Conversations on Immigration

Radical Living is hosting a six-week series called Conversations on Immigration. Every Thursday evening from October 30th to November 27th our community will discuss the topic of immigration from a Biblical framework. We will be using Dr. Danny Carroll’s study guide, Strangers in the Land (we have copies), and people are encouraged to read his book Christians at the Border.

This series of conversations was suggested by several radicals after we held the Theology of Immigration forum on October 12th (i.e. Columbus Day a.k.a. Day of Indigenous Resistance). The conversations will be held every Thursday at Marcy House (622 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn) after dinner. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. and the conversation will begin at 8 p.m. The last conversation will occur on Thanksgiving Day. We ask that you RSVP if you plan to join us for the final dinner on Thanksgiving Day. All are invited.

Agape Times – Fall 08

Check out the newest issue of Agape Times, the quarterly zine of Radical Living. You can read the super amazing online edition at issuu. Check it out!

The Theology of Immigration

Radical Living, in partnership with Justice for our Neighbors, the New Sanctuary Movement, and John Wesley United Methodist Church, is proud to present The Theology of Immigration: God Immigrants and Activism, a gathering where clergy and layperson, immigrant and native-born will join one another in an effort to shed our cultural biases in order to discover what the Bible actually says about immigration. The gathering will include listening, dialogue, worship, and refreshments. It is free and open to the public.

Date: Sunday, October 12th (the day before Día de la Resistencia Indígena, a.k.a. Columbus Day)

Time: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Location: John Wesley United Methodist Church, 260 Quincy Street, Brooklyn, NY (exit the A/C train at Nostrand Avenue)

Speakers: Reverend Gabriel Salguero, Director of the Hispanic Leadership Program at Princeton Theological Seminary, Juan Carlos Ruiz, community organizer for the New Sanctuary Movement, and Naomi Madsen, program manager of immigrant and refugee ministries at UMCOR.

“The immigrant who resides with you shall be as the citizen among you,” Leviticus 19:34.

Gatherin’

Here’s a pic taken from a summer gathering. Good times at RL!

Reconciliation’s Challenge for New Monastic communities

Vonetta and Jason were recently invited to write a post on the topic of racial reconciliation and New Monasticism for God’s Politics.

In August 2006, before having ever heard the term “new monasticism,” my husband, Jason, and I founded Radical Living, an intentional community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. When I (Vonetta) was 12 years old, I emigrated from Guyana to Bed-Stuy, one of the poorest and most violent neighborhoods in New York City. I witnessed firsthand urban decay — and renewal — as well as the devastating effects of the crack epidemic.

Some of our neighbors, many of whom I have known since I was young, have been afflicted by drug addiction and poverty. They are not merely the nameless, faceless people you might read about or pass on the street. They are living souls made in the image of God. When a person applies for membership at Radical Living we explain that we want to live in community with people who desire to invest in the lives of their neighbors, regardless of their position in society. We are not interested in living with “tourists” who want to “experience the ghetto.”

My husband and I are an interracial couple with a baby daughter, and it is important to us that our community, regardless of the predominant culture around us, is centered in Jesus and reflective of the diversity of the kingdom of God. Although our community — 17 people who live in three houses around one block — is blessed with diversity, we have a lot of work to do with regard to racial reconciliation. There are African Americans, Asians, immigrants, and first-generation Americans, and more than half our community are white folks. Although not as representative of our neighborhood as we could be, due to the rainbow of voices in our community we regularly discuss the role of minorities in the New Monastic movement. It is also due to these voices that we know how much work we have to do.

The key players in New Monasticism have made important strides in raising awareness of issues pertinent to disenfranchised members of our society, yet these leaders often make some of the same mistakes as their conservative counterparts. One of the 12 marks of New Monasticism is the “lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities, combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.” Although most do “lament” the racial divisions in our society, one is hard-pressed to find a leader in New Monasticism who is not a middle-class white male. However, the problem is not with their class, color, or gender, but that there has yet to be an “active pursuit” of reconciliation realized within the myriad of intentional communities that have sprouted across the U.S. And after some good private conversations with some those leaders, we agreed to open a public dialogue about this issue because by their very natures both this conversation and this movement aren’t just about a handful of leaders. It’s about every member of every community who needs to actively seek reconciliation.

