We convey our faith story in many ways. We tell stories, we preach, we sing, we paint, we draw, we create pottery, we write poetry, and the list goes on and on. There are many ways to explore our faith, justice, and hospitality through the arts. This summer at St. Luke's, the Crossroads community is invited, along with our neighbors, to experience and participate in one or more of four classes that will be offered. Find a complete listing and description below. You can find the registration forms by going to this page: http://metrocrossroads.org/#/connecting/summer-at-st-lukes.
Art Class:
Time: Wednesdays at 7pm
Dates: 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 8/3, 8/10
Cost: $40 includes supplies
Class Bio: Faith and the Visual Arts
In this class students will explore many of the ways in which faith and visual arts intersect. Each class will include a short devotional and art lesson followed by time for students to put those lessons into practice in a weekly project. The projects are designed to useful for people of varying artistic background.
Personal Bio:
Ben Sloan is currently a Masters of Divinity student at Wesley Theological Seminary studying to become a pastor in the United Methodist Church. In college he studied studio art and world religions at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. Ben has displayed his art in solo and group shows at churches and universities across the country. His preferred medium include pottery, oil painting, and charcoal drawing. To see some of his art visit www.benjaminsloan.weebly.com.
Art Class:
Dates: July 12th-August 9th
Time: Tuesdays 5-6:30pm
Cost: $40 includes supplies
“We live within the process of creation just as much as it exists within us.” - Shaun McNiff -
This class will look at what we have to say in the world and how to convey that voice through visual form. Art has the capacity to create a space where we can find and use our own voice as well as engage those of others. We will explore these voices through various mediums and experimentation with our unique styles of visual communication. No expertise is needed. In fact, expertise is probably best left at the door along with any notion of how art should look.
Emily’s love of art started with summer visits to her beautiful Grammie where no trip was complete without an artsy or crafty project. Since then, she’s been hooked to creating for the purpose of community and self-expression. Her favorite mediums are painting with acrylics and enamels, drawing with pens, pencils and charcoals, photography and digital manipulation of old photographs. Themes that are typically found in her work are memory, absence, presence, process, connection and creation. Emily finds the commonly held notion that art is for those who understand it and/or those who are told that they are ‘good’ at it endlessly frustrating. She’s not quite sure what it even means to ‘understand’ art or to be ‘good’ at it. Emily firmly believes that living is an act of creativity and that if anyone has ever told you that you are not good at art, that person has been misinformed.
Yoga Class:
Dates: July 2, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6th.
Time: 9am Saturdays
Cost: $75
Class Bio:
Post-natal yoga for Mommy and Babies.A class that helps a new mother relax, stretchand spend special bonding time w/ her newborn. Class focuses onrebuilding mothers strength as well as helping her find breathing techniques to help w/ stress and lack of sleep. Baby must be at least 6 weeks old and mother must have doctors approval to begin yoga practice. Yoga mat and blanket for baby to lieon is needed.Mothers should feel comfortable stopping to nurse,bottle feed, or change diaper whenever needed.
Personal Bio: Monica Zoll
I started my yoga practice when I first moved to NY in 1997. Along with yoga I also was active in spin classes, weight training, and running. In 2002, I married and moved back to my hometown area of Maryland and began to work as a Montessori Teacher in a Charter School in DC. I used my yoga practice with the children in the classroom, as well as contined my personal practice. During my first pregnancy in 2005, I used yoga to help throughout the pregnancy and once my daughter Isabella was born, we took the post-natal "Mommy and Me" classes together. I also became certified in children's yoga through YogaTales and worked with 3-6 year olds. During my second pregnancy with my son Miles, I was certified through YogaFit for pre-natal yoga. Again, yoga helped me through my second pregnancy and during recovery. My children love watching and participating in yoga, it's a wonderful gift to give yourself and your children.
Dance Class:
Dates: 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 7/27
Time: 4:30-5:30pm Wednesdays
Cost: $30
Class Description:
Dance & Spirituality
This class is for those who would like to explore dance and for those who would like to explore spirituality. This four week class will be a mix of both of these topics and will introduce different dance genres, ideas on how to use dance to explore your spiritual life, practices for movement-meditation and prayer, not to mention fellowship and lots of fun! You do not have to have ever taken a dance class or a bible study before to take this course. All are welcome! The class will meet from 4:30-5:30 on the Wednesdays in July. Please contact Jennie Murray with any questions you might have.
