Bible Study

Presentation of the first data visualisation published by the Clay-Gilmore Institute for Philosophy, Technology, and Counterinsurgency The works assembled in this talk emerge from the CG-IPTC's inquiry into the algorithmic management of racialized life — a condition in which the logic of counterinsurgency has migrated from the battlefield to the domestic sphere. Through predictive analytics, biometric surveillance, and spatial policing technologies, contemporary security practices now enact strategies once reserved for the governance of colonized populations. Our central concern is not simply that artificial intelligence and predictive policing reproduce racial bias, but that they embody the very strategic grammar of militarized population control. Miron J. Clay-Gilmore https://philosophy.utoronto.ca/directory/miron-j-clay-gilmore/ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Department of Philosophy University of Toronto About the Speaker: Miron J. Clay-Gilmore is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Ethics and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society at the University of Toronto. Dr. Clay-Gilmore’s research explores how artificial intelligence, big data, and predictive policing operate within broader regimes of counterinsurgency and state violence. By situating contemporary AI systems within longer genealogies of Western militarism and colonial administration, his scholarship reveals how the management of life and death—what he terms the technologization of counterinsurgency—defines the moral and political boundaries of modern societies. His publications have appeared in *AI and Ethics, Res Philosophica, American Philosophical Quarterly,* and *The Journal of African American Studies.* Across these works, Dr. Clay-Gilmore bridges Africana philosophy, social and political thought, and the philosophy of technology to illuminate how power, race, and computation shape the contemporary human condition. Through the CG-IPTC, Dr. Clay-Gilmore leads a pioneering interdisciplinary initiative that integrates philosophical inquiry, data analysis, and public education to interrogate the ethical and political consequences of emerging technologies. The Institute develops research clusters, public-facing media, and digital infrastructures that expose the interconnections between technological innovation, governance, and racialized violence. **\* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \*** This is a talk with audience Q&A presented by the University of Toronto's Centre for Ethics that is free to attend and open to the public. The talk will also be streamed online with live chat [here](https://youtube.com/live/s2okrHEoiZ0?feature=share). About the Centre for Ethics (http://ethics.utoronto.ca): The Centre for Ethics is an interdisciplinary centre aimed at advancing research and teaching in the field of ethics, broadly defined. The Centre seeks to bring together the theoretical and practical knowledge of diverse scholars, students, public servants and social leaders in order to increase understanding of the ethical dimensions of individual, social, and political life. In pursuit of its interdisciplinary mission, the Centre fosters lines of inquiry such as (1) foundations of ethics, which encompasses the history of ethics and core concepts in the philosophical study of ethics; (2) ethics in action, which relates theory to practice in key domains of social life, including bioethics, business ethics, and ethics in the public sphere; and (3) ethics in translation, which draws upon the rich multiculturalism of the City of Toronto and addresses the ethics of multicultural societies, ethical discourse across religious and cultural boundaries, and the ethics of international society. The Ethics of A.I. Lab at the Centre For Ethics recently appeared on a list of 10 organizations leading the way in ethical A.I.: https://ocean.sagepub.com/blog/10-organizations-leading-the-way-in-ethical-ai

**Experience the Arka Brotherhood: A Transformative Community for Growth-Oriented Men** Looking to connect with other men on a deeper level? This gathering is a chance to experience *Men’s Work*—a powerful space for growth, reflection, and connection. Led by members of the **Arka Brotherhood**, this free 75-minute session offers a glimpse into the kind of work we do in our weekly circles. **What to Expect:** * A short intro: “What is Men’s Work?” * Core practices and activities from our weekly meetings **This Is For You If:** * You’re seeking real connection and community with other men * You want to develop leadership, self-discipline, or emotional intelligence * You’re ready to confront limiting beliefs and grow * You’re curious about Men’s Work but not sure where to begin *** **Event Details** 📅 **Date:** Tuesday, February 10, 2026 🕕 **Time:** Doors open at 6:00 PM, event starts promptly at 6:15 and ends at 7:30 PM 📍 **Location:** 918 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G5 – Sun Room 🎟️ **Free to attend. RSVP required—space is limited.** *** **About the Arka Brotherhood** Arka is a weekly men’s group committed to integrity, accountability, and brotherhood. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and share a commitment to personal growth. We welcome all men—regardless of age, race, faith, or sexual orientation—who are ready to show up honestly and do the work. **Learn more about our 14 Point Code and values:** [The Code – ARKA Brotherhood](https://arkabrotherhood.com/the-code/)

St. Timothy's is excited to offer support to newcomers in Canada. Our goal is to provide conversational language practice through informal instruction and feedback, alongside emotional and practical assistance. We invite all new immigrants, English language students, visitors to Canada, parents of children temporarily attending schools in Toronto, foreign university students, and anyone looking to enhance their language skills. We aim to build a welcoming community where friendships can flourish, help participants establish meaningful connections, learn about life in Toronto, and access practical resources like resume and interview preparation, shopping tips, and guidance on setting up home services or navigating government offices. We begin every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. with a time to socialize and connect. Our formal program begins at 10:30 a.m., and each week we will have different activities and topics, including practicing English conversation, reading short articles, learning about common pronunciation and grammar mistakes made by ESL speakers, etc. Our volunteers would love to get to know you and offer gentle and constructive feedback to help you improve your English! We also offer Individual career mentoring, including job search, mock job interviews, and helping you improve your resumes and cover letters.

