At Annual Conference we distributed our new informational brochure at our multiple information sessions. Several folks asked for an electronic version of this brochure, so here it is!
Open Table Co-op Brochure
Tagged with: downloads
A letter from Young Adults at AC2012
The following letter from young adults was shared during the final business session at Annual Conference 2012:
We are here to love one another. We are here to speak truth to one another. We are here to not grow weary. We are here to hold hands with you.
We are young adults, but we do not speak for all young adults. A group of us met and during this conversation we found we had shared frustrations, energy and encouragement for each other. As part of the body of the Church of the Brethren we would like to convey these important ideas on our minds.
We are not of one mind in theology. But we have found that we will not let this divide us or exclude each other. The simple image of a circle was brought up; we are not a point. We all may occupy different spaces along a continuum, but are still one body in Christ. We are here to love one another.
We then ask for your help. We want representation within the body of the church. We would like to affirm the calling of young adults J. Trent Smith and Rhonda Ritenour to Mission and Ministry Board by this years’ delegate body. We appreciate these calls as an opportunity to participate and hope this will continue because we feel the Spirit moving within us and want to hold hands with you with you all.
We hope and pray for many things. We hope we do not loose our passion. We hope we do not know know complacency. For this, we pray…as we are continuing the work of Jesus. Simply. Peacefully. Together.
(Several Open Table Co-op volunteers and supporters were involved in the writing of this letter.)
SMS Annual Conference Updates
Looking for a way to stay connected to what’s going on around Conference without constantly checking message boards, social media, or email? Then sign up for our Annual Conference Updates SMS list! Using your mobile phone’s text-messaging capabilities you can know what’s stirring during Annual Conference.
Scan with your smartphone to sign up!
We’ll be sending out reminders for events that Open Table Co-op and our partners are a part of, announcements of spontaneous actions and gatherings, and alerts when certain business items are coming up for discussion. You can also text us your questions or suggestions of something we might share with the list.
To sign up, text AC2012 to 1-708-277-6877. You’ll receive a response message with instructions on how to complete your registration. To stop receiving messages from us, just text STOP to the number above.
(Please note that normal text messaging rates will apply according to your mobile service provider.)
Facebook Page Launch
From the earliest days of our movement, Facebook has been a powerful tool for connecting and conversing with one another. Now we’re entering a new era of social media engagement with the launch of the Open Table Co-op Facebook Page! Like our new page and check back often for updates, opportunities for involvement, and more.
Tagged with: Communications
Progressive Guide to Annual Conference 2012
We’re excited to be a part of this year’s Progressive Guide to Annual Conference, now available through Progressive Brethren Online. You can also download the PDF directly. This excellent guide features listings of activities and events both by day and by area of interest and includes extended write-ups from BMC, Womaen’s Caucus, Voices for an Open Spirit, and from us.
Celebration with VOS at Annual Conference
Come join us as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Voices for an Open Spirit at their annual meeting, 9pm on Tuesday, July 10th in room 101/102 of the America’s Center in St. Louis.
In addition, we’ll be discussing the Progressive Brethren Fall 2012 Gathering in La Verne, CA.
VOS will also be welcoming the Open Table Co-op to the Progressive Brethren fold. Come hear how VOS plans to join in and support our work!
A special “cooperative” celebration will take place shortly after 10pm.
Info Session at Annual Conference
Come join representatives from the Interim Organizational Team and Leadership Board to learn more about the mission and vision for OTC and how you can be involved in this expansion of the progressive movement within the Church of the Brethren.
Sunday, 7/8 at 9pm, Room 101/102 of the America’s Center in St. Louis, MO
Hear about how OTC hopes to connect progressive Brethren throughout the country. How can the energy and enthusiasm of young adults alongside the wisdom and experience of older adults help change the climate of the denomination? Come to the Open Table where all are welcome!
From this day forward, we shall be known as …
This is truly an exciting time in the life of our movement! We’ve called a long-term Leadership Board, are preparing for appearances and efforts at National Young Adult Conference and Annual Conference, and we’re starting to receive some very helpful financial support. We’ve come a long way in less than a year.
Today marks another big milestone for us: adopting a new name.
Since the start of our conversations in July of 2011, we’ve used the name “Feast of Love” to describe ourselves. Feast of Love served to connect us with our Church of the Brethren identity, alluding to our practice of Love Feast where all are mutually welcomed, friendship is shared, and service is embodied as we gather around the table of Christ.
