Eikon Church - Little Rock, AR

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you’re invited: preview our new space this sunday night Posted by Ryan Byrd 08.13.2010 1:36 pm

despite it being relatively quick notice, we’re excited to share with everyone about our preview gathering this sunday night at our new building. we recently shared about the big changes occurring here at eikon and we’ve really been glad to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many sharing in our excitement. if you haven’t heard about the changes, take a minute to read through last week’s post.

while we won’t be making the official, permanent move to the new space until september 12, we’re having a preview of the the new space and the new direction this sunday night. we’ll no doubt have a few kinks and a few moments of playing it by ear, but we hope to offer a fairly fully-realized version of what we’ll be doing beginning on a weekly basis in september. at 6 p.m., we’ll serve a dinner prepared by a couple in our community (in this case, john & shannon hardin) and at about 6:45, we’ll transition into a teaching/discussion time (children will move upstairs to their own space at that time). it will be extremely casual and a great opportunity for new people to get to know a few of our people.

the new building is at 101 n. woodrow st. (a block east of the markham/kavanaugh intersection near pizza d’action). there’s a little parking available on woodrow street in front of the building and more than plenty of parking in a small gravel lot behind the building (in the frontmost yard of the arkansas school for the deaf & blind).

so, if you’ve desired to come check out eikon, there couldn’t be a better time than now. see you sunday night at 6! if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me (ryan) at ryan [at] eikonthechurch [dot] com.

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Posted in announcements, core values, events, food, gatherings, information, worship | 1 Comment »



an epic backpack. an epic meal. Posted by John Hardin 08.09.2010 8:03 am

john hardin montana backpack meal

Last week three (now) friends and I did a backpacking trek in the Beartooth Mountains of south central Montana. The only person out of my three backpacking companions I knew before the trip was my friend Thad from Nashville. He and I have known each other for only a year or so. His friend Jon lives in Bozeman, MT and largely put the trip together. Jon’s friend Mark went along too and neither Thad nor I had ever met him. The point being that the four of us didn’t start this trip out with a deep, close friendship.

Every multi-day backpacking trip has that “hardest” day and last Friday was ours. We had spent the couple days before hiking many miles in tough (but gloriously beautiful) terrain with 40 lbs each on our backs, fighting off mosquitoes that were as omnipresent as god him/her/itself, and enjoying some of the best conversation I have had in a long time.

On Friday, after already covering many mountainous miles, I fell in a cold stream and my boots were soaked. Jon accidentally threw his boots in some water while crossing. We kept going. Climbing. Bouldering. Crossing. At some point the conversation stopped and the four of us just kept putting one foot in front of the other—each within our own minds contemplating things that matter and simply persevering. We got to our original destination, Crystal Lake, and a thunderstorm hit. We decided to keep going and climb up one more ascent—our steepest of the trip—to Maryott Lake. I’m severely acrophobic and had a bona fide panic attack on the way up. Thank god I brought my Xanax with me. (More on that in a future The Wes Gazette post.)

We got to the top, found the lake, and made camp. We were exhausted. Our feet and legs were sore. My boots were still wet. Jon had blisters. And we were hungry. What happened next is one of the best memories I have of the trip.

Mark and Thad filtered water from the lake while Jon and I got ready to cook. We all changed into clean(ish) dry clothes, gathered around the stove and sipped on some scotch as the water came to a boil. First we had some dried minestrone, then some Katmandu Curry, and then topped it off with some apple cobbler. We talked about Joan Baez and trout. Bruce Springsteen and politics. The challenges of the day and anxiety issues. Our families and the condition of the world. There were plenty of laughs to go around, but also solemnity when appropriate.

Dehydrated backpacker food is not usually the best in the world, but that meal was one of the most memorable I’ve ever had. There was such a sense of accomplishment; the notion of all being in it together—dependent on one another—was strong. We looked after each other and made sure that the weakest among us (generally me) was doing alright. It was a collective even in the middle of the rugged, individualistic West and an example of what experiencing things together can do.

I mentioned that Thad was already a friend of mine, but after this trip I now consider him a close friend who I know I will have many profound conversations with in the years to come. Jon’s graciousness and willingness to put others before himself were and are an inspiration. Mark’s steadiness and Socratic style during conversations were calming. My life is now better than it was just 10 days ago because of knowing these guys.

An epic backpack. An epic meal.

I’m terribly excited about the new direction Eikon is going in. I look forward to sharing some food, memories, and some life with all of you.