Visit our Royal Lunch'n'Learn Toastmasters Hybrid meeting, meet people and develop your communication and leadership skills. At today's meeting we will be discussing how "The Gift of Failure" can contribute to improving your life and the lives of others. This is a HYBRID event and so you can choose to join us in person, or online. We would like to encourage you to join us at noon! Reach out to us to receive the WebEx link or to reserve your seat. **What to expect:** Find out first-hand what it means to participate in a club meeting. * Watch as one of our members delivers a Prepared Speech. * Learn and practice how to think fast on your feet with an impromptu Table Topics session. * Witness how to give and receive constructive feedback to help encourage and build confidence with our members. Practice the skills you need to communicate with confidence and excellence. Experience a club meeting with Royal Lunch'n'Learn Toastmasters. It all starts with a fun club environment where you will learn and practice together—to grow individually. Contact us to get the Webex link. Get yourself back in gear this January and we can help you get started in moving forward. We also meet in person (Hybrid meetings) so you have the option of in person or online. Normally we are at RBC Wellington Square on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month (check for variations in our schedule) - this week we are meeting at RBC Centre, in the Executive Conference Centre at 155 Wellington St West (diagonally across from our normal location) on the 11th floor, in the "Australia Room". Plus, all our meetings are online which is super accessible! Guests are **free** to join us for their first three regular meetings - **contact us** to schedule your visit or ask us anything! contact-3648173@toastmastersclubs.org

⚠️ **Important:** RSVPs on Meetup **do not guarantee a spot.** To secure your complimentary experience, you **must call or text us at 416-900-9679** to confirm your qualification and booking. Please don’t attend without confirmation – space is limited and unconfirmed arrivals cannot be accommodated. Experience what it feels like to train at Toronto’s most advanced **fitness and longevity studio** — where science meets community. In this small group session, you’ll build functional strength, endurance, and mobility while learning how to move and recover like an athlete. Each class blends: * **Short bursts of cardio** (yes, even if you hate it) * **Targeted functional strength training** to build lean muscle * **Mobility, mindfulness, and breathwork** to finish strong and centered All levels are welcome — from beginners to seasoned gym-goers. Our coaches lead every step and correct your form in real time to ensure maximum results and safety. 📍 **Location:** Telomere Fitness, 518 Yonge Street (Yonge & College) 🚇 Easy access by subway – minutes from College Station ### 💥 **Special Complimentary Offer (Limited Spots)** We’re currently offering for **qualified downtown Toronto residents** a *free* full fitness experience, including: ✅ **InBody Scan** (body composition & fat/muscle analysis) ✅ **Personal Fitness Assessment** ✅ **Small Group Training Session** ✅ **Nutrition Consult** *(Total value: $200 – complimentary for qualified individuals)* ### 🔹 **How to Qualify** To reserve your complimentary session, you must **live or work in downtown Toronto** and **call or text us first** at **416-900-9679** to confirm eligibility. Spots are limited to maintain our small-group focus. ### 🏋️‍♂️ **How to Prepare** * Wear athletic clothing and indoor footwear. * Bring a water bottle – we have a no-touch filling station. ### 🕓 **Event Schedule** * We offer 5 sessions per day - Morning, After you and then this is where I had an issue I couldn't just make it. It's weird.noon and Evening * Spots fill up fast so call us to see if we have a spot available at your preferred day/time! * RSVP + confirmation required before attending 📍 Google Maps: [https://maps.app.goo.gl/6jMKrTvr4Lk5aUna7](https://maps.app.goo.gl/6jMKrTvr4Lk5aUna7) 📞 Questions? Call or text us anytime: **416-900-9679** ### ⚠️ **Final Reminder** Meetup RSVPs **alone do not** secure a space. Please **call or text 416-900-9679** after RSVPing to confirm your booking. Unconfirmed arrivals **cannot be admitted** due to limited capacity.

