ReImagine

For me, the liminality of autumn, more than any season, triggers delicious nostalgia and strange hope. Something about the chill in the air and the shortening of days evokes the temporality of life and the fullness of time. It is a season of harvest energy.

In early September nearly 30 people crowded into our Mission District house to explore and connect around what ReIMAGINE is up to. And on September 15th we began The ABOLITION PROJECT, which includes community outreach work with S.A.G.E. in San Francisco neighborhoods where trafficking is known to occur. You can read my reflection about recent Experiences in Brothels and Strip Clubs. Here:
http://www.markscandrette.com/2009/10/01/the-connection-between-human-trafficking-and-sexuality/

We invite you to consider participating in our public events for October and November. Please let us know that you plan on attending by registering at eventbrite.com

Shalom,

–Mark  Scandrette

Founder & Executive Director of ReIMAGINE!

Author of SOUL GRAFFITI: Making A Life in the Way of Jesus
The ABOLITION Project fundraising art event.
October 23rd 6:30-9:30 P.M.
http://abolitionartevent.eventbrite.com/

This evening is the culmination of a six-week human rights advocacy project, and includes an art installation, spoken word performance, live music and film that chronicles the journey towards ABOLITION and invites you to come along.  Drinks & light refreshments provided. $5 cover with more opportunities to give. All proceeds to benefit the local work of The S.A.G.E. (Standing Against Global Exploitations) and the international work of The SOLD Project.

Living Stories: A Theological Soirée with Dr. Daniel Kirk, hosted by Mark Scandrette
Monday October 26th, 7-9:30 P.M.
http://livingstories.eventbrite.com/
Free

At its worst, theology is an ivory tower discipline for the over-educated. At its best, good scholarship and theology can inform and inspire vibrant living communities of love and faith. With this soirée we hope to create an interactive space where a generative conversation can occur between theologians and practitioners.  Join us and bring a bottle of wine or a party snack to share.

Daniel Kirk is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Fuller Seminary Northern California. He and his family forsook their east coast roots last summer in favor of the San Francisco fog and the Fuller faculty. His book Unlocking Romans: Resurrection and the Justification of God explores how Jesus’ resurrection leads Paul to creatively reimagine what it means to be the faithful people of God, and what it means for God to be faithful to that people. Daniel strives to be an agent of new creation through creative exercise of the spiritual gift of sarcasm, loving care for his wife and kids, witty posts on Twitter and Facebook, and brewing of exceptionally good beer.

The Jesus Dojo: A Path to Action Community and Change
How to start your own Jesus-inspired  group experiments
October 29th 6:30-9:30 P.M.
http://jesusdojo.eventbrite.com/
$15-$40 (sliding scale)

So many of us want to live in the Way of Jesus—pursuing a life that is deeply soulful, connected to our real needs and good news to our world.  Yet so often our methods of spiritual formation are individualistic, information driven or disconnected from every day life. We are simply not experiencing the kind of transformation that is the historically expected result of the Christ phenomenon. Perhaps what we need is a Jesus Dojo—a path for growth that is more like a karate studio than a college lecture hall. If you are intrigued by Reimagine’s experimental approach to formation and community life, come to this one night training event to learn how you can create you own Jesus-Dojo.

SIMPLIFY: A life planning and money management workshop
Finding a Path Toward Greater Freedom & Creativity(In an era of scarcity and greed)

http://simplify09.eventbrite.com/
Tuesday November 3, 6:30-9:30 P.M. Tuesday Nov. 10-Dec. 1, 7-9 P.M.
$50-$100 Sliding scale (Workshop & Learning Lab– recommended)
$10-$20 Sliding scale (Workshop only)
(scholarships available upon request. Contact info@reimagine.org)

With the rising costs of basic necessities and the uncertainty of our current economy, many of us feel challenged to live within our means and pursue our dreams. At the same time, we are increasingly aware of the disproportionate privilege we possess in comparison with the world’s majority. What does it mean live justly and sustainably in a culture of prosperity and materialism?  How can we apply the radical economic teachings of Jesus to our current life context?

Through this three hour workshop we will examine what Jesus taught about time, money and possessions and explore how we might translate important themes into life practices:  Abundance, Gratefulness, Contentment, Trust, Generosity, Simplicity & frugality. Whether you tend to spend too much and find yourself in debt, or you are thrifty and obsessive about saving, this workshop has something to offer because we all have something to learn about radical contentment and generosity!

