A Gathering Space for: Conversation, Connection, Community Change.

Season of Celebration

Last week a dear friend of mine reached out to me for inspiration.“What does Juneteenth mean to you?”For me the answer was simple. It’s about freedom and humanity.Last year, after the…

What Are You Here For?

Have you ever answered our post-it wall question?Upon entry into The Cafe you are encountered by a question.Your answer is then affixed to a plexiglass wall for all to see–as they compose…

Summertime is here!

The summer season is upon us and for the first time in quite a while, families and friends are gathering in major ways.I just kicked off my summer with a…

Is Evil Winning?

(See Hyde Park’s pastoral statement at the end of this message)Many congregations gathered on Monday at The Portico for the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality‘s Justice Ministry Celebration. We…

Gathering Gatherers for The Gathering

Gathering Gatherers for The Gathering. Say that 3 times fast. It is a tongue twister. As The Portico Leadership team is planning and preparing for the fall weekly worship launch.…

What Dreams May Come

When I began to think about this week’s cover letter, I was in a more optimistic space.I was ready to share a great discovery I had just made about one…

Stop and Smell the Roses

Have you stopped to smell the roses? Here’s what I mean: When was the last time that you paused to celebrate transformation in your life, in a loved one’s life,…

Road to Victory: Celebrating Year Five

It’s our anniversary.After five years of operation, I’m so proud to announce that The Portico Cafe is still in business.In short, we have survived: In spite of the shutdown In…

New Name & Time

Friday ContemplationThings are cooking at The Portico. Here are a number of the exciting developments that I hope you will be a part of:New Time & Name. The Gathering meets…

Check it out!

I have never been so excited over something so mundane: new carpet.We’ve had a number of facility improvement projects on campus since our launch in 2017. This includes everything from new street…