A little silence does not mean inaction!

We've been quiet lately -- a sign a bit of our current state of busyness.  Two things I (Valerie) have been spending a lot of time on lately are our Community Meal's Sweet 16 celebration and heading up another yarn bomb to somewhat coincide with the Sweet 16.

For those who are not immediately familiar with what our church refers to as the "Community Meal," this is a brief description of how it works:  The last Thursday of every month, we invite anyone and everyone to come share a meal in the church hall.  From a church perspective, it's an opportunity to show hospitality -- to neighbours, strangers, foreigners, and friends.  It's also a chance to strengthen social capital between various groups who might not otherwise connect on a personal level.  From a resident's perspective, it gives the chance to have a safe space to eat a very cheap meal (a suggested £2/$3 donation.)

It is by no means perfect:  for some, there is a longing for a broader diversity; for others, there is the desire to see the marginalised who do come to be welcomed more fully into the meal. 

Also a display of our hodgepodge Hackney nature is our little yarn bomb outside the church.  Pieces gathered from about 10 people in our church, with another 10 who helped put it all together, either by showing up at Knit-Ins (and providing moral support) or stitching together all of the pieces.  We have one more piece to put up (red!) and then our yarn bomb will be complete.  And I am ready for it to be so. :)

Getting in line at Community Meal

Encouraging the youth to get involved with yarn bombing at a Community Meal

One of our church youth serving a church Elder

In the holding cell

James joined us at one of our Knit-Ins

Sewing it all together at church

Installing!

 

Coffee and Textiles.

We - Justin especially - enjoyed a morning outing with Dieudonné, visiting from Burundi with his work for Street Action.  The trip took us to the Espresso Room, where we all humbly suffered through some truly fantastic drinks as part of Dieudonné's research for a café that the organisation is working towards.  Justin could certainly wax eloquent about the fruity hints and caramel notes, but I'm just here to post a few pictures.






Meanwhile, back at the ranch (i.e. Community House), I'm focusing on the upcoming yarn bomb that will be in connection with the neighbourhood's annual festival later this month.  Tomorrow is the first of three knit-ins at a pub down the street, and I'm expecting a mad success...though it sounds like there may be more drinkers than knitters.  But hey, community spirit isn't built by exclusion.  :)

I am ready to have my drawer empty.  A tip of the hat to Romans 8:22 -- the drawer is groaning in the labour pains of an upcoming yarn bomb...as are, occasionally, my shoulders.

Going for a rainbow theme...Can you tell?

Time together vs. time apart

Justin's out for the weekend at a festival.  We had to buy a second tube of toothpaste to accommodate this unheard of separation.  That's right -- this is the longest separation we've had since we arrived in London more than 6 months ago. 

We've gone from one extreme in our marriage to another, it seems.  Two weeks after we got married, I flew off for 6 weeks to lead a couple international service groups.  About a year and a half later, I moved to Pittsburgh to try my compatibility with grad school, while Justin stayed in Lancaster.  Last year, Justin went off on the Appalachian Trail for almost a month while I stayed home and worked.  We've a history of enjoying our independence from one another.

So, really, to go these 6 long months without even a thread of hope of getting space AND surviving nonetheless?  Miraculous.  In fact, we were recently reflecting on exactly how much time we've been spending together over the last months since moving here, and the fact that also share our living space with several others.  We're pleasantly surprised that we've managed, and even, for the most part, enjoyed spending a lot more time together.  Let's hope it lasts! :)

Photo courtesy of James Krabill

Picture post!

Speaking of...

A few pictures from our day out and about, specifically at the Geffrye Museum.  Loved being outside, in a garden, on a beautiful day.  Click on individual pictures for larger versions!

A "knotte" garden -- interwoven lines of plants.

The "potte" they speak of refers to veggies and herbs.  Though we're sure other types of "potte" may be grown for profit.

Quintessential Crazy English Garden.

Patriotic Flower Beds -- not only in the U.S.!

