Theology on Tap: Week 3

Week 3 of Theology on Tap (This year's theme: "Jesus, Justice, and Mercy: Voices of Christians in Service") is tonight. Our speaker is Derrick Weston, of the Pittsburgh Project, a non-profit community development organization on Pittsburgh's North Side.

As always, come and hear a great speaker and have good conversations about life, faith, etc. Good beer, great Greek food, and half-price appetizers!

Details for Theology on Tap:
Date: TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 28
Time: 6:30-8:30 PM
Location: Little Athens (518 Locust Place, up the street from Starbucks in Sewickley)
Parking: Option 1: Park for free at the church (corner of Walnut and Frederick Sts) and walk to Little Athens. Option 2: On-street parking on Beaver St. or Locust Place (meters are free after 5 pm).
Childcare: Available free at St. Stephen’s. Please drop your children off between 6:15 and 6:30 pm. Go in the main entrance of the church and turn right to enter the nursery wing. You will need to register and provide a cell phone number so we can reach you if necessary. Please pick up your kids by 8:45 PM.

Please know that all are welcome, from whatever religious background. Do feel free to invite friends.

Theology on Tap will continue for one more week after this, meeting Nov 4.

Upcoming Anchor Events:
Nov 11 – Evensong: a service of music and prayer, 7:30-8:30 pm in the St. Stephen’s Sanctuary. Nov 18 – Anchor starts a new series: “I Love Liz Lemon: 30 Rock and Life’s Big Questions.” Meeting at St. Stephen’s from 6:30-8:30. $5 Dinner, free childcare.

Anchor's Service Project for October: Light of Life

Anchor is collecting personal care items to make care bags to deliver to Light of Life, a ministry that serves the homeless population of Allegheny County. Anchor is asking the whole church for donations of the following new items:

• wash cloths
• bars of soap
• nail clippers
• toothbrushes
• large packs of chewing gum
• travel size deodorants
• lip balm
• travel-size bottles of shampoo

Please place all donations in box labeled "ANCHOR" located under the staff mailboxes in the church office. You may also bring monetary donations to the receptionist at the church office (checks payable to St. Stephen's with "Anchor Cares" in the memo line) and we will do the shopping for you! Questions? Contact Aaron Zimmerman at the church or Katie Lau at kdka_14@hotmail.com.

Theology on Tap is Back!

Theology on Tap is a four-week series where young adults meet to talk about faith and life, have a pint, think deep thoughts, and meet great people. We’ll meet at Little Athens in Sewickley at 6:30 PM beginning Weds, Oct 14. Grab a bite and a brew (on your own dime--but we arranged for half-price appetizers!) and then we'll listen to a great speaker each week.

This year’s theme is “Jesus, Justice, and Mercy: Voices of Christians in Service.” Sometimes people say Christians “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk.” We’ve invited some great speakers who do both through their work in ministering to the poor, the homeless, and the marginalized.

Where's Little Athens? 518 Locust Place, up the street from Starbucks in Sewickley. For a map, click here.

Parking: Option 1: Park for free at the church and walk to Little Athens. Option 2: On-street parking on Beaver St., Locust Place, or Centennial Ave. (Note: All the meters are free after 5 pm)

Need childcare? Free childcare is provided at St. Stephen's. Please drop your children off at 6:15 so you are able to make it to Theology on Tap on time. Go in the main entrance of the church and turn right to enter the nursery wing. You will need to register and provide a cell phone number so we can reach you if necessary. Please pick up your kids by 8:45 PM.

• Week 1--Oct 14: Michael Sider-Rose, PhD, Director of Youth Leadership Programs and Customized Leadership Development, Coro Center for Civic Leadership
• Week 2--Oct 21: The Rev. Mark Hall, Shepherd's Heart Fellowship
  
• Week 3--Oct 28: Derrick Weston, Mission Advancement Manager, The Pittsburgh Project
• Week 4--Nov 4: Andrew Dausman, Site Manager, Pittsburgh Distribution Center, World Vision

Evensong

It has been said that worship is about having our sanity restored and getting in touch with Reality. In that spirit, Anchor would like to invite the entire St. Stephen’s family (and friends) of all ages (this even is not just for young adults!) to Evensong, a new service of prayer and praise, on Weds, Oct 7, at 7:30 PM, in the Sanctuary. Come join us as we sing songs that remind us of that place where, as the Prayer Book says, “true joys are to be found.”




And what’s the meaning of the name? Evensong is simply the traditional Anglican term for Evening Prayer.

