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Our Business Sponsors
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For your real estate needs in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, or across the country contact SHOP AT |
Join our sacred gathering 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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Evolve Chesapeake
Fall Congregational Meeting
Sunday, November 18th
3 to 5 PM in large classroom of
Annapolis Friends Meeting
AGENDAS AVAILABLE ON WELCOME COUNTER
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Marriage Equality is now a Reality in Maryland!
"Gay and lesbian families will now be treated with dignity, fairness, and equal protection under the law. So let's pause to commemorate this historic moment. We won this as a community united, crossing party lines, age, race, and faith to stand up for a cause greater than ourselves: the belief that Maryland can and will live up to its full, strong, vibrant potential."
Heather Mizeur, Maryland House of Delegates
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November 11, 2012
Eighth Sunday of Via Negativa
silence, emptying, uncertainty, darkness, nothingness, sinking, letting go, pain, loss, depth
Sacred Gathering at 6 PM
at
Annapolis Friends Meeting
351 Dubois Road, Annapolis
Reflection by the Rev. Dr. Wayne Schwandt Receiving of the Commitment Cards for 2013 Please bring yours if you haven't already done so! GATHERING LEADERS: Set-up/Put-away: Dave Miller Greeter/Usher: Sylvia Oliva Reader/Communion Assistant: Tom Good Offering Invitation: Sylvia Oliva Community Hour Hostess: Suzie Robertson
Co-Creating our 15th year together!
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Help Create our Banner for Via Negativa
Remember that you are invited to bring something to add to the Via Negativa banner which we will create during this season.
What should you bring? Something that speaks of "emptying" or "letting go" or "darkness" or "pain."
It could be a picture from current events, picture of a lost friend or lover or spouse, a poem, a word or phrase.
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On Tuesday, November 27 we'll be meeting for dinner and discussion. See Pastor Wayne for details. ALL are welcome!
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NOVEMBER COVENANT DATES
birthdays, anniversaries, covenant dates
November 3 Chuck Riley and Wayne Schwandt Anniversary (1985)
November 9 Elizabeth Lanier Birthday
November 11 Yolanda Kresslein Birthday (d. 6/28/1999)
November 22 William E. Riley Death (1999)
November 26 Esther J. Hosley Birthday (d. 1/13/2006)
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World Aids Day
December 1, 2012
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World Aids Day -- December 1, 2012
World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.
First Christian Community Church 6:30 PM, Saturday, December 1 Music by: One Accord Citywide Mass Choir and Harmonic Fourth Jazz Group Carmi Washington-Flood, Keynote Speaker |
Honoring our Ancestors My impressions of our sacred gathering last Sunday
I've never experienced an All Saints Day like this! It was a very "thin space" and our big family filled the room. The altar of remembrance was poignantly beautiful with photos of our deceased loved ones and little candles, along with offerings from our gardens: a last yellow rosebud, sprigs of fragrant rosemary, and a bowl of the last tomatoes of the season.
In between singing verses of the hymn, "For All The Saints," we recited a very inclusive litany of saints with brief mention of each one's contributions to humankind. A few among them were Meister Eckart, Hildegarde of Bingen, Francis of Assisi, Charles de Foucauld, George Fox, Dag Hammarskjold, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maximilian Kolbe, artists of all kinds, etc. and, of course, Jesus and even Johnny Appleseed! We asked each one to "stand with us." Then we were invited to name our own ancestors as far back as we could, and any other dear ones who had died and whom we wanted to be with us. It brought me much joy and gratitude, and loving memories! Wayne reminded us that none of us knows what happens when we die. But he trusts that as now we are in God and God is in us, so when we die we will some way still be in God and God in us. I share with you a reading from this sacred gathering:
To honor the ancestors and celebrate the communion of saints
does not mean putting heroes on pedestals but rather
honoring them by living out lives of imagination, courage and compassion in our own time, culture and historical moment
as they did in theirs. As we co-create our path ahead, we know our beloved ancestors are with us on the journey.
