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i've mentioned a couple of times how cool our community group experience has been here in boston with reunion.  so, i thought i'd introduce (with permission) three of our new/good friends.

jenna...grew up outside of buffalo, ny.  she went to college in ny as well, at a small christian college.  she moved to boston this summer, after graduating, to join the AmeriCorps program City Year.  it has been a difficult year of transition for her as she has had to deal with some intensely personal issues surrounding her identity.  it would have been super easy for her to check out of everything, but she has stayed very much engaged in our community group.  she calls our group "the highlight of her week," and has grown fascinated with the concept of community.  her struggles this year have taken her away from City Year, but she has recently made the decision to stay in boston for another year and serve in some capacity that helps her more fully understand the vision for community that she is developing.

caleb...is a local from the Dot (shorthand for dorchester).  he grew up in the church but essentially gave up on christianity after high school when he joined the navy.  after doing his four years he has returned to dorchester and is attending Umass-Boston (which is five minutes away from our house).  since coming back to boston he has reengaged Jesus and the church.  it's been fantastic to watch him grow so much in the past four or five months.  he loves scripture and genuinely cares for the other people in our group.  he has also agreed to be my apprentice (kind of a small group leading in training sort of thing), which i am stoked about!

kaitlin...another sort-of-local (quincy, one town over) just graduated from the University of Delaware and moved home.  she is from a self-professing atheist family.  the first sunday she visited reunion she white-lied and told her parents she was "going out" because she was too afraid to tell them she was going to church =).  needless to say, the concepts of following Jesus, church, community groups, and reading scripture is all new to her and she shares some of the freshest perspectives and best questions with us every week.  she also has struggled with the "post-college" transition and seems to take real joy in having a group of friends, even weird, community group friends!  

we'd love it if you would continue praying for our community group and the life change that is happening there.  i know jenna, caleb, and kaitlin would appreciate it!

peace