Still, a sizeable contingent weren’t sure if this was the best name for us to use. Though it brought to mind the Love Feast, for some it was difficult to relate to as an organizational name. For others, it carried overtly sexual connotations. For those who might have searched for us online, you may have also discovered it is the title of an R-rated movie.
From the first calling of the Interim Organizational Team, a primary task for our movement’s leaders has been to lead us in discerning what our name will ultimately be. Through in-person conversations, email feedback, Facebook posts, and polls, we’ve listened and worked together toward a name that fits our identity, mission, and vision.
We’re excited to announce that with your help and after a process of deep discernment as a board, we’ve arrived at a new name that will move us forward together. Our movement, which began as the Feast of Love, will now be known as the “Open Table Cooperative.”
From early on in our renaming process the phrase “Open Table” has captured our hope for being a community modeled after the welcoming ways of Jesus. We invite all who wish to join us to gather around the table of God’s new kin-dom as together we seek more justice, more love, and more peace in our lives and in the world. Open Table continues to point towards the practices of Love Feast and communion which shape our identity as part of the Church of the Brethren.
But we’re more than just an open table to gather around. Since our beginning we’ve been a collaborative, participant-driven movement, spread out across the country but seeking to network and connect in new and empowering ways. “Cooperative” serves to describe both the way we intend to organize ourselves and the nature of our work together. It reflects our inclusivity, openness, and energy in a way few other words can. The success of the Open Table Cooperative will depend upon the active participation, support, and cooperation of all involved.
As we look toward the future, the Open Table Co-op will be rolling out some new ways for you and your friends to connect with us and with each other. Our new web address, www.opentablecoop.org, is already online, and our website will soon reflect our new name. We’re also working on promotional materials, a larger social media presence, and getting the pieces in place so we can start drawing upon more of your abilities, passions, and ideas.
Together, we are claiming the best of our heritage, creating new opportunities for connection and fellowship, following the Spirit’s guidance and grace, and continuing Jesus’ work to grow the feast of peace, justice, and love for all. Thanks for being a part of this exciting movement of God!
Tagged with: Name
Discerning Our Name
The first order of business for our new Leadership Board is to finalize what we will call ourselves. “Feast of Love” has served us well thus far as a name to gather under. However, we’ve heard back from quite a few of you that this name doesn’t really connect with you, that it’s too peculiar, or too suggestive.
Since we’re committed to being a cooperative, collaborative movement, we need your input as we prepare to make this decision. Over the past few months we’ve been collecting and brainstorming ideas for a different name through email, Facebook, and our website. We’ve narrowed these down to four choices:
- Feast of Love
- Feast of the Beloved
- Open Table Fellowship
- Gathered in Love
We want your help in choosing a name that reflects our vision, mission, and identity as Brethren coming together to promote, empower, and share the bold, visionary, inclusive love of Jesus.
Head over to the poll on our feedback page to indicate which name you think is best, or respond on Facebook or via email. We’ll be making the final decision on our evening conference call March 31st, so don’t delay!
Tagged with: Name
Leadership Board Announced
Last October, the Feast of Love Interim Organizational Team was tasked with creating an initial vision, mission, and organizational structure, along with the important responsibility of lining up the next phase of leadership for our emerging movement.
At the culmination of a calling process filled with much prayer and discernment, we are excited to announce our new Leadership Board:
Kathy Fry-Miller – North Manchester, IN
Josih Hostettler – La Verne, CA
Aaron Ross – Bethel, PA
Katy Rother – Alexandria, VA
Ken Kline Smeltzer – Boalsburg, PA
Elizabeth Ullery – Olympia, WA
Your input and nominations were critical to drawing together a diverse, enthusiastic group of leaders to help lead us into the future. You may notice that one position remains open on our 7-member board. This space has been left for the board to discern if there is someone with a specific gift or talent we’re in need of as we move forward.
Our new board members have already begun joining the Interim Team’s weekly conference calls and are quickly taking on active roles in planning and decision-making.
In addition to the two Interim Team members that are continuing on the Leadership Board (Elizabeth and Josih) the other three of us are committed to working alongside the new board in a transitional period between now and Annual Conference. After Conference, Gimbiya will continue to help with planning for this fall’s Progressive Brethren Gathering and Matt will continue to volunteer as a communications specialist.
Tagged with: Leadership
