The "Community" in Munich

Normally I would be posting tomorrow's prayer about now, but that feature is on hiatus this week. I'm not preaching tomorrow, nor am I leading the prayers of the church. Instead I will be leading a class tomorrow morning for people who want to know more about Grandview.

Yesterday, though, I had the rare opportunity (thanks to Fred Norris) to spend time with Chris Bartchy, who (with his wife and two daughters) is a member of a unique community of faith in Munich, Germany. Chris's sister, Beth, is an elder at Grandview.

Below is a picture of Chris as he explains how the community works and lives together. One of the things that makes this community unique is that besides being a commune, of sorts, they maintain private property. Here is Dr. Norris (retired professor of Christian Doctrine and Missions at ESR), engrossed in the discussion.

Here is Mike Sweeney (professor of missions at ESR), similarly engrossed.

Here is the whole crew (minus myself!). Left to right is Jack Holland (professor of counseling), Mike Sweeney, Jerry Headen (missionary to Thailand), Kip Elolia (professor of Christian Doctrine at ESR), Ted Thomas (humanities professor at Milligan College), Chris, and Fred.

We enjoyed a nice Alta Cucina lunch (one of my favorites!) and tried to wrap our little brains around how this community in Munich (which is part of the Roman Catholic Church) functions.