The End of Compassionate Conservatism? Why Jesus and Today's GOP Don't Mix

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/the-end-of-compassionate-_b_1832957.html

Come to Occupy Portland Open House

To celebrate the Occupy movement's one-year anniversary (which is September 17), Occupy Portland will be holding a large open house and celebration on Friday, September 14, 5-10 p.m. at the St. Francis Park (SE 12th Avenue & Oak Street) and Dining Hall (330 SE 11th Avenue).  There will be music, barbecue, and other festivities.

Seeds for a world change #2

As a new service initiative, we are posting a short quotation from a traditional sacred texts twice a week, on Sundays and Wednesdays, at our community altar at the Occupy Portland office.

 Seeds for a world change #2 (August 29-September 2, 2012)

Every step of progress is a step more spiritual. The great element of reform is not born of human wisdom; it draws not its life from human organizations; rather is it the crumbling away of material elements from reason, the translation of law back to its original language, Mind, and the final unity between man and God.

Mary Baker Eddy, "The People's Idea of God" (1886).

The Taproot starts on Friday, Aug. 31

Just to avoid any confusion on this, the Taproot will start on Friday, not today.

Friday, August 31, 10:30 a.m. - Most likely at the Che Room, 1131 SE Oak #5.

To other Protest Chaplains groups elsewhere: please feel free to "steal" this idea :)  We figured that this is easy to put together and remain (mostly) nonsectarian.  Feel free also to modify our poster and use it -- it can be edited with Scribus, an open-source professional desktop publishing software for Linux, MacOS and Windows.

The Taproot information and printable poster: http://www.opdxinterfaith.co.cc/is-chaplains-guild/taproot

Photo album

We now have a Flickr.  Send us pictures if you have any.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86030671@N04/

Introducing the Taproot

The Taproot is a new interfaith contemplative communal spiritual exercise in a small group. It draws from Quaker unprogrammed meetings as well as from the monastic practices such as lectio divina. Sometimes it may be augmented with small, simple rituals some people may find meaningful or related to a seasonal observance.

The group has no set "leaders" or "preachers" aside from a facilitator (ideally this role should be rotating).

A lector is appointed for each meeting and is invited to bring a portion of a sacred text (or any other texts that one finds inspirational, including contemporary works).

The intention of the group is to draw from the deep source of wisdom to gain strengths and peace as we continue to work for a healing and transformation of the world.

An outline of a Taproot meeting

People generally sit in a circle-like formation as practicable.

Check-in
Reading from a text
Period of silence aka "expectant waiting", "spoken ministry," etc. (guidelines here)
Prayers of the People/sharing of concerns and burdens

http://www.opdxinterfaith.co.cc/is-chaplains-guild/taproot

Support Interfaith Solidarity by attending your local GA/Spokes Council

Interfaith Solidarity is looking to revive its representation in the Spokes Councils and General Assemblies in Oregon and Southwest Washington Occupy communities.

Volunteers from various faith traditions and spiritual practices are needed to attend these meetings:

Occupy Portland General Assembly, Mondays, 7 p.m. at the Terry Schrunk Plaza (agenda setting 6:30 p.m.)
Occupy Portland Spokes Council, Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the St. Francis Dining Hall
Occupy Gresham General Assembly, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. at Neighborhood United Center
Occupy The Gorge General Assembly, First and Third Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. at Friend of the Gorge office in Hood River
Occupy Salem Spokes Council, Tuesdays, 7 p.m. at IKE Box Cafe
Occupy Salem Informal General Assembly, Fridays, 7 p.m. at Friends Meetinghouse in Salem
Occupy Corvallis General Assembly, Thursdays, 6 p.m. at Central Park gazebo
Occupy Eugene General Assembly, Tuesdays, 7 p.m. at Wayne Morse Plaza
Occupy Bend General Assembly, Saturdays, 2 p.m. at Drake Park (agenda setting 1 p.m.)
Occupy Roseburg Community Potluck and Free Store, Saturdays, noon at Eagle's Park
Occupy Roseburg Open Assembly - now online

Occupy Vancouver Washington General Assembly, First Tuesdays, 6 p.m. at Esther Short Park

Inactive?
Any information about the current state of the following is appreciated.
Occupy Ashland, Occupy Rogue Valley, Occupy Centralia/Lewis County, Occupy Beaverton, Occupy Oregon City.

