scott simmons – Lydia Place Saint Paul

03 Dec

Community Meal at Seal Hi-Rise

Saturday, December 7, 2-4 pm. 825 Seal Street, St. Paul

Join the Seal Hi-Rise Residents Council, the Saint Anthony Park Community Council, Hampden Park Co-op, and Lydia Place Collaborative Communities for our annual Winter Community Meal. We’ll have free food from Hampden Park Co-Op, Naughty Greek, Foxy Falafel, Keys, Karta Thai, and more.

There’ll be live music, games, and a chance to mingle and meet your neighbors in South Saint Anthony Park while we celebrate local efforts to bring fresh, affordable and healthy food options to the neighborhood – including Seal Hi-Rise’s Sunday Table summer/fall free vegetable program provided by the Saint Anthony Park Community Garden and Lydia Place Collaborative Communities.

It’s all free. All are welcome. Come as you are.

03 Dec

Carols and Ales with the Fleshpots of Egypt

7-9 pm, Monday, December 16, Dubliner Pub, Saint Paul.

In 2014, the Fleshpots of Egypt and Lydia Place held our first Carols and Ales singalong at a local brewpub. The next year we moved to the always warm and welcoming Dubliner Pub and the event continues to grow and surprise.

It’s certainly one of the Fleshpot’s favorite get-togethers, and it’s becoming quite the holiday tradition. So join us for food, drink, song and friends.

Come early, save a seat, and indulge in the Dubliner’s amazing pub fare.

Wear an ugly sweater if you must.

Bring a canned or boxed food item to share with the Sunday Table program at Seal Hi-Rise. You may win a signed pot of flesh from the Fleshpots themselves.

And pick up some Fleshpot or Dubliner swag… our stuff makes great Christmas gifts.

But whatever you do, please join us with a smile on your face and a song on your heart.

If you can’t join us Monday, Dec 16, join us Friday, Dec 13 for Carols and Ales in Northfield at Imminent Brewing.

30 Aug

Dwelling in the Word

A communal spiritual practice of not only studying, but dwelling in a specific Biblical text (often a longer text of 30-40 verses) for a long period of time – sometimes years. Each session typically involves several vocal readings of the text, separated by silence, where those involved focus on deep listening, paying particular attention to specific words, phrases, or ideas that stand out during the readings and silence. These specific words, phrases and ideas are then shared with the entire group. Adapted from the original practice developed by Pat Keifert and Church Innovations.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… Col. 3:16

30 Aug

Strategic Posture

One of the most common practices in the world of business and commerce is strategic planning, which is designed to direct an organization’s activity and energy towards accomplishing definable and identifiable goals. When standard strategic planning practices are adapted by the church, institutional far-sightedness can set in. Though the community might see a vision for the future, they may be blinded to the activity of the Holy Spirit which may be bursting out at the periphery or even in plain sight. Part of this stems from an inability to fully adapt strategic planning to the life of the church. In standard strategic planning, the stakeholders are often the investors, owners or employees of the organization. In the church, however, the stakeholders are not the congregation, nor the denominational body, nor the council and pastors. Rather, the stakeholders are those whom Christ calls the church to love and serve – the neighbor, the poor and needy, hungry and sick, forlorn and suffering. Strategic Posturing is a strategic practice for the church that begins with the church’s clear discernment of the gifts that God has given them, an openness to ways in which the Holy Spirit is breaking out in the world (see Discernment Huddle and Theory U), and the ability to faithfully and trustingly pivot to where the Spirit is both calling and equipping us to participate in God’s mission. Instead of putting energies and focus into working toward a pre-defined future and missing the Spirit’s activity and invitation all along the way, we adapt a strategic posture or stance which allows us to pivot and move whenever the Spirit invites.

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1 Cor. 2:10