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Posted in core values, food, leadership, theology | No Comments »



a new direction: announcing the new look of eikon Posted by Ryan Byrd 08.02.2010 1:29 pm

[ok, let's just go ahead and put it out there that we've got some serious blog FAIL going on here… yes friends, we're blog slackers here at eikon, but we promise guarantee swear will attempt with great fervor to update more regularly. ok, onto the news at hand…]

i love quotes. i have a running collection of them that i’ve compiled over quite some time. awhile back, i came across one that i’ve repeated several times in conversations as we’ve prepared for the next steps for eikon. novelist ellen glasgow once said,

all change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.

as we’ve prepared and planned the big changes here at eikon, we’ve steadily kept in mind that change should be forward-oriented, plotting steps to help us grow and progress as a community.

we think we’ve done that with this new direction.

last night at our weekly gathering, we laid it all out, but we wanted to share it with our online community as well. obviously, online discourse is a bit more limited than actually being a part of our gathering, but i’ll try to relay the news as close to how it occurred last night as possible.

VALUES

more than anything, change that is actually growth is steered by a set of guiding values. while you can read a more a more church-defining set of guiding theologies here, there were some specific values that led to the new direction:

• jesus as primary value
• first church values (taken from an ongoing series)
• flattened leadership
• social justice
• financial responsibility - 50/50 value
• jesus-centered community

MEETING SPACE

we’re moving! we’ve been deeply thankful for r street community church’s willingness to let us crash at their place for the past 6 months, but it’s time to move on.

the space—at 101 n. woodrow st. (near the corner of kavanaugh & markham)—will allow for a hybrid house/”traditional” church setting and atmosphere. on one hand, because of the fact that it’s a converted house, it has retained an intimate vibe that corresponds with the surrounding neighborhoods (stifft’s station, capitol view, hillcrest). on the other hand, because it’s been converted into a meeting space, it will allow for larger groups and teaching/conversation times.

additionally, it will provide upstairs round-the-clock office space, allowing for meetings, quiet space and storage). we’re also excited that the building comes equipped with a full kitchen, which will lend itself to other announcements (keep reading!).

here’s some pictures of the building (interior pics to come):

new building new building

CHILDREN

as we’ve searched for meeting spaces over the last year, one of our primary concerns was a space for children. quite frankly, some places met every single criterion we had, but was shot down due to lack of a children’s space. despite the small size of this space, we’re still excited to offer a dedicated space with structured learning and activity time for children 5 years and younger.

SHARED MEAL

as we’ve discussed in previous gatherings, there’s something transcendent, something sacred about a shared meal. now, we’ll make that a core feature of our weekly gatherings. every single week, we’ll begin our time together at 6 p.m. with a meal that’s prepared by us. whether it’s a single family, multiple families or potluck-style, each week will feature a family-style dinner.

we’re particularly interested in sustainability, recycling and waste reduction, so we’re committed to using real plates/utensils/glasses/etc and encouraging people to use locals meats/produce/etc when preparing the meals. we also think this will be a great way to involve people outside of our community. do you have a friend who loves to cook? or a friend who loves to eat? get them involved. sitting down to eat is a universally unifying experience and we hope to incorporate that into our gatherings.

TEACHING

quite frankly, it’s good to hear more than just ryan and the occasional john-led night. we want and need to hear from multiple voices with varying viewpoints and leadership styles. from “traditional” teaching to conversational times to interactive learning sessions, we hope to incorporate a wide array of gatherings that will connect with a wide array of people.

we’ll be asking a number of people to lead the teaching times. whether you think you’re a “teacher” or a “pastor” or even a leader, we’d love for varying voices to lead our discussion time together. in addition to standard teaching/discussion times, we also plan to have “open mic” nights that are open forum conversations as well as “traditional” worship nights.

GATHERINGS

we want to allow plenty of time for dinner which will include conversational time and getting-to-know-you time with others. we encourage families to eat together. whereas children are welcome to stay, we strongly encourage parents to take their children to the upstairs children’s room at 6:45. for the next hour-ish, we’ll engage in a teaching/conversation time.

GATHERINGS

we’ll continue to gather at 6 p.m. each sunday night (for those bringing food, please arrive in time so that people can begin eating at 6 p.m. sharp). we want to allow plenty of time for dinner which will include conversational time and getting-to-know-you time with others. we encourage families to eat together. whereas children are welcome to stay, we strongly encourage parents to take their children to the upstairs children’s room no later than 6:45. for the next hour-ish, we’ll engage in a teaching/conversation time.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

we’ll officially make the permanent move to our new space on sunday, september 12. in the meantime, here’s the schedule of what/where we’re doing:

august 8: regular gathering :: r street building
august 15: preview night :: new building (101 n. woodrow st.)
august 22: regular gathering :: r street building
august 29: worship night :: TBA
september 5: off for labor day (possible casual gathering somewhere)
september 12: kickoff event :: new building (101 n. woodrow st.)