Sylvia Oliva |
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Next Meeting of Spong Reading Group: Saturday, Nov. 17
The group reading Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World by John Shelby Spong will meet at PANERA, FESTIVAL AT RIVA at
11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17. We are reading Part X, The Synoptic Gospels. There is still time to join the group. If you need a copy of the book, contact Pastor Wayne at SchwandtW@aol.com.
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From an October 21, 2012 Letter to Companions
written by Dave Miller, Vice Moderator
on behalf of the Board of Directors of Evolve Chesapeake
Dear Companions,
Our spiritual community recently celebrated our 14th anniversary. Since our inception we have blazed a path to studying wisdom and prophets and seeking the Divine in a way that is uniquely our own. Nearly two years ago, that path lead to a fork, and we chose the one less travelled. Today, we continue our journey. We have admirably modeled the name we have chosen. We continue to EVOLVE our community, our spiritual gathering, and our faith practices. We have broadened EVOLVE Chesapeake to a community where the members and all companions participate in defining who and what we are, and in leading our sacred gathering and ministering to each other. We remain very blessed to have the inspirational leadership of Reverend Dr. Wayne Schwandt, and many Companions have demonstrated our co-ownership of this community in so many ways.
The Board of Directors and the Celebration Team have chosen the word Co-Create to describe the leg of the journey we are currently blazing. In fact, you will soon learn of exciting plans for embracing this concept and optimizing co-creation to advance our community. We are planning a very special season leading to the winter solstice and Christmas that we have called Invent:Co-Create. The sacred gatherings in this season will provide much food for thought about the Divine, our lives and our faith practices. We will follow this season with a community retreat this winter where we will explore our spiritual paths, and those efforts that enrich us and those practices that diminish our awareness of our own holiness.
TO READ OR DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE ENTIRE LETTER,
CLICK HERE. |
The Evolving Face of Chesapeake Country
Evolve Chesapeake by Liz Hall
 EVOLVE PASTOR'S EDITORIAL NOTE: This article was intended for publication in a local paper which "ran out of space the current issue." By that they meant, we believe, this is too controversial for us to run at this time. While Liz continues to look for other oppportunities to run the article, we are running it here for our readers. We thank Liz for the time she spent with me in interviews and for her time at our Sacred Celebrations on two different Sundays.
[Intended Publisher] Editor's note: November 6's election is likely to make Maryland the first state to uphold homosexual marriage by the vote of the people.This week, we introduce you to a Chesapeake congregation formed in that community.
All eyes are on the slight 30-year-old woman with the timid smile and shaking hands. Beside her, two sponsors read aloud her story of coming out months earlier as a lesbian.
Having accepted herself, she longed for a church that would want her as she is.
She found Evolve Chesapeake, then the courage to visit a service, finally the strength to accept their invitation. Now she is joining the church at its 14th anniversary service in September.
The whole congregation files up to the front of the room at the Friends Meeting House on Dubois Road in West Annapolis - where Evolve Chesapeake meets every Sunday at 6pm - to sign the certificate welcoming Cindy as their newest member.
From Cindy's story, the service segues into an exchange of peace that puts her at ease as she travels around the room sharing hugs and well wishes with her fellow worshippers. Soon they all scramble to set up tables and chairs for a celebratory dinner.
Continue to read, by clicking here.
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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 GATHERING 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 11-o8-2012 we have earned $1,432.11. Thank you for shopping through iGive.com and using iSearch.com for online searches! -------------------------------------------------------------------
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Books for Sale at our Welcome Table
Titles by Matthew Fox, John Shelby Spong,
Marcus Borg, and more. Beautiful Note Cards also for Sale Photography by Rick Dove
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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 Community, 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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GAIN(Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network)
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Note from Editor
Originally Blessed!! is sent out every Thursday. News, notices of events, articles, poetry, etc. are always welcome and should be sent to EvolveSylvia@gmail.com by the previous Wednesday night for publication in the upcoming newsletter, or at any time if not time-sensitive.
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