Dear Caldwell,
Who needs community these days?
How about all of us?
As we travel from Sunday to Sunday this week, I’m delighted to share good news on three ways for us to build deeper, more inclusive and just community, as a city and as a congregation.
Announcing The Third Place
The idea of a Caldwell coffee house as a ministry of hospitality is about to become reality, thanks to the hard work of so many. With your input, the name will be The Third Place: Coffee. Community. Common Ground.
You can read about it on the new Facebook page here. The name comes from an established idea of a “third place” as a place for gathering and community-building. Think about it as a kitchen table for the city, a place where talk is rich, relationships deepen and perspectives are shared. You can read more the origin of that name here.
But The Third Place will do more than just build community. By partnering with Friendship Trays, which will provide baked goods, we will advance the fight against hunger. By partnering with QC Family Tree, we will employ youth from the Enderly Park neighborhood in west Charlotte. The Third Place will also partner with the chaplaincy office at Novant-Presbyterian Hospital, Elizabeth Elementary School, CPCC and other neighbors. Planned hours will be 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday with evenings saved for groups to use the space as a venue and for Caldwell gatherings.
So, mark your calendars for our opening in less than two weeks, April 25. Plan to bring a friend by for coffee or tea. And spread the word.
Wednesday Night Dinner: On Loving Haters
Also, we can deepen our community here at Caldwell tomorrow night at our supper gathering at 6 p.m. After we eat, there will be a chance to follow up on my sermon Sunday on Jesus’ command to “follow him” by loving all, even those with whom we disagree. We will save some time tomorrow night to probe a little deeper into that subject.
One great example is the practice of two pastors in the Washington DC area, who see things differently but have made a covenant to listen to each other’s views in the “wide space” of their common faith. They talked about their experience in a great 7-minute video you can watch here. Hope to see you all tomorrow night for our chance to “follow” Jesus.
Repeal of HB2
On a final note, if you would like to join with others in our community and in our state to send a signal to the General Assembly that we are not House Bill 2, mark your calendar for a rally, Sunday, April 24 at 4 at Myers Park Baptist Church, sponsored by the Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice. This is a key chance to donate to the legal battle to repeal this discriminatory and punishing legislation.
Your Missions and Justice Committee has already voted to give to the legal battle on the church’s behalf and it invites you to give personally, too. If you can’t make the rally, where we hope our choir will sing, stay tuned for a way to give electronically.
We give thanks that Nancy Nance had very successful hip replacement surgery yesterday and is headed home. Please pray for Greg and David Beard, following the funeral today of Greg’s mom.
Hope to see you tomorrow night. And if you see any old, beat-up Volvos driving around, check to see who’s driving.
In Christ,
John