21 People

21 People came out tonight to be a part of the Village People

Commune. That's a record. I shared. Holly Shared.

Things are going well. Things are crafting. The Spirit works

among us.

The Goal Is Perpetual Motion

Community can be a tough thing to live within. I don't even 

live in the same house as most of these people and already, at 

times, I've felt the urge to pull the pin and get out. People piss 

me off. Some guy talks too much. Some girl won't stop giggling. 

People lose focus. That person needs to shut up and listen.

And then you have nights like tonight.

We ate and Emily spoke. I'd like to personally thank Emily for 

speaking as I know it showed me deeper things not only about 

her life, but in my life, as well. Awkwardness can be tough and 

mood-killing but it is important to push through and dissect. 

Good things are happening. The plan has been scrapped and 

the Holy Spirit is being heard. It's hard but it is for the best.

We are instruments ready to make sound. Good sound.

We are moving.

Re-Boot

Sometimes, systems become inundated and outdated. Their 

inevitable replacement is something we can only sit back and 

wait for with bated breath. Other times, a machine will still 

work fine if it is updated with the necessary parts and given 

the old 're-boot'. Thus seems to be the case with Village 

People.

A few weeks back, a bit of an emergency meeting was held in 

response to some uncertainty with VP and the lack of 

commitment, desire, passion, focus and energy therein. At 

that meeting, 8 of us talked about the tenants of what VP 

should be about and how to go about pursuing that from 

here. That meeting captivated the essence of what VP should 

be - a place where dreams can be dreamed and a place where 

we can all engage each other on a deeper level of Jesus-based 

spirituality...and above all, a place  where everyone within 

can get to know each other beyond the usual daily banter. 

Last week was the first follow up to this encouraging 

meeting. A pot luck was held at the home of Marc Andre 

Blier. There were 16 people. Testimonies were shared. 

Food was consumed. The feeling was a little somber but 

still exciting in the knowing that whatever comes out of VP 

will take time before it grows and that if nothing else, we 

are back on the right track.

My dream for VP is that it becomes a community of 

well-being. A place where people can feel transparent to 

share their burdens and a place where dreams are encouraged. 

Ultimately, I don't know how long I will be around Ottawa but 

I hope that VP will be around in this city for a long LONG 

time. I hope that one day, media would approach the 

community of VP and ask them why they are picking gum 

up off the streets. I hope that one day, a volleyball and 

mariokart tournament of love could happen where the whole 

city could be invited and fed.

We are heading to Tatyanna's tonight for some more food,

dreaming and sharing. I'll keep you updated.

Maybe someday, many years from now, if there was ever an
album or a movie made about it, that my name would be in the
liner notes somewhere.

What Is VP To You?

So it's been almost a year since we fired this thing up. 

One snowy night in March, we met at Brad & Liz's apartment. 

We talked about the possibility of meeting on a steady 

schedule and for the most part, everyone was in. All of us 

were connected with IAWAH and yet somehow 

disconnected at the same time. In september, we fired things 

up and went for a weekly flow. We wanted God to be the 

leader and we wanted to be realistic in our approach. We

wanted old and young people to be involved and for it to 

look like a family. We wanted to do things in the city of 

Ottawa and help others in this community.

Things have changed. People have come and gone and newer 

people have done the same. A lot of us are unsure about 

what this thing is and what it needs to be. Some people are 

strong with their vision but unsure as to how to carry that 

out. Some want it to look like a bible study while others 

want it to look more like a homeless mission. Some think

it can be both and more.

If it's supposed to happen and grow, it will happen and grow.

What do you think? 

Let's hear some thoughts.

The Plan for Sunday Feb 8th

Alright Villagers - Let's get villaging.

So the plan (tentatively) for sunday is a bit of a canal-skate in

the goodness of Winterlude. I believe Marc-Andre is heading 

this up so contact mablier@gmail.com with any queries you

may have.

I don't think I'll be able to be there as there is a potential

Graven practice on sunday but more to come on that in the

next day or so.

Things have been wild, wacky and unplanned lately and

I'm sorry for that. Kathleen has done a great job as admin

but she (and everyone else) has been mega busy as of

late.

Let's keep hope alive...and keep the chords of community

tuned.

VP Superbowl Partay

This coming sunday, be there or be square.

WHERE: 4770 Massey Lane (Ron Starra's pad).

WHAT: Superbowl Monster Bash

WHEN: Before 6 pm so as not to miss kick-off.

SHOULD I BRING ANYTHING?: Feel free to bring a
dessert, drink or salad. Pizza will be supplied.

CAN I GET A RIDE?: You bet your ass, you can.
Email gavinoids@hotmail.com if you need a ride
and we can hook something up.

CAN I BRING BEER?: Only if you are legal to
drink it in Ontario.

The main point of this night is just to allow more
social stuff to happen with our community. Feel free
to bring anyone else who might be interested to chill
and meet some new folks. Even if you're not into
football AT ALL - please just come and hang. There
will be many who aren't super-hyped about the battle
of the pigskin.

The First Post

Alrighty. It's finally here - a place for all of our collective
thoughts and dreams to pool and bubble over.

Thanks for being a part of this journey.