loving the ecclesiolae, longing for the ecclesia

for the past month or so i have been wondering about my role in the ecclesia (or church universal). i am incredibly at home in and thankful for our little ecclesiolae (s & s), but am interested in interacting and partnering with Christians throughout the boston area as together we seek to participate in the mission of God.

fortunately, throughout this inquisitive phase i have connected with a number of like-minded believers in the area and throughout the world. since i'm a fairly gregarious guy - at least at first - i often make connections with a wide-range of people. however, as of late, i have been struck by how many intriguing believers i have touched base with. so, in 'an attempt to deepen these conversations and find innovative ways to partner with other believers i have decided to start a boston-area emergent cohort.

although i've never participated in an emergent cohort meeting, i've heard from a friend that the purpose of these groups is to: connect with other progressive/emerging/innovative/insertyourattributiveadjective christians, drink a fair amount of coffee and/or beer and pad the sales of brian mclaren's books. if any or all of the above activities sounds interesting to you, and you're willing to hear me tell the same jokes and run the same stories into the ground time and again, then i'd love for you to help me get this group rolling. if you're interested, please shoot me an e-mail at gentry13@gmail.com.

in the body of the email please provide your name, email address and web address if you have one. moreover, please include concise answers to the following questions.

1. Assuming that our cohort would meet monthly, what would be the best night of the week for you to meet?

2. Are there any particular topics that you would like to discuss?

3. What books would you be interested in reading together (i think we should branch out beyond the emergent canon from time to time by reading books like jean vanier's community and growth, the collected works of saint francis and saint clare and perhaps even relevant works of fiction such as philip caputo's superb acts of faith).

4. Would you be willing to facilitate the group on an occasional basis? I have no interest - and trust that none of you would either - in spinning this co-hort into an episode of "The Jeff Gentry Show?"

5. Would you rather meet in a pub or a coffeehouse setting? Any suggestions concerning a location?

Thanks in advance for your interest. I hope that this cohort incites conversation, provides healthy connections and serves as a source of encouragement for those of us who follow Christ.

pax.