The caption for this piece of art by Charles West Cope reads:  "This young mother is depicted as the Victorian ideal -- surrounded by her well-behaved children, she is usefully employed in the economical task of knitting socks."  Can we recreate this, but with references to well-behaved dogs and yarn bombing?

Blessed pollinators in action!

Our Evolutionary Plans

Sharing a few thoughts that came to me as I watched ants truck around the Quiet Garden on Saturday, responding to their biological drive to survive....

Justin and I do not feel a biological need to reproduce our own offspring.  In fact, that was one of the very first things we bonded over shortly before beginning our romantic relationship.  We are very comfortable with our desire not to have children, and don't feel threatened by (nor try to impose our convictions upon) others who choose different paths.

We do, perhaps, still feel a drive to be present in the story of creation and evolution -- of "making the world a better place."  Our ideas for how to do that typically rest in a horticultural scene, with an emphasis on encouraging new life and growth in the way of plants, including fruit, vegetables, flowers, trees, etc.  We want one of our marks on this Earth to be one of improving the soil, providing a respite for others, and providing and/or growing a diverse array of food that addresses and promotes equality for people, animals, and the Earth.

Some of you know that we've long had on our hearts the practice of considering, "what is ours to do?" And we often come up with ideas of cooperative business centring on food and hospitality.  These ideas and dreams are our "babies," so to speak, and what we spend time doing and talking about.  We want to give our lives -- not necessarily raising a biological family -- but to birthing systems of equality, nurturing physical, emotional and spiritual health for all God's creatures, and investing our time in bringing those to the table who might otherwise go without.

As goes the common saying, we want to leave this beautiful creation in better shape than we found it. We know many others are also on this path, in various and unique ways, and that gives great strength for the journey.

Six Month Review

I'm reminded of an old joke my father would say at lunchtime on Saturdays, when all the leftovers from the week were pulled out of the fridge in hopes they would disappear.  He used to call this the "Mennonite Weekly Review," which is only funny to Mennonites, specifically those who are familiar with the publication, Mennonite Weekly Review.

As we approach our six-month anniversary of our time here, we're taking on the task of writing up a few reviews of our work here thus far, and it's a similar feeling to that of looking at the table on Saturdays and noon and considering, "What was good the first time around, what do I want to calorically invest in again, and will I be able to avoid this or that (normally green beans for me, as a child.)"  (Note:  I love that life can be compared to food.)

It's the same for most of us, I suppose.  We know what sorts of things we gladly give our time and energy to, what we're willing to do (though perhaps ambivalent towards), and what we'd really rather not do.  We are not so different, in being voluntary service workers, though perhaps there's a servant complex from time to time.

In other news, summer has finally hit England, and the schools are out for their summer holidays until the end of August.  It feels to us a little like a chance to catch our breath before the craziness of September ensues.  Justin is enjoying biking around a good bit more, and I am frantically knitting in preparation for a yarn bombing in September.

Some apologies for not writing incredibly frequently -- my blogging has matured, perhaps, since my early days when I first started just out of university.  Or, maybe, I hold my thoughts a little closer than I used to...Or, maybe Justin gets to hear them all and negates my need to process by writing. :)  (Count your blessings?)

"Practical" Worship, as an "alternative" view to "Alternative" Worship.

Taking faith to the street, we set out walking a few Sundays ago with Wood Green Mennonite Church.  Once a month, the church takes a break from mostly sedentary worship to consider an active, community-based approach to theology.

We met at a tube stop, nine of us in total.  We said a prayer and headed off down the busy “high street” (main street with shopping, banks, etc.) of Wood Green.  We stopped several times over the next two hours and two and something miles, to read scripture, hear reflections, and to pray, all entwined with the reality of our street presence.

The service finished, and the group set off to a pub for nibbles and a drink.  We chatted some more, sharing stories.

We went home, tired.  Church had worn us out. 

Worship, and its many methods.