Come to our Juneteenth Benefit Dinner Sat. June 16; and other upcoming events in Turley Area

Hi all. This week we have many exciting events and partnership news and a link to my recent lecture in the Dallas area this past Saturday.

First, thanks to volunteers who helped us give out three tons of food in one hour this past Thursday morning; come volunteer any Tuesday or Friday morning from 9:30 am to noon at our food pantry days at the Welcome Table Community Center, 5920 N. Owasso Ave....And thanks to those who walked with us in the recent Tulsa Gay Pride Parade, carrying our banner and letting all know that we welcome all here in the 74126 and northside area....

1. This Saturday June 16 from 5 to 7 pm come to the Odd Fellows Lodge at 6227 N. Quincy Ave. to help us celebrate Juneteenth with a Soup Smorgasborg to raise funds for our northside renewal efforts, particularly for our kitchengardenpark and orchard and food pantry and environmental justice events. Suggested donation is $5 per adult minimum and children under ten eat for free. If you have wanted to find a fun way to help support our mission, and enact it at the same time by breaking bread together and lifting up our multi-ethnic future, come to this event. And bring a friend.

2. Tomorrow afternoon we are pleased to host a class from Phillips Theological Seminary to discuss social ethics in the community on the ground, and how it can help grow communities and lives of soul and service.

3. Wednesday I will be meeting with the director of the Tulsa Health Department to go over future projects together, to celebrate what we have done together in the past, and to grow our ties with the coming of the North Regional Wellness Center to our neighborhood.

4. Also Wednesday, June 13, 6:30 pm join us for free meal and spiritual and missional movie Vision, based on the life of the medieval mystic, community leader, breaker of expectations and set roles, artist, Hildegard of Bingen. RSVP if you can for the meal, but come for sure to the Center, 5920 N. Owasso Ave.

5. My lecture this past weekend in Dallas on community renewal, trends in American culture and religion, and the missional church, One Mission, Many Communities: What the Post-Congregational World Requires of Us can be read and shared at http://www.missionalprogressives.blogspot.com/2012/06/one-mission-many-communities-what-post.html

6. Our northside community kitchengardenpark and orchard is making huge leaps forward. We recently put up the new fence (not to keep anyone out, but to help slow down the little ones who are inside and keep them safe) and are continuing to now move into second phase of the project, constructing the social areas and working on grants for the kitchen/shelter/greenhouse/rainwatercollection and for the many community art projects we want to have at this site which overlooks downtown Tulsa and our beautiful area. Let community artists know we want to provide them an outside gallery. Stay tuned for more updates. We gather at the garden to harvest for the food pantry and to meet neighbors on Monday and Thursday evenings at 6 pm and on Saturdays at 8 am. Thanks to Hope Unitarian Church volunteers who worked all morning and then ate with us during lunch.

7. This Sunday for Fathers' Day our worship gathering will start at the Center at 9:30 am with a study of the parable of the prodigal family and then watching and discussing the movie Parenthood and its lessons for communities and lives, followed by communion and a common meal.

8. I will be gone the rest of the month, just about, to Phoenix to represent the Christian Fellowship at our UUA General Assembly. For more on us see www.uuchristian.org. We are also now selling online our Revival DVDs from the event this past March featuring feminist authors and professors and speakers, Dr. Amy Oden of Wesley Theological Seminary, Dr. Mary E. Hunt of the Women's Alliance For Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, and Margaret Starbird, best selling author of books on Mary Magdalene; and CDs of our many worship services featuring communion, prayer and healing, and opening and closing worship. All for just $30 for a set of six DVDs. You may also order yours by email by replying to me via email.

9. Remind you to support our partners the North Tulsa Farmers Market on Tuesdays 9 am to 2 pm at the Northeast Campus of Tulsa Community College Apache and Harvard, and on Saturday mornings at the Newsome Community Farms on 56th St. N. just west of Highway 75...Our condolensces to Board Member Elaine McDondle on the loss of her sister...We had a good interview by Channel Six this past Thursday at our food giveaway event and it should be a part of a series they are doing on food for hungry children in our town. It may be a part of coverage of the new community garden at the Jewish Federation building on 71st Street tomorrow in south Tulsa. Also great to hear of the progress on the community garden at the Dept. of Human Services building on North Peoria also.

10. Don't Forget the next Turley Area TownHall will be held on Tuesday June 26 at 7 pm at O'Brien Park recreation center; give back to community and hear about issues and connect with local officials. Also that is Election Day. Remember the freedom we have based on lives lost and rights fought for.