Intentional Community - Latest News

11-06-08 - Jill Rowland, Soul Cafe's Mission Developer, Resigns December 31st marks the date when Jill Rowland will step down from her position as Mission Developer. Here is Jill's note to the community:

After much soul searching and struggling discernment, I have decided to resign as Mission Developer at Soul Café effective December 31, 2008. God called me to be a seed planter at Soul Café, and I have served in that capacity with joy and passion as we have re-imagined and re-imaged what it means to be the church. Soul Café now needs a long-term gardener to move it to the next chapter of this great adventure with God. I have been the seed planter; I am not the long-term gardener.

I will continue to work at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in the Department of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care. God continues to invite me to participate in God’s mission in the world through this work. I will also continue to work with congregations and their leaders as they re-imagine and re-image what it means to be the church. Even though I will still live and work in Hood River, after December 31, I will no longer be able to participate in the Soul Café community—not because I am not committed to God’s mission for Soul Café but because it would not be fair to the next leader who steps in to the Mission Developer position. This is a good and appropriate boundary to set for myself and for Soul Café.

I pray that you will continue to support Soul Café through your prayers and participation. It is in a wonderful place! Perry Cole, our manager and volunteer coordinator, is an absolute gift from God.

I read the other day a quote from Albert Einstein: “I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.” God continues to do new things—with me, with you, with Soul Café, and with the whole creation. Look for the new things! Look for God’s marvelous work in the world!

Thank you for your commitment to God’s mission at Soul Café and for your wonderful support of me and our ministry together. God is good—all the time!

Looking for the new things,

Jill Rowland

11-10-08 - Upcoming Community Thanksgiving Meal
Soul Café is seeking volunteers and donations from the community for the upcoming Community Thanksgiving Meal to be held at Riverside Community Church, 4th & State Streets on Thanksgiving Day, November 27 from 1-4 PM.  Each year, Soul Café hosts this gathering of people in celebration of our many blessings and the bountiful harvest of the Hood River Valley.  We realize that many people will be alone this Thanksgiving, unable to travel to friends and family for this traditional family holiday, while others may not have friends and family to celebrate with this season.

Volunteers are needed to help with cooking, baking, serving, delivering meals, etc. Following is a list of items which are needed:

• Turkeys (you can either bake the turkey or donate a frozen turkey - please call)
• Green beans
• Potatoes
• Yams and Sweet Potatoes
• Fresh cranberries
• Stuffing mIx
• Pies
• Whipping cream
• Margarine

Financial donations are equally welcome.  If you are able to donate or volunteer your time, you are invited to call Perry Cole, Manager/Volunteer Coordinator for Soul Café at (541) 386-6164 or e-mail him at soulcafe01@gmail.com

Soul Café is a Faith Based Community Center located at 12th & Taylor Streets in the Heights.  The center is open each week day from 12-6 PM and on Friday evenings they host Friday Night Youth until 9 PM.  Each Sunday they open at 4 PM and serve a free community meal from 5-6:30 PM, followed by an hour long spiritual discussion group led by Jill Rowland, Mission Developer.  They are closed Saturdays. 

Archived Latest News from Soul Cafel

09-26-08 - October Activities and Events

Friday Night Youth
Starting October 34rd, Soul Cafe will be open from 6:00-9:00pm for Friday Night Youth. This is a great opportunity for youth to come and enjoy Soul Café. Each Friday will feature a theme night centered on issues which our young people face today. Topics will include “Life Nights,” “Issue Nights” and “Social Nights.” This is a great evening filled with games and activities which every kid will enjoy.

Soul Cafe Open House
You and your friends are invited to Soul Cafe's Open House on October 12th from 2:00-4:30pm. Cake, coffee and punch will be served and you are invited to play one of the many games and activities such as, ping pong, foosball or Wii, or take time to play one of our many table games. You might want to check out the internet on one of our four computers while you are here. Each half hour, door prizes will be drawn and awarded to several lucky winners. This is a great opportunity to see our new location in The Heights at 12th & Taylor. Come visit Soul Café and see what we’ve done to the place.

