Who We Are

Who or What is Morning Blend? 

It is sometimes hard to put a finger on what defines a group. We chose the name "Morning Blend" because...well, we meet in the morning...and we are a diverse "blend" of women. We are a blend of single and married women, mothers and grandmothers, younger and older, from a variety family backgrounds, church affiliations, and life experiences. 

We meet together for a beautiful blend of fellowship, prayer, study...and some good treats! We are a group that enjoys digging into tough topics and meaty Bible studies, while building relationships with each other and building a community of care and support for our members. We work together to make the study productive, each of us bringing discussion, thoughts, and ideas to the table. What makes Morning Blend so unique and strong is the participation of everyone in the group. As a group we have always shared responsibility for everything from choosing studies and carrying the discussion, to making sure we have child care and a coffee pot.  

We welcome new members and look forward to what each person adds to the Blend!

September 2014

October 2015

 

 

Child care is provided, too! Yay!

September 2014

October 2015

This blog is another forum for us to continue the discussion, and to share links, resources, alternate perspectives, and opinions. It is a place to share information and is not THE endorsed perspective of any particular person or the church where we meet.

Meet the Hosts of the Covenant Bible Study

The 24 weeks of the Covenant Bible Study are hosted by Christine Chakoian and Shane Stanford. 

Christine Chakoian is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and McCormick Theological Seminary. She is currently the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lake Forest, Illinois - the largest congregation of the Presbyterian Church. Here's what her church website has to say about her:

Christine (Chris) has headed First Presbyterian since 2005. She enjoys serving as our primary spiritual leader and is committed to “equipping the saints” for daily life. In addition to preaching, teaching and pastoral care, she is a prolific author. Her book, Worship, Fellowship, and the Work of the Kingdom, explores the history of our over 150–year-old congregation; her more recent book, Cryptomnesia: How a Forgotten Memory Could Save the Church, shows how challenges facing Christianity are similar to the early church’s. She is the video co-host of Abingdon Press’s “Covenant Bible Study” and a frequent speaker on “30 Good Minutes.” Chris is married to John Shustitzky and they have a daughter, Anna. (https://firstchurchlf.org/staff/)

The article Inside the Thriving Ministry of Lake Forest's Christine McCormick, gives a bit more on Chakoian's personality and values: 

Staying in the same Presbyterian circles with people who all think along similar lines can lead to narrow-mindedness, Chakoian said. She found discussing ideas and struggles with a more diverse group of peers in her cohort group extremely helpful as she moved from one congregation to another.

And...

"A believer in Barth’s idea that faith should be expressed with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other, Chakoian challenges those in her congregation to engage the world that God loves."

*****

Shane Stanford is a graduate of Ashbury Seminary and Duke Divinity School. He is currently the pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee (since 2011). From his teaching and resource ministry, Making Life Matter, website I have gathered "Five Fast Fact" (in the spirit of the Animate studies!):

1) Stanford serves as the Co-Host (with Dr. Maxie Dunnam) of We Believe in Memphis, a issues, interview based television program in the Memphis metro area. 

2) He is the author of numerous books. Most recently:  What the Prayers of Jesus Tell Us About the Heart of God. Abingdon, and scheduled to publish in 2017:  If You Heart Is Like My Heart.  Leaf wood Publishers.

3) Stanford is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and a member in full connection of the Memphis Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  

4) Dr. Stanford travels extensively sharing his personal testimony as an HIV and Hep C positive hemophiliac.  He has spoken across the nation including at the 2006 Saddleback Global AIDS Summit in California and at the Global Gathering for AIDS Awareness in Texas. 

5) Dr. Stanford is married to his highschool sweetheart, Dr. Pokey Stanford, and they are the parents of three children—Sarai Grace (19), Juli Anna (16) and Emma Leigh (11). 

A much more complete biography can be found at the "Making Life Matter" link above.

Covenant Bible Study

What's brewing at Morning Blend? 

Starting September 14th, 2016 we will begin the first segment of the Covenant Bible Study, a 24-session series divided into three 8-session segments. This first segment is called "Creating." From the Cokesbury website: 

Creating the Covenant, examines how the covenant community is created and established—highlighting several examples throughout scripture. 

It discusses the story of our origins in Genesis, the Exodus narrative, the teachings of Moses, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, as well as other books from each Testament that focus on the foundation of Christian faith. 

In doing so, it lays out the framework for a life lived in concert with God and others.

As a whole, the Covenant Bible Study takes participants through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is our plan to cover the second and third segments of the study over the course of the study year.

Photo shoot at Amy's

You never know what  morning with the ladies from Morning Blend Bible Study might bring.

On Wednesday, Aug. 24, we meet in Amy's backyard and modeled some of the beautiful prayer shawls that Julie crocheted. If you're interested in a piece, let her know!

Julie

Photos by Tesha M. Christensen