ReImagine

We're excited to announce that on July 16th ReIMAGINE will be hosting a gathering to launch the new edition of Conspire Magazine and mingle with folks involved in the ReIMAGINE tribes.  It's a time for people from all tribes of the emerging Jesus movement to gather and share stories.  If you enjoy music, tasty food, and engaging conversation please join us as we celebrate the revolution among us.  Party to be held at Dolores Park Church. 455 Dolores St, SF, CA.

All those who donate will receive a copy of the new Conspire issue.

To donate online visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/375622497

­REIMAGINE SUMMER 2009­

Hope you are having a lovely spring day! ­

­Currently we are finishing up the last of six Learning La­bs in our yearly cycle: Creating Community… in the Way of Jes­us. Thirty-five people have been meeting in two separate groups to work on applying what Jesus taught about forgiveness, reconciliation, boundaries, humility, servant hood and radical love. We are also leading each other in four communal practices of Christ-conscious community: hospitality meals, Eucharist, Midrash discussion and group prayer. In June we will launch two new ReIMAGINE Tribes in San Francisco—year-long group experiments in Christ-conscious community-making.

During the spring we’ve been­ hosting groups for Jesus Dojo intensives—one day and weeklong city-based learning and serving experiences.
We’ve also been active telling our stories and inciting action with various groups around the bay area. Mark is putting the final touches on a book proposal for a project called “The Jesus Dojo: A Call to Action, Community & Change.”

“Fueled by the life and teachings of Jesus, the vision of Reimagine is to revolutionize how we live our lives. We inspire and equip
people in the emerging culture to take new actions to pursue the kingdom of God--cultivating new leaders who will revolutionize their communities.”

Here are some ways you can be apart of the revolution with us:

1. Register for one of our Learning
Labs, forums & serving events (see events below)

2. Invite us to speak or teach with your group. We often take our message and tools on the road with public talks,
lectures and retreats.

3. Contact us about an individual or group leadership & life development
consult.

4. Donate to support The Center and to provide scholarships for low-income participants in our Learning Labs.

ReIMAGINE PUBLIC OFFERINGS: SUMMER 2009 *Click on the link for more information and to ­register.

“Seeking the kingdom within.” A conversation & practice of stillness meditation. Facilitated by Mark Scandrette & Reverend Shinko Rick Slone

One night forum: June 16^th 7:30-9:30 P.M. $10-$15 sliding
scale

Six-week Learning Lab June 16-July 21 $50-$100 sliding scale

Drop-in Dates: $10-$15 sliding scale June 23, 30, July 7,14 or 21

SIMPLIFY: A life planning & money management workshop June 24^th
6:30-9:30 P.M.

BARRIO LIBRE! Mission Neighborhood Pride & Safety Project.
Sunday July 11^th 1-5 P.M.

The ­Creative Risk: Exercises to unleash the voice within July ­15^th 7-9:30 P.M. $5-$15 Sliding Scale

“voices of hope.” Community Feast and open mic. Sunday July 19^th 1-5 P.M.

ENTERSPACE: A silent prayer retreat July 24-26

Making Art Public: ReIMAGINE Prayer Flag Project Aug. 5^th 7-9:30 P.M. $10-$15

Seeking the Kingdom Within: A Conversation and Practice in Stillness Meditation. 

Facilitated by Mark Scandrette and Reverend Shinko Rick Slone.

FORUM (one night option): June 16th 7:30-9:30 P.M. $10-$15 Sliding Scale

SIX-WEEK LEARNING LAB in stillness meditation practice: Tuesdays June 16-July 21. 7:30-9:30 P.M. $50-$100 sliding scale.