Weekly Soul Cafe Hours
Every Monday through Thursday from 12-6:00 PM and Fridays from 12-9:00 PM, the center is open for anyone to drop in, especially kids who are going home alone and would benefit from being in a safe place. All of our volunteers go through a background check and are dedicated to making this a great after school place to hang out.

Sunday Suppers
Don’t forget our community meal served each Sunday from 5-6:30 PM. Various businesses, service organizations, churches and volunteer partners, prepare a supper fit for a king and queen. The center opens at 4:00 PM on Sundays and continues after supper with a discussion group, led by our Mission Developer, Jill Rowland. This is a great time to come and socialize, making new friends and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere at Soul Café.

We look forward to seeing you soon at Soul Cafe!

Perry Cole
Manager/Volunteer Coordinator

08-05-08 - Soul Cafe Mid-Summer Update
Soul Café has been open Tuesday through Sunday for nearly a month now, and Sunday Suppers are up and running again. Beginning this Sunday, after Sunday Supper, we will once again gather for discussion and reflection. We have topics set for this Sunday and the following and would love to have you participate! So join us:

5pm to 6:30pm - Sunday Supper served by the Rebekah Lodge
6:30pm to 7:30pm - Reflection and Discussion

August 10: How do you connect with the Divine? What words or images accompany you on the spiritual/faith journey?

If childcare would be helpful in your attending the reflection/discussion group, please e-mail me ASAP to let me know.

We’re always looking for new volunteers to help staff Soul Café and for individuals and organizations to provide, prepare, and serve food for the Sunday Suppers. If you’re interested in volunteering or helping with Sunday Suppers, please contact Tahnee Meckoll at tahnee@gorge.net. In addition, financial contributions are always welcome in helping us carry out this ministry.

Thankful for the beauty of God’s creation and for your partnership in God’s ministry at Soul Café,

Jill Rowland
Soul Café
Hood River, Oregon

07-07-08 - Soul Cafe Updates
Just a reminder that we’re in our new space at 1102 12th Street and serving Sunday Suppers every Sunday from 5pm to 6:30pm. We’re “open” Tuesday through Saturday from 4pm to 9pm and Sunday from 4pm to 8pm. With limited exposure, we’ve had a great response already! We’ll jumpstart our Reflection in Community again in September. In lieu of this, however, we will be gathering at Sunday Suppers to stay connected.

Some of you committed earlier in the year to supporting Soul Café financially and said your contribution would be coming later on. Now would be a great time to send that our way! Some of you have seriously considered supporting Soul Café financially. Consider this the extra little nudge from the Spirit! Contributions can be sent to Soul Café, 1102 12th Street, Hood River, OR 97031. If you are the owner of a Thrivent Financial product, your contribution can be matched through their GivingPlus program. Click here for the Giving Plus Application (PDF file).

We have had wonderful support from Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church in Portland, OR. They took a road trip to Soul Café, bearing gifts of snacks, paper products, and a financial contribution that was matched by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. We are so thankful for partners in ministry like Mt. Carmel and like you!! You reveal God’s love to us each and every day.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Jill Rowland
Soul Café
Hood River, Oregon

06-23-08 - Weekly Sunday Suppers
Soul Café is looking for people and groups to sponsor its weekly Sunday Suppers. We invite your group to plan the menu, bring the food, and prepare the food, OR make a donation to Soul Café so that we can provide the food. Sunday Suppers happens every Sunday from 5pm to 6:30pm and is a free community meal open to anyone. We usually plan for 25. As people learn about our beautiful new location at 12th and Taylor in The Heights (sidewalk seating with awesome views of Mt. Adams!), however, we expect that number to increase. Please contact Soul Café Manager, Tahnee Meckoll, at 386-6164 or tahnee@gorge.net to get in the rotation. As always, thanks for your awesome partnership!

06-19-08 - Soul Cafe Reopens
Soul Café will reopen tomorrow, Friday, June 20 at 4:00pm. We’re still dealing with the health department, so we can’t use the kitchen yet to prepare food. Come and see our new digs anyway! The youth did a great job painting. We have music, computers, and great lounging areas. We’ll be open every week Tuesday through Saturday from 4pm to 9pm and Sunday from 4pm to 8pm. We’ll be closed on Mondays.