Free childcare will be provided in the nursery wing.

ASHTON WAS WRONG

After our fall kickoff on Sept 17 (see below), our regular Wednesday night gatherings begin on Sept 23 with a two-part series called "Ashton Was Wrong: Jesus Is Not Your Homeboy."

What is this series all about? I'm not trying to pick on the step-dad of Bruce Willis' kids. But I do think Mr. Kutcher is an interesting "case study" of a contemporary young adult. And a few years ago, I was struck by the photo of him wearing the t-shirt at right, reading "Jesus is my homeboy."

In this series, I want to talk about this common idea of Jesus as our buddy, a laid-back dude. (Think about Will Ferrell's hilarious and brilliant prayer to "dear tiny Baby Jesus, with golden fleece diapers" and his "baby Jesus powers" in Talladega Nights, or go back to the very groovy Doobie Brothers' "Jesus Is Just Alright With Me.") In contrast to this view of Jesus, I want to look at who he really is and how he works in our lives.

In my conversations with young adults (and as one myself), I find a lot of people are confused, lonely, guilty, and making lots of choices that leave them feeling pretty bad in the morning. And in light of this, it's pretty clear to me that we need more than a Divine Homeboy. And in the Bible, Jesus certainly offers a lot more.

So what's this series about? Essentially, for people going through their 20s and 30s, I'm trying to answer the question: How does Jesus work in our lives? As always, my hope is to be real, honest, funny, and to ultimately give some good news.

Our series begins Weds, Sept 23, at 6:30 pm in Grace Commons at St. Stephen's Church.

Our Fall Events

Fall is here, and Anchor is rarin' to go. We’ve got some great events planned and I’m really excited to see everyone, meet new folks, and reconnect. I’ve been encouraged by the many people who have been asking me, “When is Anchor starting again?” Well, here we go:

Sep 17 Kickoff Party: Season Premier of The Office. Continue an Anchor tradition! Join us on Sept 17 at 8 pm in the Henning House (3rd fl.) for first episode of Season 6 on our big screen. Snacks, cool people, and more Dwight Schrute. Don’t miss it.

Sep 23 & 30 “Ashton Was Wrong: Jesus Is Not Your Homeboy”: A two-part series on the Christian life for young adults. Week 1: “Narcissism Kills.” Week 2: “Jesus Failed and So Can You.” Sep 23 & 30, 6:30-8:30pm. Dinner for $7, free childcare.

Oct 14-Nov 4 Theology on Tap: “Jesus, Justice, and Mercy: Voices of Christians in Service”: Theology on Tap is a series where we meet in a local bar, invite great speakers, and have stimulating conversation about the intersection of faith and life. We’ll meet Wednesdays, Oct 14-Nov 4. This series will focus on Christians in ministries of service and social justice. Time and location TBD.

Nov 18-Dec 9 “I Love Liz Lemon: 30 Rock and Life’s Big Questions”: A dinner-and-discussion series on TV’s (arguably) funniest show. Nov 18- Dec 9 on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30pm in Grace Commons. $7 for dinner, free childcare.

In addition to all this stuff, we’ll continue to offer small groups (see below), as well as lots of other stuff in the works: service projects, parties, and a spring retreat.

As always, if there’s an event you’d like to have, or an issue you’d like to see us address, let me know. Anchor is for you, so if it needs to change, let me know.

Anchor Small Groups

The Bible says it, the Dread Pirate Roberts confirms it, experience demonstrates it, and even Buddhists affirm it:

Life is hard.

It's especially hard when you go through it alone. That's why Anchor has small groups of men and women that meet once a week to provide the community and friendship that we all need.

What are these groups like? We meet, discuss a book we're reading together, or read a part of the Bible and talk about what it means for our lives, and we pray for each other. It’s a great way to learn more about your faith, to ask questions, and to get to know people better.

Here’s the info on our groups:

Anchor Women’s Small Group

When: Tuesdays at 7 pm beginning September 22

Where: Sarah Bray’s place, 819 Nevin Ave., Sewickley

What: This fall they’re reading the book Unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. Order it here.

Questions? Email Sarah Bray.

Anchor Men’s Small Group

When: Tuesdays at 7 pm beginning September 22

Where: Chris Scharf’s place, 335 Chestnut St - Apt C, Sewickley
(Don't go to the front door. Go up the driveway around the left side of the house for the entrance to Apt C.)

What: This fall they’re reading Tim Keller’s The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Order the book here.

Questions? Email Chris Scharf.