Jennie Murray is a three-year resident of the District and has been exploring dance for the last 25 years. She is currently working on her MDIV from Wesley Theological Seminary, where she dances with the Wesley Dancers, and is very interested in exploring the ways in which dance can and has been used to explore and teach us about life and our relationship with God. She currently works for Catholic Charities, assisting recent refugees, and attends Mt. Vernon Place UMC in Chinatown. Jennie currently lives with her partner, Max, and dog Sammie in Adam's Morgan.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
A Theology of Picnics!
Gathering around the table, whether it be the communion table or the dinner table, is one of the most powerful things that we do in the church. When we have table fellowship, we begin to see one another for real. We receive grace that transforms us and sustains us. We break bread with one another so that we might establish authentic relationships, and thus, hopefully open ourselves to an intricately woven, diverse community.
As we live into the series on community that we are exploring, I want to suggest that one of the things we are called together to do is to eat. We are called together to eat the bread of life in Holy Communion, and we are called to form dynamic and life giving relationships around the dinner table. This week at Crossroads, we have a powerful (and fun) opportunity to continue our exploration of community around the table. We will gather around the communion table during worship, but afterwards we will take our community to Guy Mason Park to gather around the picnic table!
At Crossroads, we know that God moves in our worship, in Holy Communion, in our music, through our prayer stations...we also acknowledge that God moves in our eating and playing together.
Eating and playing aren’t the only goals, though. We do hope that we can connect with and get to know our neighbors around the church and in Glover Park. This isn’t a time for scary evangelism techniques (no Bible beating), but rather, it is a time when we seek to genuinely get to know people who may come to the park, and who may join us for food. We should certainly share about our church if they ask, but we want folks to know that we care about who they are. We want to first be a neighbor who shows compassion, justice and mercy. We want to show that God is at work in our midst in our worship, service to others, and play! This theology of picnics will be on full display this Sunday, June 12 after worship.
You are invited and encouraged to help us out! We need folks to bring chips or drink (or both), and we need some folks who are willing to help set up. Also, I encourage you to invite someone to come with you. There will be plenty of food!
Please dress very casual as we will be in the heat!
Worship begins at 5 PM (Pentecost!) and the picnic will begin at approximately 6:15 PM!
I can’t wait to see what God is up to this week at Crossroads!
Joy and Peace,
Jimmy
As we live into the series on community that we are exploring, I want to suggest that one of the things we are called together to do is to eat. We are called together to eat the bread of life in Holy Communion, and we are called to form dynamic and life giving relationships around the dinner table. This week at Crossroads, we have a powerful (and fun) opportunity to continue our exploration of community around the table. We will gather around the communion table during worship, but afterwards we will take our community to Guy Mason Park to gather around the picnic table!
At Crossroads, we know that God moves in our worship, in Holy Communion, in our music, through our prayer stations...we also acknowledge that God moves in our eating and playing together.
Eating and playing aren’t the only goals, though. We do hope that we can connect with and get to know our neighbors around the church and in Glover Park. This isn’t a time for scary evangelism techniques (no Bible beating), but rather, it is a time when we seek to genuinely get to know people who may come to the park, and who may join us for food. We should certainly share about our church if they ask, but we want folks to know that we care about who they are. We want to first be a neighbor who shows compassion, justice and mercy. We want to show that God is at work in our midst in our worship, service to others, and play! This theology of picnics will be on full display this Sunday, June 12 after worship.
You are invited and encouraged to help us out! We need folks to bring chips or drink (or both), and we need some folks who are willing to help set up. Also, I encourage you to invite someone to come with you. There will be plenty of food!
Please dress very casual as we will be in the heat!
Worship begins at 5 PM (Pentecost!) and the picnic will begin at approximately 6:15 PM!
I can’t wait to see what God is up to this week at Crossroads!
Joy and Peace,
Jimmy