Sunday Suppers will happen on Sunday from 5:00pm to 6:30pm. We’ll be serving food that we’ve purchased from a local sandwich shop (still can’t use that kitchen), and our friends from Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church in Portland will be with us. They’ll bring chips, dessert, etc. This is a mission trip for them, an opportunity to partner with us in ministry, and we’re very much looking forward to it!

05-20-08 - Soul Cafe Looking for Volunteers
Soul Cafe is looking for volunteers who already have an Oregon Food Handlers Card or who would be willing to take the test for the food handlers card. There are two ways to obtain a card:

1. On-line: go to the following link: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/foodsafety/cert.shtml. It will cost you $10.00.
2. Go to one of the upcoming Food Handler Certification courses in Hood River:
   • Tuesday, May 20 at the Hood River County Library at 5:30pm
   • Thursday, June 5 at the Hood River County Library at 5:30pm

   If you go to one of these courses, tell them that you are with a benevolent organization (Soul Cafe), and there will be no charge.

If you already have your Food Handlers Card or when you obtain your card, please contact Tahnee Meckoll from Soul Café at tahnee@gorge.net. She will have you bring in your card so that we can make a copy and have you sign up as a volunteer.

04-30-08 - Soul Cafe Kitchen Remodel Almost Complete
The kitchen remodel is almost done! We’ll gather at Soul Café this Friday, May 2 between the hours of 10:00am and 5:00pm to clean up the construction dust, paint walls, and start on a couple of wall murals. Whitney, a student at Hood River Valley High School and a member of the Leos, has picked out some great colors. Yasmin Acosta-Myers, an art teacher from the high school, will help mentor youth in the design of the mural. Please bring your cleaning materials (cloths, sponges, rubber gloves, brooms, mops, dust pans, cleaning solutions, etc.). Also, if you have painting supplies (brushes, pans, drop cloths, stir sticks, rollers, step ladders, etc.), please bring those, too. Come anytime on Friday. We’ll provide snacks and lunch!

“Soft” reopening of Soul Café is Friday, May 9 from 3:00pm to 9:30pm! If you’ve been waiting for us to reopen so that you can volunteer, now is the time to let us know.

As always, thanks for your prayers and support.

Jill Rowland

04-23-08 - Bethel Congregational Church UCC in White Salmon, WA Hosts Speaker on May 1st Rev. John Boonstra invites us to spread the word and come to hear Maria Ruth Sanabria, a human rights activist and mother of six children who is risking her life to create peace with justice in Colombia. The U.S. government is giving Colombia $1.5 million a day in military aid – some of which is used to protect Occidental Petroleum’s operations in Maria Ruth’s state of Arauca. Maria Ruth will describe how women are resisting the war and waging peace, and how you can support them in their struggle.

Sponsored by Bethel United Church of Christ, Montana Human Rights Network, and Community Action for Justice in the Americas.

Date: May 1st
Time: 7pm
Childcare is provided

Bethel Congregational Church UCC
480 E. Jewett
White Salmon, WA

For more information,
call: 541-436-0782

04-16-08 - I returned to Oregon today after a few days of being away. I am almost always stunned by the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge after I’ve been away for a few days. Today was no exception. When I was about four miles west of Hood River, the sky broke open in spectacular blue skies with just a few puffy clouds, and then when I drove through the orchards and saw the fruit trees in bloom once again, it was breathtaking! The experience was so beautiful, I had to share it with all of you.

Blessings . . .

Jill Rowland

04-11-08 - Potluck and Discussion Group Meetings Moved to Friday Nights There has been a suggestion to try meeting for the potluck and discussion every other FRIDAY rather than every other Thursday. We’ll begin that practice next Friday, April 18 and see how it goes. The potluck theme for Friday, April 18 will be vegetarian dishes.

Potluck 5:30pm
Discussion 6:00pm
(Childcare is available.)

Go to our Discussion page to read more about Friday, April 18th!

