Mike Angell

Engage with us for Theology on Tap

One of the things we miss most about Theology on Tap in person is the back and forth discussion. In the pandemic online world, we can still hear from speakers, but it has been hard to create room for discussion. We want to invite you to recreate that space with us.

For the discussion, we want to ask two things of you:

First: ask questions live.

Use the comments on Youtube or Facebook to share your thoughts and ask a question. We know, we know, midwesterners hate drawing attention to themselves, but we have designed this format specifically so we can hear from you. Please think of a question beforehand, ask during the presentation. What have you always wanted to ask a Jewish leader?

Second: Build a Table Discussion

Consider creating your own “table” to talk with friends after the presentation. You could use Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook Rooms, or your own favorite video chat. Invite a group of friends to watch with you (live, or later on), and sign in to talk.

Here are the discussion questions. Who do you want to talk with?

Mike and Rori talked about how Jews and Christians practicing their faith in the pandemic, What has been a challenge for your faith, your traditions, in the pandemic Have their been new learnings for your faith and practice?
The conversation talked about a number of difficult places in Jewish/Christian relationship: the legacy and present reality of anti-semitism, sometimes even reinforced by Christian Worship, the complex questions around Israel/Palestine and US Politics. Do you have memories of a complex or beautiful moment of encounter across the Jewish/Christian relationship? What was meaningful about the moment for you?
Mike asked Rori to “locate herself” within Judaism. Where would you locate yourself on your own faith journey? Have you chosen that location intentionally? What brought you there?

February 10: “Judaism in Today’s America” an Interfaith Conversation with Maharat Rori Picker Neiss

On February 10 at 5:30pm, we kick off a new set of conversations with interfaith leaders.

Click here to read more about our new format.

Maharat Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St Louis. Prior to that she was the Director of Programming, Education and Community Engagement at Bais Abraham Congregation, a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in University City, MO.

Maharat Rori and the Rev. Mike Angell will dialogue together about what it means to be a person of faith in today’s America. Christianity and Judaism share many perspectives, and the important differences in our history, especially the violent history of Christian anti-Semitism, mean that our two faiths have important differences.

We will stream the conversation live on the Theology on Tap Facebook Page, the Holy Communion Facebook Page, and the Holy Communion Youtube Channel. We would love for you to ask questions and share comments in any of the channels. Please click here, to allow our streaming provider “Streamyard” to send us your name when you ask a question of Facebook. (Youtube doesn’t require this step).

Introducing Theology on Tap: Interfaith Conversations

we’re going to try something new for Theology on Tap….

On Wednesday February 10th, we’re going to try something new for Theology on Tap. While we are still in an online space, we have noticed that far more people are participating in Theology on Tap by watching our online stream through Facebook or Youtube. We’re going to embrace that direction.

February 10th, we will launch a new program “Interfaith Conversations.” For the months of February and March, we’re going to go live twice per month on Facebook and Youtube. The Rev. Mike Angell will speak with leaders in various religious movements about the role of faith today. You can watch live on Youtube, or on Facebook, and you can interact. We’ll be able to take questions, and see your reactions in real time.

Consider hosting a “watch party” with us. Invite a group of friends to watch live, to ask questions, and THEN sign organize a Zoom to talk about what you heard. We’ll make questions available for group discussion, but feel free to break off on your own.

We are excited about the possibilities offered by this new format, while we are still looking forward to the day we can safely gather again in a pub.

Questions for theology on Tap Dec. 2

The Church has changed. The church is Changing

A step in imagining a future is “lament.” We have to name what we are missing, what we have lost. What moments of lament have you felt? What are you missing?
The phrase “a new normal” has been bandied about a great deal. What learnings, ways of being, ideas do you hope to bring into the “new normal” in your personal and professional life?
There is no question, there is much the church needs to leave behind. What do we hope will be part of the “new normal” for the church?

December 2: “The church has changed. The church is changing” with Bishop Deon K Johnson

On December 2, the Bishop joins us.

This month we gather online with Bishop Deon for virtual Theology on Tap. Following our first ever live-streamed convention, the Bishop will join us to talk about the ways the church has already changed.

He’ll also talk about the way it is changing for the future. We are kicking off a Diocesan-wide visioning process. We’ll learn more about the direction we are heading together.