DROP-IN PRACTICE OPTION: Tuesdays June 23, 30 July 7, 14, 21 $10-$15 sliding Scale

REGISTER: http://seekingthekingdomwithin.eventbrite.com/

In an age dominated by hurry, distraction and busyness, we long for
practices that will help us become centered, mindful, and connected to
the Spirit. Jesus modeled a practice of daily stillness, silence and
solitude that empowered his life of revolutionary love. This one night
Forum and six week Learning Lab will invite participants to discover
the connections between the teachings of Jesus and stillness meditation
and cultivate a regular daily practice. A 40 minute stillness
meditation will be incorporated into each session. Those who register
for the six-week Learning Lab option will be asked to commit to a
20-minute daily experimental practice.

* Note three different options for this series: One night Forum, six week Learning Lab and drop-in sessions.

Scholarships available upon request. Contact info@reimagine.org

Reverend Shinko Rick Slone is a fully
ordained Zen Priest and a bona fide Jesus Freak. Following the Jesus Movement of the 70's, he abandon formal Christian practice, but can't seem to let go of a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He has been in residential Zen
Temple training for 17 years, and is very soon to leave San Francisco
Zen Center to start a new Zen Practice Center in Salinas, (in
partnership with The Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra, an
interfaith intentional community that serves the poor and marginalzed in
the Salinas area). He is also a teacher for the Mountain Source Sangha,
a group of lay practitioners that practice together in various bay area
locations.

Mark Scandrette is the coFounder and Executive Director of
ReIMAGINE in San Francisco. A sought after spiritual teacher &
poet, he speaks regionally and nationally and directs ReIMAGINE's
Learning Labs-- a series of experiential workshops based on the life
and teachings of Jesus. Scandrette is the author of SOUL GRAFITTI: Making A Life in the Way of Jesus (published by Jossey-Bass Wiley in 2007). He
lives in an old victorian in San Francisco's Mission District with his
wife Lisa, an educator and textile artist, and their three children.

­

Last year Dieter had a sudden stroke that left him significantly
disabled with a speech impediment and some physical paralysis. Known
and loved for his ability to teach and inspire, with an exceptional
gift for making people aware of God’s presence through music, this
stroke, as you may well imagine, has been simply devastating.

“What does the second half of life look like when so much of
what you have known and been identified with has taken from you? And
how do I comfort a friend who has suffered and lost so much?”

I pondered these questions as I drove up to Dieter’s home. When
he got into my car to go to lunch he turned to me and said, “Mark. Talk
slow. We go slow. Talking with me will be relaxing– we take our time
O.K?” I took this as a gentle chastisement for my hurry and wordiness–
and as an invitation to be present and still.

I reflected to Dieter that I am now the age that he was when we
met– and that I spend a lot of my time with people much like I once
was–young, ambitious and idealistic. Over the years my respect and
appreciation for Dieter has grown as I move through the various
passages of adulthood.

We sit across from one another at a local brewpub, talking
slowly, sometimes eating in awkward silence and with eyes full of
tears. Even with his limited capacity for speech Dieter finds ways to
convey his love, concerns and affirmation. I’ve come here today to pay
my respects to a mentor, to receive his wisdom about the struggles and
seasons of life, and maybe to offer some encouragement and comfort.
“Mark, I’m in the winter, ” he says, “The spring. The summer. They were
new and exciting. The fall was still colorful– even when you feel the
chill of winter coming. But the winter, here it is dark and cold. You
are in the fall, headed towards winter, where I am. We don’t know when
or if spring and summer will come again.” I tentatively ask Dieter how
he is learning to make sense of the unfolding story of his life. “It
would take a long time for me to explain,” he says, “Its hard to talk
about. Maybe you and I will go on a retreat someday and I will tell
you. For now I will say– I know that God loves me more than I ever knew
before– and that my family and my friends are so important– and I love
the small things– the food and drink, sunshine, sleep, and walking with
my dog. To love and be loved is what really matters to me now. It took
me along time to learn this.”

On our way back from lunch Dieter asks me to stop by Costco so
he can pick up some photo prints– a new way he has discovered to
capture the beauty he finds in God’s world and the faces of people.
Back in the car he flips through the small stack of pictures with great
delight. And they are simple and lovely scenes. At great cost, Dieter
and Val are teaching me, and many others, how to embrace hope in the
seasons and sufferings of life.