04-03-08 Potluck and Reflection at Soul Cafe Tonight
5:30pm Potluck
6:00pm Reflection

For the next 5 weeks, we’ll reflect on a reading from the Bible, but here’s the twist. We want you to read the passage assigned for Thursday ahead of time, and then bring with you something to which that reading connects you—a song, a piece of art, a poem, something you’ve written, your questions, anything. April 3: John 20:19-31 (I went to see Horton Hears a Who on Friday with Emelia and Alden. There’s a connection here. If you don’t know the story, check out the Dr. Seuss book from the library.) Rumor has it that one of the potluck dishes will be that delicious, Costa Rican Gallo Pinto that we had during Lent. Mmm . . . mmm . . . is it ever good!

I’ll leave you tonight with a lovely prayer that found me today:

The Elixir by Vivian Pomeroy

O God of the sun and moon, of joy and beauty, of loneliness and sorrow, we thank you for all the magic in our human lives, often turning our drabness into gold. We thank you for the wonder of being loved; for the loyalty of friends; for the sweetness of being forgiven; for the strength to forget what is not worth remembering; for the strength to remember things which become more precious as the years go on; and for discovery that in the darkness, there are presences which are hidden from us by the light. Touch into living flame again the hearts which have grown cold and dreary with the weight of things; and when duty tires, grant us the love which goes gladly all the way. Amen.

Jill Rowland
Soul Café
Hood River, Oregon

03-21-08 - Holy Week and Easter blessings to all of you from our Soul Café community!

Jill Rowland
Soul Cafe
Hood River, Oregon

If you missed our 40: A Journey through Lent, Click here to read more on the Discussion Group page

12-19-07 Anonymous Donor Announces Challenge An anonymous donor has issued a challenge to supporters of Soul Café. The donor has agreed to match up to $5000 for new gifts to Soul Café to help offset the expenses of moving and setting up in the new space at 1102 12th Street.

“We hope to receive donations to match this amount by December 31, so we can immediately start getting the space ready to open as soon as possible in the new year. Soul Café is a registered non-profit organization , so donors can include this in their 2007 taxes and have the impact of their gift be doubled,” said Jill Rowland, pastor of Soul Café. “We have had a tremendous outpouring of support of volunteers in the past 6 months, and we are eager to get our new space set up and ready to serve the people of our community.”

Soul Café has continued to serve the Hood River area since it moved out of the Oak Street location in October. Riverside Church hosted the annual Soul Café Community Thanksgiving dinner which provided meals to over 110 people. Thursday appetizer potlucks and Advent reflection and prayer sessions are being held weekly at the home of Jill Rowland. For additional information, contact Jill Rowland at 541-490-3273. Donations can be mailed to Soul Café at PMB 53, 2149 W. Cascade Ave, Ste 106a, Hood River, OR 97031.

12-19-07 - Celebrate the Final Advent Gathering of the Season
“Life is not about perfection, but it is being while we become. It is living between the opposites in the midst of paradox until a third way appears. One needs friends and community to find the courage to be and become. Love ultimately sustains and guides us.” (Rev. Dr. Stephen Lusk) One of my clergy colleagues wrote this, and I think it’s beautiful.

Come join us this Thursday for our final Advent Reflection and Prayer. Come be with us as we become. Come explore a community that gives us the courage to be and become. Love sustains and guides us Please contact Jill Rowland directly for more information and where we will be meeting at 541-490-3273.

6:00pm - Appetizer Potluck (beverages provided)
6:30pm - 7:30pm Advent Reflections & Prayer

Jill Rowland

11-17-07 - Season of Advent at Soul Cafe
The Advent season is something that has been celebrated in the Christian tradition since as early as the 4th century. It is marked by waiting, longing, yearning, and hoping. Since Jesus the Christ has been born, has died, is risen, and will come again, the central focus of Advent is not preparation for a birth that has already happened. Rather, it is our preparation for his continuing incarnation, his continuing “being made flesh” among us as the Prince of Peace and the Sun of justice. When we think of Advent this way, it really is a “conspiracy,” isn’t it? Rather than celebrating a season of nostalgia that simply and safely looks back to a birth in the distant past, Advent invites us to be a part of God’s work in the world, a part of God’s radical work of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God, a part of God’s “conspiracy” to make all things new.