so, there you have it. we’re really excited about the new direction and we think it will be an opportunity to spark growth and help us to engage much more in the way of jesus. like i said, a lot of information is just not best communicated in this format, as compared to our gathering last night. so, if you have any questions, feel free to leave comments or email me (ryan) at ryan [at] eikonthechurch [dot] com.

in the meantime, spread the word: tweet it, update it, text it, email it, blog it. maybe even tell a real life human being! :)

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Posted in announcements, childcare, core values, food, gatherings, information, leadership, little rock, social justice, worship | 5 Comments »



a 4th of july invitation Posted by John Hardin 07.02.2010 8:02 am

For those who aren’t cool enough to already have plans for 4th of July weekend, please consider settling for some burgers and hang-out time at the Hardin House on Sunday. We’ll cook/hang out and then (possibly) head down the road to Knoop Park to watch the city’s fireworks show over the river. Thanks to the awesome deal on burger patties at Whole Foods, we’ll take care of the meat*, buns & fixings. So, we’ll need the following:

  • Corn on the cob
  • Desserts
  • Traditional sides (baked beans, potato salad, etc.)*

We’ll have tea, water, pop and juice. Adult beverages welcome, but BYOB.

Kiddos are certainly welcome.

When: Sunday, July 4th. 6:00PM
Where: 2501 Kavanaugh Blvd., Apt. B†

Either email john at johnwhardin@me.com or reply to FB invitation so we can have some sense of how much food to buy. I’ll let those bringing food know as well.

*Keep in mind that when making your sides that within our group may well be vegetarians. I’ll have some black bean burgers ready to go as well.

†If, by some chance, we have a lot of folks and kids who want to come, we may change locations. I’ll make sure the word gets out if so.

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what’s missing in ch ch? ok, nevermind… Posted by Ryan Byrd 01.08.2010 4:35 pm

eikon START teamok, so let’s just begin by saying that we hereby pledge to never again invoke any of those cheeseball quotes from church marquees… alright, now that we’ve placed our hand on the bible and sworn our unwavering non-cheesy intentions, let’s move on… :)

over the course of the last 6 months, we’ve begun the process of the actual physical formation of eikon. we’ve had an incredible response and we’ve been able to connect with so many different kinds of people that we would have never guessed. over the last couple months, we’ve offered people a chance to marry their verbal intentions with a physical means of carrying them out. that process has been called the START team. in essence, it’s just a group of volunteer people who have committed to learning more about eikon and taking an active role in the start of the church.

with the dawn of 2010 (twenty-ten or two thousand ten??), we’re turning a corner in terms of the nature of the START team. whereas we’ve spent our previous sessions dealing with the theoretical aspects of eikon (i.e. why? what? who? when? etc.) and have asked for an initial, concrete commitment, we’re now asking others to join with us in the pragmatic aspect of forming a new community. what that ultimately means is mobilizing people to just do stuff. all kinds of stuff: offer further insights, seal envelopes, move chairs, fold handouts, design graphic pieces, do photography, shake hands, be a smiling face…just stuff. with the official start day (regular, weekly gatherings) for eikon coming in mid-february (be on the lookout for some more clues on that very soon), we’ve got plenty of stuff to do. and that ultimately means that we need some more helping hands. we need you! (see, i used an exclamation point to tell you that…so it must be important! see, there’s another one…)

UPCOMING MEETINGS

we’ll have 3 meetings in january (and likely 1 in february), so we’d love for anyone and everyone to be a part of those. the first one was this past sunday and we’ll be having another this sunday night, january 10. at 6 p.m., we’ll gather at john and shannon hardin’s home once again (see map here), so it will be a very casual environment. we’ll build in some time for drinks and a light dinner, so you’ll have a chance to catch up and hang out a little. also, we’ll be offering childcare on location, so feel free to bring the kids (if you plan to bring children, please drop us a note letting us know asap).

if you have any additional questions, feel free to shoot us an email at info [at] eikonthechurch [dot] com or leave a comment. see you sunday night!