RETURN to the Sacred Heart.
A weekend experience of contemplative prayer and loving action
http://return.eventbrite.com/
November 13-15 Begins at 7:30 P.M. Friday and concludes at 12 P.M. Sunday
$75-$150 sliding scale (includes five meals, instruction and simple accommodations)

There are two places where our hearts may find God: in the stillness and brokenness of prayer and through friendship with “the least of these.”  The tradition of the ancient scriptures recognizes the inseparable connection between contemplation and compassionate action. Jesus embodied the reality of the “sacred heart” through his life and teachings.  This unique weekend “retreat” experiences combines periods of contemplative prayer and with meals shared with homeless friends finding belonging at Dorothy’s Place, a Franciscan Worker Community in Salinas California.  Facilitated by Mark Scandrette, founder and director of ReIMAGINE! San Francisco and Rev. Shinko Rick Slone, Zen teacher, loving disciple of Jesus and community member in The Companions of the Way.

My apologies for the somewhat raw, visceral and melodramatic nature of this reflection on my experience in week two of The ABOLITION PROJECT: Last Tuesday workers from S.A.G.E. (Standing Against Global Exploitation) spoke at our ABOLITION Project meeting about their work supporting victims of human  trafficking in San Francisco. I learned that 43% of traffickingread more

Bay Area people, If you have been curious about ReIMAGINE and how you can get involved, join us for a casual party with drinks and light faire next Thursday September 10th from 7-9 p.m. Meet some of the people involved and hear a bit about our approach to community and spiritual development.  Let us knowread more

Make me an agent of your healing and justice To weep with those who suffer To speak for my sisters and brothers whose voices cannot be heard I join the struggle of love’s triumph over greed Spending myself for the captive Praying that more liberators will be sent until every slave is free. Sign upread more

Several years ago during a discussion in one of our Learning Labs, Sarah told us that she grew up in a very “conservative” family. I found this description interesting because I knew that her father had divorced and remarried several times and, in her words, subsisted  “on martinis and cigars.” What she meant is that her father had “conservative” political and economic views and enjoyed AM talk radio and conspiracy theories. This was very different than the kind of “conservative” in the family where I grew up.  My parents were morally “conservative,”  deeply religious and largely apolitical. They cared about global poverty and justice, personal piety and most of all, having a personal relationship with Jesus. Sarah and I used the same word to describe two very different realities.  If our parents ever met they would probably struggle to find much in common.

At a recent dinner party with good friends the conversation abruptly shifted when one of us used a derogatory label to describe someone from their family. The person had been misunderstood and hurt by a person they described as a “Southern Redneck.” I believe that the ways we often use language to describe other people are largely unhelpful. Most people don’t easily fit into the labels that are used to describe them. I know “liberal” people who are deeply committed to fidelity in marriage and “conservative” people who have repeatedly committed adultery. I know “traditional” people who care for the poor and oppressed and “progressives” who talk about compassion but don’t show it by their actions. I know “Christians” who live in fear and hardly pray and agnostics who pray earnestly every day.  The labels we use conjure up images and prejudices in each other’s minds prepare us to react to people in ways that aren’t true to who they really are.

From my vantage point, the “culture wars” raging in America seem to be fueled by a lack of empathy or understanding for people who are different than us. We don’t all have to agree, but we can learn to conduct our discourse in a ways that are respectful and personal. I might not like the views of a politician or agree with the tenants of a certain religion, but I can learn to speak about people that in a way that is fair and generous.

One of the challenges of my role and location is navigating between many different communities and cultures that don’t necessarily understand one another. I often find myself acting as translator– explaining the experiences of my gay friends to someone opposed to certain legislation– or dispelling misconceptions of Evangelical Christians to a “mainline” or secular person. In some of the groups I work with I am dangerously “progressive,” while among other groups I am considered the token orthodox or “evangelical” Christian. Yet I am often surprised by what I have in common with a conservative Rabbi, a Zen Buddhist, an atheistic naturalist, a gay priest or a zealous Southern Baptist seminary student.

The fact is, no one is as simple as what our first impressions may be.  My neighbor Jeanine is a prime example of this. Jeanine is a lawyer. She is also a native Texan– who grew up in a devoutly observant Jewish household, but currently practices Zen meditation. She is also a lesbian, a vegetarian, an urban bohemian and the mother of an adorable one year old daughter.  Jeanine loves to mountain bike and surf, speaks fluent Spanish, and talks to her mom everyday on the phone. She is a unique and intriguing person that is beyond the sum of her biographical particulars.

When we do react to each other out of our stereotypes, we fail to love one another in the way that God loves each of us. People are people. The example of Christ calls us to see one another with eyes of hope and possibility, curiosity and tenderness– because we are not alone. We belong to one another and to the one who made us.