In the house today... a whole lotta folks...

The place was abuzz today with tons of folks -- we can't begin to name them all here...



But check out the cafe's photo-pool, and you'll see friends from way back... and friends of the cafe starting today. Folks from Texas. And folks from New York. [continued at UBcafe photo-pool]

[When are we going to see YOU here? **smile**]

Unleavened Bread Cafe -- "Food for the stomach and soul".... "Where smiles & hugs are free".

'Ask Anything Saturday' TV...

Get ready. It's coming...

Ask Anything Saturday TV.

"In all humility, we assert that between our entire network of friends, WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTION. Try us."

Coming soon to an internet tv near you. Stay tuned.

[Fact is, we'll be demonstrating the power of social-networking friendships, by interviewing many different friends & visitors at the cafe each Saturday. And we'll be inviting some web-cam cohosts out in the burbs... or maybe even across the country if we need to... to answer people's questions. ]

[Looking to HELP?]

Monday evening's MFC meeting at Tab

[click to zoom in]

Here's a photo from the neighborhood meeting held Monday evening at Tab. The meeting was conducted by the Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corp, in conjunction with the Mid-North Church Council and the goodwill of the people of the neighborhood.

Discussion tables were arranged topically, including... Service, Economic Development, Parks, Infrastructure and Security. Each table was well prepared with a helpful SAVI neighborhood map reflecting key items related to their topic.

The meeting was very well done... with possibly one notable exception. Almost every table's reported conclusions included some reference to the need for a centralized mechanism for information exchange. And while our table (Service) specifically discussed the 'Ask Anything Saturday' wiki as a helpful collaborative tool that could be used, in the end that was not reported to the larger group. Perhaps this reflects once again the problem we're trying to help solve at the cafe... These low-cost internet solutions are rarely understood or considered particularly useful by the people who need them most.

Thanksgiving Together...

[click for slideshow]

The neighborhood celebrated Thanksgiving together today (Saturday). God is good... all the time. Lots to be thankful for. Perhaps especially, a great little cafe in the neighborhood where people can get together year-round.

[click for the slideshow]

Peter's House ministry co-op

William Ross, "Peter's House"

We've enjoyed getting to know William Ross, founder of "Peter's House" housing co-op here in the neighborhood.

William is one highly-collaborative guy. Here's a wiki-page we're working on to see what's to be learned from this innovative housing effort here.

Visit the "Peter's House" photo pool.

Free Wheelin' Open House... Today

See the photo-pool from today's open house at Tab, for the "Free Wheelin" neighborhood earn-a-bike ministry.

The bike ministry is a Mapleton Fall Creek neighborhood cooperative... directed by Nancy Stimson... and facilitated via Broadway United Methodist, Tabernacle Presbyterian, and the Unleavened Bread Cafe.

More about Free Wheelin'.

Free-wheelin'... Open House this Saturday... Nov. 17

[per email from Nancy Stimson]



"Dear friends and neighbors,

You all know about Freewheelin' Community Bike Co-op. It's a great place for kids to come and learn about bikes and much more, and for the neighborhood to come for repairs and great "re-newed" old bikes to ride! This Saturday, we're having an open house! We hope you can come - and bring your friends and neighbors. The invitation is attached with details. Feel free to print out several copies and spread them around - in fact, we'd appreciate it! Thanks for being there for us!

Yours,

Nancy"

[See FLYER for complete details.]

Also... meet Joshua Weir...




[Click here to see EVENT FLYER for complete details.]


More about 'Free Wheelin' Community Bike Project and how YOU can help these kids... [click]

Geeks In The House..... Praise God.

We're really thankful for the techs that show up at the cafe to help out for 'Ask Anything Saturday'. For example, today Alex Conner helped us a ton by trouble-shooting our wireless internet and curing the issue.



Alex is one of the 'Indy Christian Geeks' who are now getting together monthly for fellowship, learning and brainstorming ways to help the kingdom by using new media tools. [Stay tuned for announcements about 'BarCamp Indy'.]

In fact, he's now using his blogsite to produce training videos for some things you might want to know about out here on the 'information highway'. Stop in at his website and check 'em out.

Btw, a special thanks goes out to Alex's tech instructor at IUPUI... Dr. Thomas Ho... who put out the alert for cafe help today. [I guess so much of this just comes down to the cafe's GREAT HEARTS & GREAT CONNECTIONS!]