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Posted in events, food, gatherings, information, leadership, start team | No Comments »



homeless shelter update & call for volunteers Posted by Ryan Byrd 01.08.2010 8:15 am

last night, our community had the privilege of serving dinner and getting to know a group of homeless people at the emergency homeless shelter organized by the city of little rock (you may have read about it in our previous post). we had a great time and it was good to help out a group of people who aren’t just “homeless people”, but fellow citizens of our city. we experienced a lot of grateful people who were happy to eat a homemade bowl of soup and escape the bitter cold for the night.

there are quite a few observations i could make, but, ultimately, none would be fully adequate to describe the great time we had. all in all, i think my overwhelming observation is how many people i saw myself in. i don’t mean people just resembled me or had similar characteristics, but it’s more to say that the stigma of dirty, drug-addicted, crazed people on the streets simply isn’t true. literally 99% of the people at the shelter were just regular people like you and me. connected to that observation is also the thought that, with a couple different decisions in my life, i could easily be the one finding a cot on the gym floor instead of the people i was serving. undoubtedly, i could see myself in the people we served.

ultimately, what i’m getting at is the invitation for you to share in the experience i just described. whereas we—formally, as a church—served dinner last night, there are still a huge need for volunteers. one of our people, libby delay, is the volunteer coordinator for the shelter and she has expressed the need for many more volunteers, with jobs ranging from clean-up to security to just people who are there to have conversations and be a friend. here’s a schedule with shifts:

friday
midnight-8am: need 8 volunteers
8am-4pm: need 8 volunteers
4pm-midnight: need 8 volunteers

saturday
midnight-8am: need 8 volunteers
8am-4pm: need 7 volunteers
4pm-midnight: need 8 volunteers

sunday
midnight-8am: need 8 volunteers
8am-4pm: need 8 volunteers
4pm-midnight: need 8 volunteers

monday
midnight-8am: need 8 volunteers
8am-4pm: need 8 volunteers

so, if you feel compelled to lend a helping hand, give libby a call at 501.773.9093.

finally, i wanted to take a minute to specifically mention a few people who were instrumental in pulling together last night’s dinner. first, a big thanks to my wife, christen byrd. she took the reigns early and organized quite a bit up front. also, as always, john hardin, our community leader, stepped up and was a big piece of why this came together smoothly. despite the fact that she wasn’t working in an “official eikon capacity”, libby delay has done an amazing job and put in a lot of sacrificial hours. bradley phillips, traci berry, cara beth buie and kimberly roth helped us serve food. we also had several people take their time and energy to cook pots of soup including kat hills, amanda morgan, kyran pittman, denise brockinton, bekah caraway, keely kaffenberger and cathy dean. i’m sure i missed some people, so my apologies if i missed you!

thanks to everyone for a great night of connecting with some people here in little rock that we might not otherwise.

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Posted in core values, food, volunteer | 1 Comment »



an urgent call to be jesus to our city Posted by John Hardin 01.06.2010 5:56 pm

There are times when saying lives are at stake is not hyperbole. This is certainly one of those. There are people in imminent danger of freezing to death on the streets of Little Rock in the next few days and our community has the opportunity to do something about it. The City of Little Rock is opening an emergency shelter at 2500 East 6th Street in the Nathaniel Hill Community Complex. However, they are relying on the community to staff the shelter with volunteers and provide meals, bedding and other essentials for the people staying there.

Eikon is providing soup for the 80 or so hungry mouths tomorrow (Thursday) evening, but we really need some help. The most immediate need we have is about 10 pots of soup; so far we have commitments for 4. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but it should be hearty. Please call Christen at 501.551.8117 to let her know if you’re willing to throw a pot together.

Dinner will be served at 5:30 pm tomorrow, so the soup will need to be there at 5:15. We need at least 6 people willing to serve it. If you want to cook but cannot deliver it at that time, you are welcome to take it to take it to Ryan & Christen’s house tomorrow (here’s a map). Call Christen to make arrangements. Additionally, you can call me (John) at 501.319.5363 to make arrangements for me to pick it up from you wherever you’re at.

The shelter is also in dire need of volunteers to get them through the weekend. If you can give some time this weekend, please call Libby DeLay at 501.773.9093 to let her know when you can be there. We also need towels, pillows and bedding. Contact us at any of the numbers above if you wish to provide those items.

This is a tangible opportunity to show the love and compassion that are central to the teachings of Jesus and central to the heart of what Eikon is all about. Ultimately, there can be no real of understanding of Jesus without believing that serving these folks is not just our obligation, but our sincere privilege.

