I think one of the big differences made by your choice is the community in which we all participate. I lived just two blocks down the street from the Church of the Savior when I worked in D.C.. Stopping in there was a breath of fresh air that kept many of us going in the churches where we were working as Shepherds of the Streets. It seems a bit absurd looking back, but when I got back to Iowa, no one in my congregation would believe me that the babies of heroin addicts were born addicted. I went to the one doctor in our congregation after my presentation and said something like, "Why didn't you say something? You know I was telling the truth!" He shrugged his shoulders and said that there was no point because no one would have believed him either. Needless to say, I finished college and came to the Institute where I was hoping to meet a modicum of consciousness. A part of the strength of our community comes from the fact that where that modicum of consciousness was absent, we most often had ourselves in situations that demanded it anyway. When our second generation talks about those who grew up in the Order, I am always wanting to raise my hand. Even though I chose to be there, it was not an easy path to take to growing up. Considering the other options in society, it wasn't an unreasonable choice. I often feels like we need to start again with the earth rather than the church and those who care about water, air, soil and sustainability might flock through the doors. From: oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Lynda Cock Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 7:21 PM To: 'Order Ecumenical Community'; 'Colleague Dialogue' Subject: [Oe List ...] Death of Gordon Cosby Forrest Craver sent the message below about Gordon Cosby's death. During our time in the WDC House and during the Local Church Experiment, the Cocks, Cravers, and others were pleased to have Rev. Gordon Cosby, co-founder of the Church of the Savior in WDC, speak and be part of our House Church. This was especially significant for us because Gordon and Mary Cosby had been the influential and challenging leadership of a college CSM (Christian Student Movement) retreat that we attended back in 1960. After seminary and in an early parish, we studied the books written about the Church of the Savior, as well as the article in Time magazine about the Ecumenical Institute. We were in Virginia at another congregation when Bill Newkirk and Carl Ennis visited, urging us to recruit a PLC and then an RS-I. So we were torn between Church of Savior and EI. EI provided a place to live. Trusting the mystery and George Holcombe, Jim Addington (PLC), Marilyn Miller, and Phil Townley (RS-I for our parishioners), we made our big journey to the West Side in a blizzard during March 1969 ... 44 years ago this month. The rest is history. Journey on, Gordon (and Joseph), with deep gratitude for your combined history-changing work. Lynda Cock (and John) -----Original Message----- From: Forrest Craver [mailto:forrestecraver@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:34 AM To: JPC/LLC Subject: Please post this list servs Our colleague Rev. Gordon Cosby, a 4th generation Baptist minister ,died yesterday. A four decade colleague of JWM, every summer Gordon and JWM would meet at Kirkridge with Oliver Nelson to plot church renewal strategies. Gordon's obit will appear in today or tomorrow's Washington Post. His memorial service will be held at Foundry UMC in DC.