Posts from — November 2011

Greetings GCF!

Thursday Small Groups:
Our fearless leader Anna will be out of town this week so the afternoon group is cancelled.  The evening meeting is still on, and will be led by Eric Besson.

Christmas party:
Friday, December 16 from 7 PM to 9:30 PM in Kimmel 406.  More details later.

Telos Winter Retreat:
Be sure to sign up for a snowy weekend of s’mores, speakers, and giant owls on February 17-19 in Canadensis, PA.  The early registration deadline is December 23. Registration fee = $145. For more details, snag a brochure at one of the meetings.

Advent Service:
Come to the Church of the Ascension, the Episcopal Church on 5th Avenue at 10th St. at 6 PM. Anna and Tommy are doing a reading and reflection in addition to the lessons and carols of the service.

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving full of warmth and joy (not to mention yummy food!). Although it is often thought of as a strictly secular holiday these days devoted to gorging oneself while watching football and then passing out until Friday (it might still retain these elements for us), giving thanks is an act that involves both the feasting subject and the proper object(s) to which thanks is due. One doesn’t just give thanks for objects (things and people) but to the entity that provides them. Thus begins a causal chain wherein we give thanks to that which provides that which provides that which provides… etc.  At the beginning of the chain is of course the One Who provides the basis for all things, namely, our God and Father. The fact that we call God “Father” reveals that He has personality and is not merely the distant origin of everything but hears and responds to our prayers. In our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ God comes to meet us under the conditions of our humanity and through the Holy Spirit we are offered the closeness of being able to speak face-to-face and mind-to-mind to this God to Whom all our thanks is due. As we enter into the Christmas season, we are all the more reminded of what it means that the Origin of the universe chose to be born in our small galaxy, on our small planet, in the little town of Bethlehem in the tiny land of Judah. Even if we had nothing else, we would already have so very much to be thankful for! So, in conclusion, let us give thanks for all the blessings we have in our lives.

God bless and happy Thanksgiving,

Tommy

You are warmly invited to join Graduate Christian Fellowship for our annual Winter conference, Telos 2012! Telos is Greek for “end goal”, and through this annual gathering of all graduate students from New York/New Jersey, we explore together how God is calling us to live, and what He is moving us to do as we move towards that end goal of graduation!

Telos 2012 will focus on “God’s Mission & Calling”. Through studying scripture, community fellowship, prayer, and intentional conversation, we will explore what does it look like to be called by God, what His purposes are for us, and how as graduate students we can join in that movement.  We will be led by Lindsay Olesberg, Associate Regional Director for Missions for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as well as Scripture Manager for the triennial Urbana missions conference. It’s going to be a tremendous time!

Below is the attached registration information (and family registration form if you would like to bring your spouse/children along!)

Telos 2012
February 17-19, 2012
Spruce Lake, NY (transportation provided)

Registration in only $145 if deposit ($75, nonrefundable) is sent by December 23rd!

Hope to see you there!

Telos ’12 Brochure & Registration

Telos ’12 Family Registration Form