Thanks

Thanks to all the U of A students, Join the Living supporters, and friends who participated in the Learning Party on Saturday. It was a wonderful conversation.

We forgot to take any pictures. The moment is often more compelling than documenting it to me. But the exhibits included a wheelbarrow full of what we are currently planting and growing, corrugated sheet metal full of photos, micro-brew beer boxes for the "taking church out of the box" interactive station and a giant map documenting our travel route.

For taking church out of the box we placed photos and quotes and items inside the micro-brew beer boxes. Each box "held" a church we studied on the tour: The Refuge, Church of the Beloved, Church of the Apostles, SEVEN Community, and Thad's. The micro-brew boxes was a nod to Dave in Flagstaff who describes his church start as more of a micro-brew endeavor than a factory, industrial sort of project.

COMING UP FOR JOIN THE LIVING...

Hiking Church will meet at Sabino Canyon from here on out. Our last Sunday will be May 4. Meet us at 9 am at the welcome map in front of the main center. Let us know if you'd like to carpool.

Soul Lullaby: The final Soul Lullaby of the Easter Season will be Friday, May 2, at sunset which is at 7:06 pm that day. We'll fill the courtyard of St. Andrew's with candles and luminaries. This coming Soul Lullaby will focus on women mystics and the sacred feminine, because several of them are remembered around this time of the year on the church calendar. There will be music, some readings, silence, and time to ease into the weekend. And each Soul Lullaby actually ends with a sung lullaby blessing.

Tour Party & Hiking this weekend

Coming up this weekend for friends of Join the Living in Tucson are:

• Saturday afternoon come-and-go learning party, April 19, 4 to 6 pm, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church parish hall, 545 S. 5th Ave. Come learn what we discovered on our fall research tour. Interactive learning stations, snacks, conversation. Kate and Carol will give a brief presentation around 5 p.m. that will expand your mind and make you look at the world, your community and your spiritual life differently.

• Hiking church returns to Sabino Canyon this Sunday, April 20. Meet at the Welcome Center map at 9, or let us know if you'd like to carpool from the university area.

Spending Sunday mornings in the desert has been soothing to the soul. We take only easy hikes, for about 30 minutes to an hour. There's something about not trying to domesticate the Sacred inside and instead encountering the Divine in the wilds that is grounding and provocative.

After we shared communion on the first hike we saw a bright red cardinal in the tree beside us. It reminded us of the cardinal we saw when we were about to begin this journey several months ago. (See one of our very first blog posts for more on that). The next Sunday we talked about the gospel reading as we walked. The gospel for the day was the walk to Emmaus, where two of the disciples figure out they are walking along with Jesus, they just didn't recognize him. And last Sunday we had a great discussion about the divinity of Jesus as we sat on a rock and watched lizards scamper by.

We hope you'll join us and feel free to bring some friends.

Finger Rock Hike this Sunday

On Sunday, April 13, we're taking hiking church to Finger Rock.

We plan to hike about a mile on the easy part, read the gospel for the day and talk about it, share some communion and hike back. The trail is free.

If you'd like to carpool from Epic coffee house on 4th Ave, let us know. We'll leave there at 8:25 am.

To get to the Finger Rock trailhead:

From Skyline Drive go north on Alvernon Way until it dead ends into the parking lot and trailhead. Alvernon Way is between Campbell and Swan. Click here for a map.

Sunday Hike

Sunday, April 6, 9 am.

We'll hike the Pima canyon trailhead.

Either meet us there at 9 am or call to carpool.

Directions: head north on 1st ave until it comes to a T; turn right; trailhead at end of road.