2nd Annual FREE YARD SALE

2nd Annual Free Yard Sale!
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

243 Bates Ave.
Saint Paul, Mn 55106

What: A free yard sale is, well, exactly what it sounds like. Its like any other garage/yard sale, except everything is free! We will be accepting donated “sale items” throughout the week prior to the event. Last year we had quite a spectrum of items. We are really looking for anything that you would otherwise sell in a garage/yard sale. Clothes (in good condition), books, furniture, music, kids toys, sports stuff, shoes, purses, electronics, appliances... anything that you don't need anymore, don't need anymore, or you really just think you could live without! (please bring any large items and furniture the morning of the sale)

We'll take all of the donations and spread them out on the lawn. Then, we'll spend the rest of the day making friends, hanging out, and sharing in the gifts we've been given. Bring some stuff to give away, bring a lawn chair, and come hang out!

Oh, and this year's Free Yard Sale is also the Love: St. Paul event for the month of June at the Gallery Covenant Church!

Why? A free yard sale is kind of an experiment in a lot of things. Ekklesiah is all about reconsidering the ways we live life. We like to get a little alternative. We're learning to love a little more radically. We're searching for ways to make how we live our lives every day look more like Jesus. Ekklesiah is also all about getting creative with how we understand “church”. What does it look like for a bunch of not-so-perfect, extremely ordinary, extremely human people to be the living breathing body of Christ? How do those people live together? What do those people do together? What does that mean for the world around us? (I mean, the gospel is good news, right? So shouldn't the church be the living gospel? Good news for the world?) Another reason we do the Free Yard Sale every year is because we believe in helping out our neighbors. Our neighborhood in Dayton's Bluff is home to many who are struggling to get by. Many of the people who came to our Free Yard Sale last year were people who took things that they actually really needed- clothes, a nicer pair of shoes, a decent couch. We like to imagine what the world would look like if we cared as much about our neighbor's wellbeing as much as our own.

Hope to see you there!

A Strange Contrast
[Nathanial] This morning I had the experience of making my first court appearance. It was just appealing an address change on my license, but the law processes I encountered shed a surprising reminder on eternity.

Essentially, I agreed to pay additional money for the opportunity to have a former traffic offense wiped off my personal record. Again, let me clarify, I paid for the opportunity for legal redemption. Only under the stipulation that I maintain proper behavior [and don't repeat offenses] for the next year can I then be rewarded with a clean slate. I understand that this is a little corny, but I couldn't help but think of Jesus Christ as I drove away from the district court this morning.

Man, I am thankful that God's grace is unconditional! knowing that I just PAID for a form of forgiveness really made me appreciate what Jesus did on the cross a little more. How contrary to humanity and earthly society was Jesus' act? Somebody ELSE "paid" for all those offenses. Somebody ELSE took care of it all for me! How amazing is that!!! Merely a nice reminder on a sunny drive to school today. Shalom.

We Want To Hear From You!

[ Tony ] So, I'm gonna try to turn the tables a little...

As a community, all of us at Ekklesiah have learned so much about the value of listening to the voices of the community that surrounds us. If we are a community together, if we are committed to doing life together, and doing it in an incarnational way, then we should be able to trust in the perpectives of those we do community with. We all know, and are thankful, that Ekklesiah is a community that is much more extensive than simply the five of us who live together here in St. Paul. I know there are many of you who read our blog who do know us, and know some of us very well. I know that many of our readers are people who we regularly share life with – many of you are people who cannot go without mention in the story of what Ekklesiah is, has been, and is becoming.

So, first, I want to express a deep thankfulness for the support that we have from so many, whether its through furniture in our house, to spiritual mentoring, to encouragement, to prayer – all of it is a blessing from God, and we thank God for you.

Second, I want to do something new. The point of this post is to get your responses to some questions. In your interactions with Ekklesiah, what are some healthy ways that you would challenge us as a community to dive deeper into life in community? What are some ways that Ekklesiah can serve to a greater capacity? As a community, what kinds of things does Ekklesiah do well and not so well? If you could sit the five of us down all at once and give us one piece of advice/knowledge, what would you say? Do you have any tangible ideas as to how Ekklesiah can have a greater presence in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood? Do you have any tangible ideas as to how Ekklesiah can serve the larger Church to a greater capacity? Is there anything Ekklesiah does that you don't understand or have a hard time with? What kinds of things have you learned about God, about yourself, about other people, about community, about church, etc. from your interactions with Ekklesiah?

Thats a lot of questions, I know. I don't expect anyone to answer all of them – but we'd love it if someone actually tried! Please consider the questions above. If any of them stick out to you, please let us know what you are thinking / feeling. As a community, we understand that life together in Christ requires a great deal of listening and learning. We value the discerning power of community and we truly want to hear the perspectives of those we do life with.

There is a “COMMENT” button at the bottom of this post. If you wish to answer one or some or all of the questions above, please use the COMMENT feature and answer away! The best part of using the COMMENT button is that you actually have the option to post responses anonymously –

Looking forward to your input!

Oh, we also reserve the right to respond to your comments. That doesn't mean we have any desire whatsoever to debate or argue over anything. We value open dialogue. Mutual learning starts there...