Praxis UCC

This Monday, Sept. 19th, there will be an interfaith vigil supporting Troy Davis, a Georgia man scheduled to be executed in four days for a crime it’s highly doubtful he committed.  The vigil will be held from 7:30am-2pm in front of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles Office–’Sloppy’ Floyd Building, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE, Atlanta, GA (map).

Praxis UCC gathered last night with thousands of other Georgians for an Atlanta rally in support of stopping the execution of Mr. Davis. A prayer service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King served, was held afterwards.

As Christians, we worship a man who was unjustly executed by the state.  We are also called to walk humbly with a God who embodies justice and love.  Whether you are against the death penalty in general, or for justice to be done in this particular case, we ask you to join us in showing support for Troy and in praying for the family of Officer Mark MacPhail, the victim in the case, as we work for just alternatives to an unwarranted execution and a broken judicial system.  For more info on the case and why there is too much doubt to execute, go here.  To add your name to a 600,000+ signature petition to stop the execution, go here.

Our friend, and member of the Praxis community, Laura aka Lucki devi-dasi is celebrating the opening of her new art show this evening. Her show will feature her eclectic found object paintings, assemblages, collages, and sculptures.

Come join us tonight (August 5) from 7-9pm at Red Wall Studio. 1428 Ponce de Leon N.E. Atlanta. It’s right next to St John’s Lutheran Church where we used to have worship.

To see more samples of her fabulous art check out her web page - Art Outside the Box – here.

I realize this photo is not all that appealing (curse you, bad lighting!).  But trust me, friends, this was one tasty dinner.

We hand-rolled 100+ bean and cheese enchiladas Friday night for the guys at the local men’s shelter, cooked up a big pot of Mexican rice, and collaborated on a salad (thanks Marvin!).  Then we cleverly forgot to take pictures until all was devoured except the last half-pan.

Praxis is reading a book together!  Join us NEXT week on Thursday, June 30, for our first gathering to explore Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical–check out your copy at the library, or buy one online (used or new) or at a local independent bookstore.  We’ll meet for dinner at 6:30 (bring a dish to share!) followed by discussion at 7:30 at Chris and Leah’s place, 1093D N. Jamestown Rd.  Our first gathering will focus on the first chapter of the book, and we’ll meet for five Thursdays ending on August 4th.
Come out and join us for thought- and faith-provoking conversation, good food, and great fellowship!  All are welcome!

Synopsis of Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we’ve made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. Shane’s faith led him to dress the wounds of lepers with Mother Teresa, visit families in Iraq amidst bombings, and dump $10,000 in coins and bills on Wall Street to redistribute wealth. Shane lives out this revolution each day in his local neighborhood, an impoverished community in North Philadelphia, by living among the homeless, helping local kids with homework, and ‘practicing resurrection’ in the forgotten places of our world. Shane’s message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable . . . but will also invite us into an irresistible revolution. His is a vision for ordinary radicals ready to change the world with little acts of love.

Our next worship features guest speaker Matthew Works. Matthew is an artist, writer, itinerant preacher, and activist who has spent the last fourteen years living on the streets, making art and speaking prophetically about the church’s relationship with the homeless. His art and stories have been featured in exhibits, on public radio, and in the book God’s Politics by Jim Wallis.

On a personal note, I’m really excited to see Matthew again. He is one of those people who radiate the love of God even amidst the chaos and challenges of life. I don’t think I’ve met another person who so easily connects with people from every walk of life. I marvel at how easily he makes others feel at home, even as he’s speaking prophetic works about being homeless.

Children’s church programming and childcare is provided for children age 8 and younger during the service. Following worship, join us for a community meal with good food and further conversation.

If you’re living near Atlanta, come join us on February 20 at 5:30pm. You won’t want to miss it.

We really enjoyed putting together a pickup choir for our service on November 21!  Thanks to everyone who joined us for this experimental gathering in the hour before worship. We’ll do more of this starting in January. Here’s video of the choir singing “Pictures of Jesus” by Ben Harper. Enjoy!

Pictures of Jesus – Our Pickup Choir from Praxis UCC on Vimeo.

Hello all,
We’d like to invite you to participate in Praxis’ first-ever “Instant Choir”! What is Instant Choir, you might ask? You show up about an hour before the service, we learn a song together, and then we sing it during worship. It’s easy, it’s fun, and there’s no mid-week commitment. We think of it as a great way to get more folks involved in the service and to try out having a choir as part of worship.
So if you are a singer, a would-be singer, or just want to have fun making music, please email Leah ASAP and let her know you are interested. We will meet at 4:15pm on Sunday, Nov. 21st (one week from tomorrow), and sing at the Praxis worship service at 5:30.
Come one, come all! Make a joyful noise to the Lord!

blessings,
Leah and Chris

Last Friday I got word that Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) was planing on protesting the following day at Emory’s production of The Laramie Project.  WBC has made a name for themselves in their protests by preaching that God hates people who are gay, and have targeted those who are already grieving by picketing at funerals, including that of Matthew Shepherd.

Students from Emory and Kennesaw State University organized a counter protest to show support of the play, the GBLTQQ community in Atlanta, and to raise money for Youth Pride.  WBC didn’t show up to protest, which led to the most positive “protest” that I have been a part of.  Believe it or not, WBC decided instead to picket a Bon Jovi concert.  I guess “Livin’ On A Prayer” isn’t Godly enough.

I decided to write this open letter to WBC expressing my thanks for their press release, which provided a wonderful opportunity for a love filled gathering that evening.

An Open Letter to Westboro Baptist Church:

Dear Fred Phelps and the members of Westboro Baptist Church,

I wanted to thank you for sending the press release saying that you would be protesting at Emory’s production of The Laramie Project on April 17.  As the result of your planned protest, a number of students from both Emory University and Kennesaw State gathered to show support of the play as well as for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, and intersex communities here in the Atlanta area.  Many of these students came from Candler School of Theology, which trains hundreds of ministers each year from a wide variety of denominations including the Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, American Baptist Churches, and the United Church of Christ.

The students from Candler mobilized to raise money for Youth Pride and were privileged to collect $275 from those in attendance. Youth Pride is an organization that supports LGBTQQ youth and young adults by providing a safe space for social gatherings, workshops, education, discussion groups, and exploring career opportunities.

I became aware of this event when I was asked by the students of Candler to lead communion for those in attendance.  I was happy to celebrate the sacrament of the church, a manifestation of the unity that we have in Christ and out of Jesus’ love for all  of us, however we are made.  Through the greatest commandment, Christ reminds us to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  It was a joy to see this lived out through the act of communion shared with those in attendance.

I want to thank you for launching this event of affirmation through your press release.  Though you did not arrive at the theatre for the play, we had a really wonderful turn out.  The theatre was filled to capacity for the production, people lined the entire front of the building to sing and worship, and passersby honked in support.  It’s rare that so many people gather in one space to be a voice for positivity and love.

May God continue to expand and transform your endeavors into blessings.  In Christ’s love,

Rev. Chris Lyman Waldron

*photo by Leah Lyman Waldron