nxt7

sunday september 27
sees two exciting events take place.


at 10.00 am in Phillips Square sees the start of the Stop Child Trafficking Walk fundraiser.

then at 5.00 pm we gather in the Undercroft to celebrate God's love for us and to baptise our youngest emerger!

a baptism gives us an opportunity to look at some of the core issues involved in being followers of Jesus. if you come on sunday, and I very much hope you do, you will be asked the question, "Will you...do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?" the "persons" here are not just the one being baptised, but also their parents, and godparents. it is a really good question, and one that is worth taking some time to think about before we blurt out the enthusiastic response, "We will." what may constitute support for these friends now and in the future? what does supporting someone in their life in Christ involve? baptism seems to be very much about setting a direction for life, about a desire to live life in Jesus' distinctive way.

I have a friend for whom alchohol has been a formidable foe. I recognise and support their determination to struggle against its power. and so I attended their celebration of several years of sobriety, it was one way in which I could support them. however inviting them to a pub (ordinarily a perfectly okay thing to do) would probably not have been a supportive act, because it didn't respect their commitment to sobriety. so being supportive includes positive as well as negative elements. doing certain things that would be helpful and not doing other things that would not be helpful. as we think about supporting one another in our life in Christ, we need to consider both forms.

tuesday september 29
hear the silence see below for details

nxt7

last sunday we got into an interesting discussion after watching Rob Bell's nooma video "Corners". monday evening our house smelt wonderful when a few emergers got together to do some bottling of aubergines, can hardly wait to sample the results!

sunday september 20
"celebrate the feast"
we are going to gather in the Undercroft at 5 pm to eat together, as well as celebrate the Lord's Supper together. there'll be live music and wonderful people too! hope you can make it down.

sunday september 27

Stop Child Trafficking WALK!
10am Phillip's Square, Downtown Montreal

Route: St-Catherine and Maisonneuve Street.

Length: The walk will be about 3km long

seren's baptism at 5 pm in the Undercroft, a chance to commit or recommit ourselves to following Jesus

tuesday september 29
“Hear the Silence” with Jamie Howison and Gord Johnson of St. Benedict’s Table, Winnipeg. A meditative liturgy for the evening hour. A time of worship built around music, prayer, readings and stillness. At St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, 4006 boul Dorchester W. (at Atwater), from 7:30 to 9 pm.

nxt7

first week after Labour Day and we are still being taunted by summer weather (where were you in July when we really needed you? sigh!) still it's nice while it lasts. fortunately God's love is not like the weather in that respect, it is predictable and reliable. thing is, how are we going to respond to it?

sunday september 13
this sunday we are going to be at the Undercroft at 5.00 pm to eat together, talk, think, (aided by a movie from Rob Bell), pray. complete with live music, coffee, tea etc. see you there?









monday september 14
bottling with Sue!
contact us for details

nxt7

basically any excuse to have a picture of loons is a good one!
one of the many things I like about loons, apart from their appearance, their cries, etc.) is their unpredictability. when they dive, it is impossible to predict just where they will surface. of course "we shall not live by unpredictability alone..." but in a world that sometimes seems oh-so-predictable, it's great to be surprised by a splash of water and a growing ripple from an unexpected direction!

sunday september 6
no gathering at the Undercroft this week, instead you are invited up to Nick & Su's cabin in the woods. the idea is to arrive mid-morning, enjoy the delights of the Laurentians, help us furnish & eat a barbeque, and return to the city in the evening! sounds good? you need to let us know if you are coming. so email me at the address on the right asap.

happy Labour Day!

Defibrulator

In the past sometimes a song which is brought to emerge by the musicians may have meaning or motivation that sparks discussion; this is a great thing. We decided to give a little blurb once in a while on here, about our particular connection with a song we've brought to emerge.

Here is a link to my blurb about Lanois' The Maker.

This time I wanted to mention the song "There is a kingdom" by Nick Cave.

Catou actually asked us to play it for Daphne's christening and although we couldn't learn it in time it has become a favorite.

Just like a bird that sings up the sun
In a dawn so very dark
Such is my faith for you
Such is my faith
And all the world's darkness can't swallow up
A single spark
Such is my love for you
Such is my love

There is a kingdom
There is a king
And he lives without
And he lives within

The starry heavens above me
The moral law within
So the world appears
So the world appears
This day so sweet
It will never come again
So the world appears
Through this mist of tears

There is a kingdom
There is a king
And he lives within
And he is everything

It's unusual to me to have such a simple declaration of faith presented in such original and beautiful wording. The musical arrangement is similarly dead simple yet lush and memorable. In a rare Cave song that doesn't involve cathartic violence of some sort, (not your everyday contemplative sing-a-long), this is to me one of the most easily singable yet profound and moving songs to do as a group. Thanks Catou!

nxt7

with descending temperatures it really feels that this year's version of "summer" is quickly coming to a close, not that I am trying to hasten it's demise of course. I am a big fan of summer after all! people have been travelling to exotic places, renewing friendships , meeting new family members, or just dodging the storms. the emerge community has spent a lot of time away from the Undercroft in the past few months, flying kites at the Old Port, picnicing & discussing scripture on the McGill field, celebrating the feast on Mont Royal, meeting in "house churches", and serving supper at the Old Brewery Mission!

sunday august 30
as some of us head back to school ( some people just can't get enough!) we head back to the Undercroft this sunday for a "welcome back corn roast!" to say farewell to summer and hello again to one another. a good time to catch up on one another's summers and what's been happening. so 5.00 pm is the time, bring yourself and maybe a friend. we'll provide the corn, butter, napkins, drinks, and hopefully some live music!

nxt7

sunday august 23

no gathering at the Undercroft again this sunday. one of the things we wanted to try out this summer was to try meeting in three different homes as "house churches" on the same sunday, but at different times, in different parts of the city. so tomorrow we will all be interacting with Acts 2.41-47, looking for similarities and differences between the first community of 1st century followers of Jesus, and us. so taking a look at the passage before you meet would really help! contact us at the address to the right to find the "house church" nearest you.

nxt7

sunday august 16
a bunch of emergers will be helping to serve supper to over 300 hungry people at the Old Brewery Mission. We will meet at 4.15 pm at metro Place d'Armes, St. Urbain Street exit, and walk over to the OBM at 915 Clark & St. Antoine. It would be great if you could make it, they even give us supper with the volunteers and staff after we serve the others! It's usually finished by 6.30 pm so you still have your evening.

update! four emergers helped serve over three hundred people with a meal!

God gave as a break after all!!

Kite flying
"God opened the sky with a shining sun and a perfect breeze. A beautiful evening for flying KITES"

nxt7

sunday august 2nd
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Jesus in John 3.8. TNIV

« Le vent souffle où il veut, tu en entends le bruit, mais tu ne sais ni d'où il vient ni où il va. Il en est ainsi pour quiconque est né de l'Esprit. » Jésus dans Jean 3:8 (La Bible du Semeur)

Change of plan!
ride the wind! it's raining again so meet at the Undercroft, to eat, talk, catch up. bring friends and family to join in the fun. Bring food to share and enjoy

sunday august 9
"diving into..."
meet 5.00pm at the Undercroft or 5.30 pm at the McGill field to eat, talk, pray and discuss a juicy piece of scripture together, under a open sky! bring some food to eat & share.