To read more visit the God’s Politics here.

Radical Living on the cover of the New York Press!

Radical Living is on the cover of the current issue of the New York Press. Check it out in the newsstands or go online to read it.

Recent radical events

July

Another Apartment on the Block at Marcy Ave.
With a kind of complex turn of events involving a dog, an allergy, a baby on the way, a neighbor needing new renters, God seems to be twisting the threads together in intriguing ways. So far, the result is that two of the Hart house residents will be moving to a new apartment on the block (Marcy Ave), another person who has been waiting for an opening has space in the Marcy apartment, and there are two open spaces for men at the Hart house. Although there is some concern in the community about how this grows our numbers and spaces while we are still establishing our way of life together, we are prayerfully attentive to figure out how God will make it work for the glory of God’s kingdom.

June

Jesus for President
The Jesus for President group came through New York City and Radical Living had the chance to get involved in a humble way. Coming about through networks and communities of folks involved in the new monastic ways, the event included Radical Living in the helping with the clean-up afterwards. It was an honor to be mentioned as one of the local efforts in NYC trying to strengthen the Kingdom of God, serve others, and work for social justice. The message delivered was an exciting call to consider the contrasts between Jesus and Caesar during biblical times and then to think critically about how and when we, as the body of Christ, interact with the powers of this world. The message was done in a unique storytelling, God worshiping manner that seemed to spark imaginations and draw us all into the exploration of Scripture and its meaning in our lives today. Good stuff!

House Concert
Radical Living planned for a house concert to take place on June 7. We invited some musician friends and the event ideas carried on from there. We had some practice in making decisions through consensus and grew through the experience even before it happened! God seemed to be working in all those involved and we came together to have a pleasant day that started with musical worship, continued on with fellowship that included lots of great food. Jason and Vonetta offered the space in their home and we spent a lot of time in the backyard, too. New community residents were present and so were others from across the city and the neighborhood. It was a very hot day, but a quick big-rain-drop shower cooled things down and put smiles on our faces as we sense rejuvenation and refreshment from the unexpectedness of it. Indeed God’s plan for us comes about in unexpected ways at times and we grow to experience Shalom.

Peace Walk, Fasting, Prayer, and a Study in Reconciliation
With recent events in the neighborhood involving violence between community members, a number of our Radical Living community members joined a group on a walk from a Christian church to a Jewish synagogue to a Muslim mosque. The effort was a symbolic effort of unity in peace. May Christ be glorified through such opportunities to show love. The following day several members started a three day fast during the Friday morning prayer meeting. The fast was broken on Sunday at the Bible Study where we looked at the theme of reconciliation in Scripture.

Eat the Book
Recent discussions have been about The Long Loneliness by Dororthy Day and, informally, about Sex for Christians by Lewis B. Smedes.

Rope Swing Hike
Back in late June, on a Saturday after a Friday evening shower, several of us from the houses took some time to fellowship together during a trip to Harriman state park. We took a train up to Harriman State park, hiked about 90 minutes to a lake, and enjoyed the amazing beauty of God’s creation! Hart resident Matthew has a good blog post with a few pictures and clips… check it out here.

May

Common Space Love Duties
We’ve had a dry erase board in the Hart house entry way for a while now, and messages are put up for some comic relief, news, event reminders, and inspiration. Right next to it, though, a page has been put up with common space and time tasks that need to be done and the names of volunteers who have offered to do them. Already, it is clear that those who are cooking main dishes for meal gatherings are getting the chance to share their love through taste bud invigoration. It seems, too, that fewer chores, especially cleaning, are being lumped onto one or two individuals. Please pray that we continue to grow in the ways we can care for each other through actions in and around our shared space and time!

Radical Living meets the Collective

A couple of weeks ago we had a visit from Jason and Brooke of the Ecclesia Collective in San Diego. We barbecued, fellowshipped, and talked about Jesus and living in community. It was a great time and I hope that our communities are able to connect again soon. The photo below was taken later in the evening, thus a few folks from RL had already departed.

(L. to R. Mengning, Jason E. Matthew, Brooke, Jason, Sharaya, Vonetta)

Agape Times-Summer edition

Check out the second issue of Agape Times, the quarterly zine of Radical Living!

Stir it up!

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)