We’ll walk through the Season of Advent together at Soul Café. Since we’re out of our space on Oak and not yet in our new space in the Heights at 12th and Taylor. Please contact Jill Rowland directly for more information and where we will be meeting at 541-490-3273.

Dates:

Thursdays, December 6, 13, and 20
6:00pm - Appetizer Potluck (beverages provided)
6:30pm - 7:30pm Advent Reflections & Prayer

Side Note from Jill: This past Saturday morning, I had a chance to sit down and read The Oregonian. Although I would like to say it’s something I get to do every day, it’s not. I’m doing well when I keep up with the twice-a-week Hood River News!

I was intrigued by a headline in one of the sections of The Oregonian:; it read “Advent Conspiracy.” (Click here to read article) It seems there are some pastors in the Portland area who are encouraging their congregations to fight the consumerism that takes over the holiday season through the Advent Conspiracy. Their challenge: Spend less on Christmas, give relational gifts and donate the money saved to the poor. Last year, three congregations collected $430,000 and gave most of that to Living Water International, a nonprofit project that digs wells in the Third World.

Blessings to all of you,

Jill Rowland

11-16-07 - FREE Community Thanksgiving Meal!
Join Soul Cafe at the Riverside Community Church at 4th and State Streets, Hood River, OR, on Thursday, November 22, 2007 from 1pm-4pm for our annual FREE Community Thanksgiving Meal. Bring your family and friends for a great meal with good company!

Take out boxes will be available for delivery to those who can't make it out. Delivery service is also available. Call Cathi Lannon at 806-2738 by Tuesday, November 20th to arrange deliver.

For more information, call 541-490-3273 or email at soulcaferev@charter.net

11-06-07 - Soul Cafe Moving to the Heights
Soul Cafe will move from its current Oak Street location at the end of October.

"We are very excited about our new location which will not be available until January 1, 2008 in the Heights. The new location is more accessible to residents of the Hood River area and has parking available," said Jill Rowland, Soul Cafe mission director.

"We will reopen this winter with the full range of youth activities, Sunday suppers, Thursday book discussions and other programs to serve our community." Participation in Soul Cafe programs has increased dramatically in the past six months.

Donors have offered a $5,000 challenge grant to help offset the costs of moving and setting up the new location. Anyone interested in volunteering, contributing, or asking questions can call Chenoweth at 541-354-5665.

The date of reopening will be announced later this year.

6-8-07 - Soul Cafe's New Home!
Walk around downtown on a weekend, and you will find youth all around. When asked, most will say they would like a place to go. Soul Café is excited to announce a partnership of business owners and nonprofit to create a sustainable community resource in downtown Hood River—a place for youth to go. Through a partnership with local restaurateurs Tom and Holly Wood, Soul Café will move and be open seven days a week to focus on providing directed activities for middle and high school age youth.

The community is invited to a preview party at the new Soul Café space (112 Oak between Discover Bicycles and Taco Del Mar) on Thursday, June 14, 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

A youth coffeehouse will operate three evenings a week during the summer and holiday breaks and on Friday evenings during the school year. In addition, after-school mentoring will be offered during the school year. A youth advisory board is being formed to envision, plan and implement monthly discussion topics, and service and recreational activities.

Since 2003, Soul Café has been operated by a dedicated group of volunteers, allowing the café to be open for just a few days each week. The new location will staff and operate a quaint and inspiring café, and the business will allow the non-profit Soul Cafe to focus on community-building activities, working with youth and families, and continuing to provide their Sunday Suppers, a free weekly community meal. “So often, people say to me, ‘I stopped by Soul Café the other day, but you weren’t open,’” says Jill Rowland, a founding Soul Café board member. “This partnership with Tom and Holly Wood gives us the ability to do what we couldn’t do on our own: provide a center that encourages authentic community for people of all ages.”

The partnership with Soul Café allows the Woods to continue mentoring young people—something that has always been close to their hearts. “To share an experience with a young person, to support and inspire them to create a good life is fulfilling,” say Tom and Holly Wood. “To connect with them can be difficult, but to create a community with them is priceless and sets the foundation for the Hood River our children will be proud of.”

