friends Meeting
351 Dubois Road, Annapolis
GATHERING LEADERS:
Setup/Put Away: Dave Miller
Greeter/Usher: Suzie Robertson
Reader/Communion Assistant: Adri Eathorne
Offering Invitation: Rick Stewart
We have canceled our potluck supper because we had an extended community picnic last Sunday.
We will still have community hour and all are welcome.
Continuing our progressive spiritual journey!
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Principles of Creation Spirituality:
Our relationship with the universe fills us with awe.
--1st principle
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Who is Evolve Chesapeake? We are soliciting responses to this question in "about" 100 words (whatever you send). Sylvia Oliva's response is below. Please send yours; it will be welcome any time and any number of times as we experience our community in a variety of ways.
Evolve Chesapeake Creation Spirituality Community is based on Christianity and reaches beyond the conventional understanding of this faith. Instead of original sin, we believe that every person is born in original blessing. We follow the radical inclusiveness of Jesus and welcome everyone. Seeking to understand the experience of the Sacred, or Divine, in our lives, we look to Creation Spirituality, the Jesus Seminar, liberation theology, process theology, and historical critical Biblical interpretation. We also look to the great truths found in other religions. In joyful, loving companionship we seek to grow and live up to the good God empowers in us to be seeds of justice, hope and love in this world. In our sacred gatherings we sing this song which, for me, sums up what our community is: Be ours a religion which, like sunshine, goes everywhere;
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its shrine, the good heart;
its creed, all truth;
its ritual, works of love."
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BE AWARE
BE ASTONISHED
TELL ABOUT IT
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Awakening Imagination for Transformation
This conference last weekend was awesome and well-attended.
More about it in future editions of Originally Blessed!!
Better yet, come visit our community and join in our
sacred gathering Sunday evenings at 6 PM.
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Spong Reading Group on
September 8
The group reading " Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World" will meet at PANERA, FESTIVAL AT RIVA at 11 AM on Saturday, September 8. We are reading Chapters 35-38: "Resurrection According to Paul" thru "The Theology of Paul as Revealed in Romans." There is still time to join the group. If you need a copy of the book, contact Pastor Wayne at SchwandtW@aol.com. |
A HISTORY OF CHESAPEAKE PRIDE FESTIVAL
From Picnic to All-Out Festival
by Suzie Robertson
 Once upon a time, just a wee bit before we slid from one century into another, there was a pastor of a new, small mission church in Anne Arundel County, Maryland who dreamed of creating a secular venue for the LGBT community to gather in celebration. And it happened! Through exhaustive networking, Wayne Schwandt, pastor of MCC of the Chesapeake (now the independent spiritual community, Evolve Chesapeake) invited the local LGBTS community to a picnic in late August. And people came! And had fun! And celebrated their pride!
So, the Chesapeake Pride Picnic became a yearly occurrence. With the strong assistance of Annapolis Gay Men (AGM) in the planning and on the day of the event, it grew to include raffles, and door prizes, and games including volleyball, which was as enjoyable to watch as it was to play. Held at a county park, the picnic was limited in what it could offer, though. No live music, no alcohol, no vendors. Even as the participants grew to about 75, it just wasn't what had been envisioned for Pride. So, the dream grew and changes were made.
Making the transition from a large picnic in a quiet park to a very public festival was a scary endeavor. Would folks attend? Would it be a flop? Would a small church, who was entirely funding the experiment and providing a majority of the crew needed to plan and run the event, be adversely affected if it failed? The venues we could afford and who would welcome the LGBT community were very limited. Food vendors would not commit since our estimated
attendees were too small for them. We were hoping for 150, which would more than double the attendance of the previous picnics. Had we dreamed too big?
Chesapeake Pride Festival made it's debut in August 2006, in Edgewater, Maryland at Londontowne Public House, a beautiful venue on the South River. We had lost the partnership of AGM but were pleased with the arrival of the Annapolis Green Party's Karen Jennings who threw herself into the planning and implementation wholeheartedly and brought many straight, supportive allies to volunteer on the day of the Festival. And the day was a success! Too successful, in fact, in that we had over 250 folks who attended that day, which was way over capacity for the venue.
The next year, 2007, Chesapeake Pride Festival moved to the Anne Arundel County Fairground in Crownsville. It provided room to grow. 600 folks came that year. CPF returned the following year, too, but it became apparent that the site was just too hot and not exactly what we were searching for. So, the Chesapeake Pride Festival committee went back to work, searching for a new
home for future Pride festivities.
2008 was the first year at Mayo Beach Park in Edgewater. With a beautiful bayfront beach, shade trees on the hill, an air-conditioned hall, and lots of parking, Chesapeake Pride Festival had found its new home. Live music, vendors, food, beer and wine, and a drag show on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay make a great day. Compared to other Pride celebrations, Chesapeake Pride
may seem small but it represents big growth for the LGBTS community in the Anne Arundel County area.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR,
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER, AND BE THERE at Mayo Beach Park August 4 from noon to 7 pm
(rain or shine)
www.ChesapeakePrideFestival.org
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Covenant Dates
birthdays, anniversaries, covenant dates
August 29 - John Petrosillo Birthday
August 30 - David Miller Birthday
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Become an individual member of Creation Spirituality Communities by clicking here or sign up as a participant in the online community for FREE! Join our community, Chesapeake Creation Spirituality Center, and participate in the discussion. Go to www.CreationSpirituality.info for more information and to sign up! Join the online group, Chesapeake Creation Spirituality.
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IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE
EVOLVE CHESAPEAKE!
Elizabeth Schusler Fiorenza
Rumi Jesus of Nazareth
John Shelby Spong
Matthew Fox
John Dominic Crossan
Andrew Cohen
Diana Butler Bass Marcus Borg
Starhawk Gandhi
Buddha Joseph Grizone
Andrew Harvey
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T-Shirts for Sale
 If you want an Evolve T-shirt, let Beth Lanier know by August 19, at which time she'll send in the order. Let her know your size and if you want the shirt in white ($15) or in black ($20). Contact her at BethLanier@verizon.net. |
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FUNDRAISING FOR MINISTRY
USE iSEARCH AND HELP CCSC!
one cent per search!
Do you search the web? If so, you could be raising a penny for Chesapeake Creation Spirituality Community every time you search! iSearchiGive.com is a search engine powered by Yahoo! Search and iGive.com, the internet's first online shopping mall where a portion of each purchase is donated to your favorite cause. Try it today - it's free! To try iSearch, click here. After you click on the previous link, in the upper right corner will be CLICK HERE TO ADD ISEARCHIGIVE TO YOUR BROWSER. Make it your default search engine and earn a penny for every search. Every penny counts!
YOUR USED CELL PHONES AND EMPTY INK JET AND TONER CARTRIDGES CAN HELP FUND OUR MINISTRY. BRING THEM TO WORSHIP WITH YOU! These items fit nicely in the offering basket along with remembrance of time and talent you have offered through our ministries AND your financial gifts.
When shopping online always go through www.iGive.com! Register Chesapeake Creation Spirituality Community as your charity and shop away! As of 8-2-2012 we have earned $1,372.77. Thank you for shopping through iGive.com and using iSearch.com for online searches!
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Note from Editor
Originally Blessed!! is now sent out on Thursdays. News, notices of events, articles, poetry, etc. are most welcome from all readers. Please send them to me by the previous Wednesday for publication in the current newsletter, or at any time if the material is not time-sensitive.Thank you! EvolveSylvia@gmail.com
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Our website is www.EvolveChesapeake.com
More sites which may interest you:
(Human Rights Campaign)
(Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network)
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