(This list updated on August 26, 2012)

Interfaith Solidarity website is launched!

http://www.opdxinterfaith.co.cc

Seeds for a world change #1

As a new service initiative, we are posting a short quotation from a traditional sacred texts twice a week, on Sundays and Wednesdays, at our community altar at the Occupy Portland office.

Seeds for a world change #1 (August 26-29, 2012)

子曰：“诗三百，一言以蔽之，曰思无邪”。

Zǐ yuē:“Shī sānbǎi, yī yán yǐ bì zhī, yuē sī wú xié.”

Confucius said, “If out of the three hundred Songs I had to take one phrase to cover all my teachings, I would say, ‘Let there be no evil in your thoughts.’”

-Analects 2.2

Reminder: Occupy Wall Street Visions

It always helps to remind ourselves of our origins.

Occupy Wall Street Vision Statement from October 2011, in case anyone has forgotten:

We Envision:

[1] a truly free, democratic, and just society;
[2] where we, the people, come together and solve our problems by consensus;
[3] where people are encouraged to take personal and collective responsibility and participate in decision making;
[4] where we learn to live in harmony and embrace principles of toleration and respect for diversity and the differing views of others;
[5] where we secure the civil and human rights of all from violation by tyrannical forces and unjust governments;
[6] where political and economic institutions work to benefit all, not just the privileged few;
[7] where we provide full and free education to everyone, not merely to get jobs but to grow and flourish as human beings;
[8] where we value human needs over monetary gain, to ensure decent standards of living without which effective democracy is impossible;
[9] where we work together to protect the global environment to ensure that future generations will have safe and clean air, water and food supplies, and will be able to enjoy the beauty and bounty of nature that past generations have enjoyed.

Our altar at the Occupy Portland office

This afternoon Sarah cleaned up and tidied up the sacred space altar, which has been a fixture of the Occupy Portland office, the Che Guevara Room, since its start in November 2011.

A proposed rebranding!

Meeting notes from August 23, 2012

Interfaith Guild of Chaplains Meeting Notes 20120823

Thursday, Aug. 23: Join us for a summer picnic and conversation.

Our communal tent this past week at the Timothy Lake PGE Hoodview Camp Ground, Mt. Hood National Forest, for the Sisters In Strength (SIS) camping trip.  Did you know that our tent is available for check out (and send us a picture or two or three when you do)?

An opportunity to enjoy a summer in the nature, as well as to talk about the next steps for this group and for the Occupy movement in general.  Visitors and newcomers welcome.

https://www.facebook.com/events/377393669000375/

Thursday, August 23, 4:30 p.m.
Frazer Park, NE 52nd Avenue & Hassalo Street (just north of the Providence Medical Center, between Glisan and Halsey).  Look for the sole picnic table on the east side of the park near the Albina Head Start school house.

PDXGA.org is now back in service!

http://www.portlandgeneralassembly.org/groups/interfaith-guild-of-chaplains

Important: use the full www.portlandgeneralassembly.org instead of pdxga.org.

Tent available for community use

The Interfaith Guild of Chaplains has a "4-person" (feels more like a 2-person) tent at the Occupy Portland headquarters.  It is open for check-outs by Occupy Portland-affiliated groups or individuals for up to 5 days at a time by advance reservation.  (First-come first-serve, generally speaking.  Use by the IGC takes precedence over others, and use by OPDX-recognized groups takes precedence over all individual or non-affiliated group uses.)

It is easy to set up and strike down even by a solo camper (even Sarah could do it in five minutes.).

Users are responsible for keeping the tent in a reasonably good (usable) condition and return it on time.  Any damage or loss of the tent requires a replacement.

To reserve the tent, write at least a week in advance, sarah "at" occupy.tk.

Our tent occupies in Scoggins Valley near Hagg Lake, Gaston, Oregon.