Please Register using the link below. Please be sure your profile “name” on Zoom matches your registration. We may not admit anonymous arrivals, or people who have not registered. : https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-meeting

October 7: “Toppling Statues?” with the Rev. Dr. Ben Sanders

On October 7 theology on tap will meet at 6:00pm in Tower Grove Park. Registration required. Spaces are limited.

Theology on Tap seeks to create a “low pressure” environment for conversations about faith, ethics, politics, and life today. We encourage anyone to attend, whether Episcopalian or not.

Since we cannot meet indoors safely, we will have this month’s theology on Tap in Tower Grove Park at the “Son’s of Rest Pavilion.” The largest of Tower Grove’s pavilions, it is located near the southeast corner of the park, near the Stupp Center.

This month The Rev. Dr. Ben Sanders of Eden Seminary will lead our discussion. The Sons of Rest Pavilion, where we’ll meet, is very close to the place where a Cristopher Columbus statues stood until a few months ago. We’ll talk about the moments of the Black Lives Matter movement, our international conversation about race and human rights. We’ll ask together whether removing a statue was a goal in and of itself, or a step in an ongoing process.

This event is BYOE (Bring your own everything). You’re welcome to bring some food and a beverage of your choice (following park rules, note that glass bottles are prohibited.). There will be limited picnic table seating, but we encourage you to bring your own chair as well. We will follow Holy Communion’s outdoor gathering protocols, and ask that you check your symptoms before you come, wear a mask and keep physically distant from folks not in your own household. Feel free to order and pick up some food and a beverage from our partners at Schlafly.

Registration is required, and there are limited spaces. Reserve today.

Questions for tonight’s discussion: Re-Defining Peace

Take some time to introduce yourself. Say how you decided to join the conversation tonight.

1) What is “peace” to you? What images, sounds, spaces, places, people, smells etc do you associate with peace? Have you ever been in a place or time where you couldn’t find peace? What was that like?

2) Mike states that to know peace, we have to be willing to face uncovering. Name a time an injustice, big or small, was uncovered for you.

3) Mike talks about glimpsing peace in our work at Laundry Love, on Gun Violence, and in El Salvador. Where have you glimpsed “the world as it should be?” How can more people have access to these glimpses?

September 9: “Re-defining Peace” with the Rev. Mike Angell

On September 9 we will meet online at 6:30pm

UPDATE: This event will now be held online using Zoom. Please register, and a Zoom Link will be sent to you.

Theology on Tap seeks to create a “low pressure” environment for conversations about faith, ethics, politics, and life today.

This month The Rev. Mike Angell will be the featured speaker, and Hannah Shanks will serve as the guest host. Mike will be talking about his new book “How Can I Live Peacefully with Justice?” available now from Church Publishing. (This event will also be the public “book launch.”) We will talk about the work to re-define peace. Our rector argues, following Dr. King, Romero, and even Jesus, that peace from a Christian perspective is not best understood as the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice.Join us and bring friends and your questions!

Feel free to order and pick up some food and a beverage from our partners at Schlafly.

Registration is required, and there are limited spaces. Reserve today.

Questions for June 3 : “Bi-furious Pride” with Elle Dowd

These questions will guide our small group discussion.

In your upbringing, were faith and your body connected or disconnected? How so? Are there particular stories you can tell or messages you received around the body or sexuality that you embrace or want to distance from?

2. Where have you found “counter-narratives” about sexuality, the body, and spirituality? Is Pride one of those for you? Have you ever thought of Pride through the lens of spirituality?

3. Has there ever been a time that you felt alienated from your body? What contributed to this alienation? What was that like? What places, experiences, or things help you feel most connected to your body? What parts of your body feel particularly holy, divine, or spiritual today?

June 3: “Bi-Furious Pride” with Elle Dowd

On June 3, for Pride Month, we will be joined by Elle Dowd.

Once the Youth Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, through her activism in Ferguson and her social media presence, Elle has become an important voice at the intersections of theology, body positivity, sex, and queer biblical interpretation. Elle calls herself “bi-furious,” and we’ll explore what that means as she pursues ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and in her current ministry.

This month, we’re taking Theology on Tap online. Until we feel reasonably sure that gathering in person will be safe, even for vulnerable participants, our events will continue to happen online. So you’re invited to Bring Your Own Beverages, Food, and importantly Friends! Let’s gather and talk!

We will be sending the Zoom link out using our email list. Sign up to get the email.