Community Supper

Next Community Supper

Friday, April 4, 2025

Topic: Dissertation Presentations and News from the Theological School

Speakers: TJ Jackson, Daniel Calvo, Rev. Scott Frazier

Two graduating theologs, TJ Jackson and Daniel Calvo, will talk about their dissertations.

TJ will present on "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin." TJ writes, "We know that hatred is wrong and harmful, but what if we are hating evil? Is Love the opposite of Hate, and does that mean that in loving good, we are to hate evil? This dissertation takes a linguistic, historical, and doctrinal approach to answer these questions."

Daniel will present on "The Human Memory in the Heavenly Doctrine." Daniel writes, "Our memory is the receptacle of our thoughts, feelings, and experiences as we go through life in this world. Recent scientific developments in neurology have brought fascinating insights into how we understand the workings of the human memory in our brain. What do the Heavenly Doctrines have to say about the memory, and how do they relate to our development as human beings?"

Once TJ and Daniel have answered questions from the crowd, the Rev. Scott Frazier, the incoming Dean of the Bryn Athyn College Theological School, will present on the theological school.

Click to view a promo video for the upcoming Community Supper.

About the Speakers

TJ Jackson
TJ Jackson is 25, and has been a resident of Bryn Athyn and its education system for most of his life. He has been a student of theology at Bryn Athyn College for years, following a BA in Religion with his current work on a Masters of Divinity. In the gaps between school he has worked in food service, stonemasonry, and IT. In his studies he has developed an appreciation for the systematic nature of theology and its permeation into every aspect of daily life.

Daniel Calvo
Dan Calvo is a theologue from Havana, Cuba, who has lived in Bryn Athyn since 2019. He graduated from Bryn Athyn College with a BA in Religion with minors in History and English, and will graduate from the Theological School with a Masters of Divinity degree in 2025. He is fluent in Spanish and English and has worked as an editor and translator for the Swedenborg Foundation since 2020.

Rev. Scott Frazier
Scott Frazier has been a college professor since 1998 and will soon be moving to the Theological School. He preaches occasionally and until recently has been the chair of the Religion, Philosophy, and Sacred Languages department at Bryn Athyn College of the New Church. His teaching has focused on the Old and New Testament, Divine Love and Wisdom, and studies on the Last Judgment.

Food

Supper - Bring Your Own

Bring your own food from home or takeout from a local restaurant. We will NOT be offering boxed meals at this event.

If you would enjoy bringing some supper to share with others around you, that’s great but it’s not expected or required.

Important Note

We no longer have a working kitchen in Heilman Hall so the only food and drinks at this event will be those you bring. Please bring your own meal and whatever drinks (including tea and coffee), silverware, and paper goods you will need.

Potluck Dessert

If you're able to, please bring a dessert to share (it doesn't have to be homemade). The church will provide a few store-bought desserts.

Alcohol:

BYOB

Room Layout

There will be long, rectangular tables running from the back of Heilman Hall up to the stage. This means that everyone can sit with the people they came with and also be together at the same table with a larger group.

Childcare - No Childcare Provided But Babysitting Subsidy Available

We have not provided childcare for past Community Suppers. We would love to have as many parents attend as possible. We are happy to contribute $20 towards babysitting costs; please let us know if you would like help with that. In the future, we may be able to provide childcare for certain age groups. We might have one of the Community Suppers in a year be an all-ages supper. Stay tuned and let us know what you would like or, even better, let us know what you would like to be part of helping to make happen.

7^th Grade and Up Invited

We invite people in 7^th Grade and up to attend. Teenagers will be expected to stay with their parents for the duration of the evening (not eat quickly and then go outside to hang out with their friends). We don't want unsupervised teenagers wandering around the property. The point is for teenagers to come and be part of the Community Supper, from the beginning to the end. We will leave it to parents to determine whether their teenagers would enjoy coming to this event and being part of conversations with adults or not.

Program for the Evening

Here's the rough schedule of how things will go:

5:30 pm - Doors open
6:00 pm - Welcome, introduction, blessing, eating supper
6:30 pm - TJ Jackson's Presentation
6:45 pm - Daniel Calvo's Presentation
7:00 pm - Break for Dessert
7:15 pm - Q&A with TJ and then Daniel
7:30 pm - Rev. Scott Frazier's Presentation
7:40 pm - Q&A with Rev. Frazier
8:00 pm - End of the formal program
After 8:00 pm - Plenty of time for jolly, informal hanging out for those that choose to linger.

All of these times are approximate.

What if I just want to come listen to the speakers?

Sitting and talking with other people is a big part of the point of these evenings, however, if you're only able to come for the program this time, come a little before 6:30 pm and leave whenever you need to.

RSVP - Not Required

You do not have to RSVP to come to the Community Supper. You can decide at the last minute to come, even if you haven't told anyone that you were planning to come.

Recorded But Not Live-streamed

We will record this Community Supper and put an edited version of it on the Bryn Athyn YouTube channel (youtube.com/BrynAthynChurch) the following week. We do not live-stream these events.

Past Community Suppers

Friday, February 28, 2025
Topic: "Connections Through Conversation: A Community Supper with Interactive Games"
Speakers: Nina Dewees, Amy Glenn, Christine McDonald, Jahnna Henderson
Friday, January 31, 2025
Topic: "Swedenborg as Memento Mori: Using the Seer to See Ourselves"
Speaker: Rev. Christopher Barber
Watch on YouTube
Friday, October 4, 2024
Topic: "The Strange History of Some Hymns"
Speaker: Dr. Graham Bier
Watch on YouTube
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Topic: "Weird Americans (and How to Stop Being One)"
Speaker: Dr. Greg Rose
Watch on YouTube.
Friday, January 26, 2024
Topic: "Is There a Thirst for Swedenborg in the World Today?"
Speaker: Curtis Childs
Watch on YouTube
Saturday, November 11, 2023
Topic: "The Four Gospels: A New Perspective"
Speakers: Rev. Dr. Ray & Star Silverman
Watch on YouTube.
Friday, October 6, 2023
Topic: “Artificial Intelligence from a New Church Perspective”
Speakers: Rev. Stephen Cole & Zach Odhner
Watch on YouTube.
Read a few passages shared by Rev. Stephen Cole in anticipation of the Community Supper discussion.

The Vision for Community Suppers (from when they started in 2023)

We’re wanting to build community—to take a “big tent” approach to congregational life by laying aside our differences so that we may gather together for purposes bigger than our individual wants and needs. As a church community, we need each other more than ever. We’re living in an increasingly fractured, polarized world that too often pits us against each other unnecessarily. The church has a unique role in serving as a safe haven, a sanctuary, to gather people together under the banner of the Lord in His second coming and it is our hope, our prayer, that these new Community Suppers serve that end.

In True Christianity 433 the Lord describes "feasts of charity" that happened in the early days of the Christian Church that "were instituted to lift and unite Christians' hearts and spirits." The passage goes on to say that "While they were at the table, they would have conversations on various subjects—both domestic and civic issues. In particular, they would discuss topics related to the church. .... The spiritual atmosphere that prevailed during these feasts was an atmosphere of love for the Lord and for their neighbor. This atmosphere would lift their individual minds, soften their tones of voice, and allow a celebratory feeling from deep in their hearts to fill their senses." We pray that the Lord will bless our Community Suppers with that same atmosphere of charity.

Upcoming Community Supper Dates

Feedback

If you have thoughts, questions, or suggestions about any of this, please email derek.elphick@brynathynchurch.org.