Or check out other new photos of some neat folks 'in the house' today.... [click to the UBcafe Flickr Pool]

Neighborhood Discussion... Nov. 19th

The below info pertains to the Mapleton Fall Creek neighborhood. Here's our wiki full of key links re our neighborhood.


[Read on... per email copy]

Subject: Neighborhood Planning Meeting Nov 19

Plans are coming together for the MFCDC’s Community PlanningMeeting!

TAB has graciously agreed to host the meeting on November 19th, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Please help us get the word out bycirculating the attached information to your church or association membership,or anyone else who has an interest in the future of Mapleton-Fall Creek.

The meeting will begin with a presentation by De’Amon Harges(invited) regarding some of his findings as a “roving listener” in theMapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood. Thiswill be followed by roundtable discussions on a variety of topics: Economic Development, Greenspace/Parks,Infrastructure, Housing, Others? Thediscussions will focus on current neighborhood assets, a vision for the futureand steps to achieve that vision. Wewill be looking for both long-term goals and some immediate action items tohelp guide the MFCDC set its agenda for 2008 and beyond.

We are looking for volunteers to help with the following:

· Design a flyer promoting the event
· Distribute the flyer
· Solicit and make arrangements for lightrefreshments
· Signage
· Spreading the word/Promoting the event

On November 19th, we will need help with thefollowing:

· Set Up
· Greeting/Registration
· Table Discussion Leaders/Facilitators
· Table Scribes
· Clean Up

Many hands make light work! If you can help with any of the above tasks, please let me know.

Sally Spiers

In the house... today...

'New' faces in the house today...



My good friend, Ian Hookfin, is back 'in the house' at the cafe today. God working through him, Ian was the one who introduced me to the cafe... back in 2000. He was the Community Ministries director when I came to work at Tab and we quickly became friends.

[The then-pastor disparagingly referred to us as... "oh you fundamentalists". LOL. But that's a story for another day.]

Anyway, one day Ian said to me, "So ya wanna do urban ministry, do you? Well get in the car."

Ian drove me up and down the narrow streets near the church, and at one point pulled over to the curb on a pretty desolate corner... 30th x Central Ave... and said, "Get out".

I said in shock, "Say WHAT?"

He clarified... "Get out, we're going in. This is the Unleavened Bread Cafe. You're gonna love it."

[And love it I did. And love it I do.]

It was so good to see him again -- it's been way too long. He's now a PT (physical trainer) up in Carmel, and one of our techs at the cafe was able to help Ian with some web stuff....



[Bryan Rohrer, Internet Design Works, was back in the house today too. Thanks Bryan!]




Gloria & Brian Carter were also 'in the house' today. Brian's a DJ... traveling under the name "Bloodwashed!". He's also involved in the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, which helps optimally train urban youth leaders. I think Brian's been here lots of times before, and I'd met him before... but this is OFFICIAL now, because we have their 'photo at the banner'.

[So ya'll come... any Saturday... 10am. You're not 'official' til we get your picture 'at the banner' and upload it among all the cafe photos of our other friends!]

Video: "A Girl Like Me"

We're going to talk about this during our Friday morning Bible-study here at the cafe... Y'all come.

Hey, David, a new writer at the UBCafe

Neil and I are here at the cafe and I am learning about blogging. There is an awesome bible-study underway on fridays at the cafe dealing with racism in the church, where did it come from and how do we get it to go away?

My favorite site is... The Cause.

Cafe Board Meeting...

While 'board meetings' often get the rap of being 'bored meetings' (LOL)... this particular board (of the cafe ministry here) is EXCITING... as we see what God has done and is doing. The 'business' of the cafe is to do whatever we have to do to keep the hospitable front-door open... and we pray God will continue doing the rest.

New Urban Blogger... Pastor Bryan Hudson

"Today, I am joining the blogging community! Like a baby, a web log (the full name of "blog") require lots of care and feeding. It's not something I wanted to start before I was ready to commit to maintaining it. Well, I'm ready to do this!

My friends know..." [continued at Bryan's Blog]

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Bryan is also the lead instructor for "New Media for Urban Change"... at the Center For Urban Innovation. Co-instructors are Neil Cox & Hosea Baxter.

Names & Faces...

Travis Davis & Shelley Webster

How are we going to get to know... and remember... other people... without PICTURES?

It's one of the things we do each Saturday morning at the cafe -- we get to know one another... and we take pictures. And just as the pictures are all different from each other... so are the people. We're all different. But very typically, Christ is the common bond at the cafe. The 'level playing field' is at the foot of the cross.