We look forward to seeing you!

4-2-07 - This week's update:
Thursday, April 5: This Thursday is Maundy Thursday. The word, “Maundy,” comes from the Latin word, mandatum, which means commandment. On Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus’ new commandment given to his disciples to “love one another even as I have loved you” (John 13:34). We remember how Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and shared a meal of bread and wine with them: “This is my body given for you. This is my blood shed for you.”

This Thursday, we will not gather for our usual potluck and discussion. Rather, we will meet at Soul Café at 6:30pm and carpool to Bethel UCC in White Salmon where we will celebrate Maundy Thursday with our friends from Bethel UCC and Riverside UCC. (The worship service will begin at 7pm.)

Friday, April 6 7pm Good Friday Service at Hood River Valley Christian Church

Saturday,April 7 We will be gathering this Saturday at 6:30pm at Soul Café for Thin Places.

Sunday, April 8 Soul Café closed—no Sunday Suppers

2-25-07 - Thin Places Gathers Every Saturday Through April 14, 2007
Just a reminder that we will gather for Thin Places every Saturday through the Saturday after Easter—at Soul Café at 6:30pm. Our time will be focused on In New Wineskins: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving, and Saints. We will be invited to re-imagine these things by reading and listening to reflections from Joan Chittister and Robert Ellsberg and sharing our thoughts and experiences. Last night was no exception. Here’s an excerpt from Joan Chittister’s reflection:

The function of prayer is to change my own mind, to put on the mind of Christ, to enable grace to break into me. When prayer is privatized religion on a spree, it’s not prayer. Contemplative prayer, converting prayer, is prayer that sees the whole world through incense—a holy place, a place where the sacred dwells, a place to be made different by those who pray, a place where God sweetens living with the beauty of all life. Contemplative prayer is prayer that leads us to see our world through the eyes of God. It unstops our ears to hear the poverty of widows, the loneliness of widowers, the cry of women, the vulnerability of children, the struggle of outcasts, the humanity of enemies, the insights of the uneducated, the tensions of bureaucrats, the fears of rulers, the wisdom of the holy, the power of the powerless.

So join us as we walk the Lenten journey to Easter together. If you have a “favorite” prayer, bring it with you next week.

May you see the whole world through incense this week and always—a holy place where the sacred lives and God sweetens living with the beauty of all life! And may we be made different by all those who pray!

Peace,

Jill

1/19/07 - Thin Places Worship
Hi, everyone. Just a reminder about the Thin Places worship service tomorrow night at 6:30pm. Also, the discussion group resumes this coming Thursday. Please RSVP to let us know whether you’ll be there on Thursday. If you don’t have a copy of Borg’s book yet, we can fix you up with copies of the reading until you get one. See you tomorrow night and Thursday!

Jill

Saturday, January 20
6:30pm Thin Places Worship at Asbury United Methodist Church on State Street in Hood River
Theme: Epiphany—Jill will share a message. Bring your favorite readings and/or music to share.

Thursday, January 25 – Thursday, April 19
Potluck 5:30pm
6:30pm Discussion: Experiencing the Heart of Christianity

You’ll need to order Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity—it’s available in paperback. If you won’t have it by Thursday, January 25, let me know, and I can make copies of the materials that you’ll need.

1/15/07 - Discussion Groups and Thin Places Worship
Hello, everyone. The Thursday potluck and discussion resumes this Thursday, January 18. See the information below. Thin Places worship gathers on Saturday, January 20. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Blessings in this new year!

Jill

Thursday, January 18
5:30pm Potluck resumes
6:30pm Discussion resumes—we’ll catch up with one another after being “on break” for the holidays

Saturday, January 20
6:30pm Thin Places Worship at Asbury United Methodist Church on State Street in Hood River
Theme: Epiphany—Jill will share a message. Bring your favorite readings and/or music to share.

Thursday, January 25 – Thursday, April 19
Potluck 5:30pm
6:30pm Discussion: Experiencing the Heart of Christianity

You’ll need to order Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity—it’s available in paperback. If you won’t have it by Thursday, January 25, let me know, and I can make copies of the materials that you’ll need.

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