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Posted in core values, food | 4 Comments »



a day of eucharist Posted by Ryan Byrd 11.26.2009 8:47 am

eucharist thanksgiving

i grew up in a faith tradition that didn’t use the vernacular of eucharist, so it wasn’t too long ago that i began to explore its meaning and usage. as the word began to find its place in my sphere of acknowledgment, i soon discovered that it was simply another way of referring to what my—and others’—faith tradition referred to as communion or the lord’s supper. but there’s something that seems much deeper, much more rich, about the word eucharist. on this thanksgiving day, the word becomes even more vibrant and alive with meaning.

few people realize that eucharist is a greek word that literally translates to thankfulness or gratitude or giving of thanks. in paul’s account of the last supper in his first letter to the church at corinth, he recounts the events of that evening,

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks (eucharistéō) to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

jesus gave thanks—eucharist. as he gathered with his closest friends and allies, he engaged in the eucharist. for what? for his body. that would soon serve as an eternal sacrifice for the very people with whom he sat. for the wine—the symbol of his soon-to-be shed blood. for remembering. remembering the brokenness that would soon be occur.

jesus and his disciples gathered for a meal. in that time of closeness and deep sharing over the bread and the wine, jesus gave thanks. he celebrated the eucharist—thanksgiving.

so it is today. as we sit down for a meal, in a time of deep closeness and reconnection and thanksgiving with those who are closest to us, let us remember. let us break bread. let us drink the wine. let us give thanks together.

but in the end, it isn’t the bread and it isn’t the wine. it isn’t the turkey. it isn’t the dressing. it’s much deeper. it’s much more lasting. it’s something that connects thousands of years of those who remember. those who break the bread and those who drink the wine. those who gather with friends and loved ones. those who celebrate the eucharist. those who remember the christ.

so may the god—on this thanksgiving day—who breaks the bread and pours from the cup, help us to remember to remember.

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Posted in core values, food, theology | 4 Comments »



UPDATED: you’re invited: EIKON’s a day at the park Posted by Ryan Byrd 10.03.2009 5:29 am

UPDATE (10/3/09):

friends, allow me to share a screenshot that was taken just a few moments ago on a well-known crystal ball-esque website that we all know and love.

eikon's a day at the park

yes, indeed, this is a screenshot from weather.com that shows the weather for tomorrow—the day of our planned picnic.

to pull a verse from matthew 5 completely out of context (maybe i’ll blog or preach about this often abused verse), he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. so, given that the rain is going to fall all day tomorrow and the high will only be 59, it’s a good time to formally announce that our day at the park has been cancelled.

sadly, this is just the reality of the situation. on monday, we’ll look at the possibility of rescheduling, but we know the upcoming weekend’s are already looking tight and the parks tend to be booked for a way’s out. so, we’ll let everyone know.

we’re really sorry to anyone who might have purchased something for the picnic!! spread the word to anyone who might not happen to come across this post.

————————————————————-

eikon's a day at the park

i’m excited to invite you guys to EIKON’s a day at the park on sunday, october 4! we’ll gather at noon at murray park (map below) for lunch and an opportunity to hang out and meet some new people.

one of the things we want to do in these early days—without a regular weekly meeting space—is to balance our not-so-kid friendly gatherings with those that are conducive to children. whereas our last couple gatherings have been at places that didn’t allow for a lot of family interaction, our day at the park should be a great chance for people—whether you have kids or not—to be able to enjoy a much more relaxed atmosphere with no agenda other than to get to know some people, eat great food and maybe play a game or two of volleyball.

we’d love to make this a shared experience, so we’re asking for your help! while we could leave ryan in charge of bringing food, we’d probably end up eating a pile of totino’s pizzas and cheez-its… i think we’d all prefer maybe something a little more…

so, we’ve compiled a list of food and related items that we’ll need for lunch. we’re going to have sandwiches and a fairly light meal. we’ll take care of the main essentials, but we need your help with the rest of it. if you see one or two things on the list that you’d like to make/bring, then make sure to fill out the form below with your choices. as soon as we receive your form, we’ll update the list by marking out the taken items. if you want to bring something that isn’t listed here, there’s a space on the form for that as well. so, here’s the list:

Cheeses
Condiments: Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo
Trimmings: Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickles, etc.
1 Side dish
1 Side dish
1 Side dish
2 Bags of Chips
2 Bags of Chips
1 Desert
3 2-Liter Soft Drinks
1 Other Drinks (Tea, Juice, etc.)
1 Bottle Water
Plates & Napkins
Forks, Spoons, Knives
Cups & Ice (in cooler)

again, if you’d like to chip in, please fill out the following form.

in addition to food, if you have any kind of games or recreational equipment, feel free to bring it. of course, we’re always concerned with safety first, so make sure to bring out your jarts or maybe your old “name that lead paint chip” board game… we’ll be in pavilion 4, which is directly in front of the playground, but it’s never a bad idea to bring some extra games or sports equipment.

alright, we hope to see you on october 4th. spread the word. this is a great time to invite some friends.

where’s murray park? find out here.

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Posted in announcements, events, food, gatherings | 4 Comments »