Here are the latest photos from the cafe.



Btw, you can ALWAYS get to our pix via this 'badge' in our sidebar at right.

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If names & faces are important... then you can quickly see why Facebook.com has become sooooo popular these days. A number of our people this morning got their Facebook ID's -- thanks to Stephen & Tom helping out. And while Facebook itself is open to anyone, Christians are using it a ton these days... to connect & communicate. Example: 'City Reaching Movement'. Or CCDA 'group'.

[If YOU'RE not yet in Facebook, but would like to be... come on by the cafe for "Ask Anything Saturday"... 10am. We'll be glad to try to help get you connected. But remember... it's 'Each One Teach One'... so be sure to then help someone else get involved.]

In the house today... Author Melvin Fleming

Newly published workbook for faith-based mentoring... "Mission POSSIBLE"... by Rev. Melvin Fleming, Outreach Pastor at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church here in Indianapolis.

"MISSION:Possible! A Faith-based Mentoring Workbook is a workbook for Pastors, Christian Youth Leaders, Men's Groups, Missionary Groups and Evangelism Ministries.

The Mentoring process should not be taken lightly and this workbook is designed to meet the requirements of a structured program with staff meetings, progress notes, weekly reports, and a discharge summary. This workbook will help your group with lessons for the staff meetings, and an accountability process to evaluate the success of your program.

This workbook is an excellent tool for mentoring our troubled youth. The lessons on "Feelings", "Learning Styles," and "Where do I fit in the family" are designed to prick the hearts and mind or our youth, and make sure they do not become a part of a "lost generation."

This workbook has the flexibility to fit the urban setting or the suburban setting; saved and unsaved, rich or poor, black or white, learned and unlearned.



I, Reverend Melvin Fleming am currently the Outreach Pastor of the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church. My parents, Deacon Thomas and Sister Mary Fleming, introduced me and my other sister and brothers, Jimmy, Marilyn, DeWayne and Eric, to Jesus Christ. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior at Emmanuel in 1964, and was baptized there. My mentoring experience began in 2001 under the direction of the late Rev. Ananias Robinson and the Rev. Mel Jackson. They held a training session on Drug and Alcohol Addictions counseling at Emmanuel and my current Pastor, Rev. Darryl K. Webster encouraged me to attend My wife is Patricia Fleming and my son; Patrick has two lovely children, Tahj and Raven. We, as a family believe, "And we know, All things work together for the good, to them that love GOD, to those who are the called, according to HIS purpose" Romans 8:28. "

Urban Projects Day Interview: Neil Hunt

We'll be running some of the mp3 interviews that Esther did on Urban Projects Day...



Here's an interview with Neil Hunt, one of the cafe's newest friends...

Listen in.

We don't want to start rumors.... BUT....

This morning at the cafe we were discussing the distinction of 'new media' (typically user-level media... including 'bloggers') vs. 'mainstream media' (newspaper, magazines, tv, etc.). One distinction is that somewhat often, 'bloggers' will break a story even before the mainstream media picks it up. There are many classic examples. But there is also an ongoing intimation by mainstream media (MSM) that the quality or veracity of bloggers' stories should be highly suspect. In that vein of controversy, we now run the following tidbit from the cafe...



Wonder what this crush of paparazzi at the cafe are zero'ing in on???

Click to visit the cafe's collection of photos at Flicker, and see if you can figure out which one is our 'scoop' story in the making.

Disclaimer: We don't want to start rumors, but here's a hint..... [click]

Picture Worth A Thousand Words?

Gotta love this pic, from Faith Hope & Love Week's Urban Projects Day recently at the cafe.


[click for better view - David Woodrupp & Neil Hunt]

It's like the picture of the Mona Lisa... you just never know...

• Angry?
• Listening carefully?
• Stare-down contest?
• "What are you intimating?"
• "Why'd you take MY water?"
• "How are we going to settle this?
• "Now that we're all happy, how on earth are we going to reconcile OTHER believers?"
• "Hmmm. What's our next step, Brother?"
  

Bottom line: Hospitality as a cross-cultural mixing place... That's one of the great elements of the Unleavened Bread Cafe. Come get to know people NOT like yourself? Care about others! Pray & plan together to make a difference in our city... on our watch.

Urban Projects Day 'Fotos'

FotosByCheri.com

More photos from 'Faith Hope & Love' Week here in Indy.... [continued]

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Special thanks to our team of 'embedded reporters'. Join them?