They have a new trivia host at GLB Brewpub. This description is from their Instagram: THERE’S A TRIVIA NIGHT DOWNTOWN, AND ANDREA IS ASKING THE QUESTIONS! Is your brain is packed with history facts, pop-culture nonsense, science tidbits, or information you genuinely can’t remember learning? Then, this is night is for you. Andrea’s trivia questions will have you saying “oh yeah, I knew that” or “why on God’s Green Earth do I know that?”. Play to win or play for the joy of giving all of that cerebral clutter a stage. We’ll have #FreshGLB and delicious food, because nothing tastes quite as good as victory (except maybe another round). 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻 Every Tuesday @ GLB Brewpub (Downtown Toronto) at 7PM! ) 📝 Classic pub-trivia format so join us as we discover it together and decide whether or not we want to keep it in our rotation.

Do you want to improve your Public Speaking skills, your Impromptu Speaking skills, learn how to present Feedback with Evaluations, and build your Leadership skills? If the answer is YES to any, attend SUN LIFE SPEAKERS CORNER online for an informative and fun filled session each Tuesday at Noon EST/EDT (except following a Holiday Monday). Guests/Visitors are welcome to participate in the Table Topics (impromptu) session. Join and become a Member to have access to all roles and Pathways, the education system. Please email info.sunlifespeakerscorner@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Each week there is some recommended readings to be done before we meet. **Please see the attached schedule for this week's readings.** The Bible Timeline® study program takes you on a guided journey through salvation history. Presenter Jeff Cavins will show you how fourteen of the Bible’s narrative books tell the biblical story from beginning to end and will give you the keys to understanding the amazing story woven throughout Scripture. The Bible Timeline will teach you how to read and understand the entire Bible and introduce you to the wonderful narrative of Scripture in a way that will transform your life. The online material can be bought online through the link below (optional). However, each session we can share copies for you to have discussion questions in class and reading guideline for the next session. https://ascensionpress.com/products/the-bible-timeline-the-story-of-salvation-online-video-access

Come to our church on Sunday! We’re a welcoming bunch. Our website is nlife.ca

Open hearts from across the GTA coming together to learn what the Bible has to teach us through the very words of Jesus, in a welcoming and fun atmosphere. Open to all Bible enthusiasts. ***Attention*** We meet in the Yonge-Sheppard Centre Food Court at the tables in front of SECOND CUP\*\*\* (lower level) Great for those who are familiar with Jesus, starting their walk with Jesus, or want to begin to know Jesus.

**NO PHILOSOPHY EXPERTISE REQUIRED!** **🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 **📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KRy6VgwgGRm3hSGeYlAzDE), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 19:30-19:45 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start. * 19:45-19:55 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines. * 19:55-21:15 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 21:15-21:30 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo. * 21:30 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend! We just ask that if we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Some chapters rent a space for us to meet, and they may ask for donations to help contribute to the cost of rent. Donations will always be 100% voluntary though! **💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** **🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?** No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it. * **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?** The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * **Is it mostly men that attend?** Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * **Can I come alone?** Of course you can, we encourage it :) * **Can I be late?** Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * **Where do you meet?** The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KRy6VgwgGRm3hSGeYlAzDE) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/). 🤝**POLICY** To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment. **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨** We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ **\*\*\*** **Join our [Toronto Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KRy6VgwgGRm3hSGeYlAzDE) 👈** **Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈** **Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**

Workshop session to builder your portfolio ! Sat 14 portrait studio lighting and directing subject Sat 21 Food photography.lighting ,styling ands post production! DO WHAT YOU LOVE With internationally awarded photographers!

In his famous deduction of intersubjectivity, Fichte argues that we could not become aware of ourselves as particular individual beings without the experience of being **‘summoned’** (‘aufgefordert’) to free activity through another person. In my talk I want to bring light to this idea by arguing for the following two claims. 1. Fichte’s account of summoning as a particular form of reciprocal rational causal influence bears a remarkable and hitherto unnoticed similarity to Grice’s theory of meaning. 2. Fichte is interested in the phenomenology of being causally influenced in this particular way because it provides the resources to combine two essential features of the empirical self that seem incompatible in a Kantian account of self-consciousness: freedom and givenness. Tobias Rosefeldt https://www.hu-berlin.de/en/people-detail-page/prof-dr-tobias-rosefeldt-1 Professor Department of Philosophy Humboldt University, Berlin About the Speaker: I hold a chair for Classical German Philosophy at Humboldt-University. My main area of specialization is Kant’s philosophy and contemporary philosophy of language and metaphysics, but I also have an increasing interest in Post-Kantian thinkers such as Fichte and Hegel. My project in the KFG will focus on Kant's concept of a cognitive faculty and its epistemological implications. **\* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \*** This is a talk with audience Q&A presented by the University of Toronto's Centre for Ethics that is free to attend and open to the public. The talk will also be streamed online with live chat here [to be posted]. About the Centre for Ethics (http://ethics.utoronto.ca): The Centre for Ethics is an interdisciplinary centre aimed at advancing research and teaching in the field of ethics, broadly defined. The Centre seeks to bring together the theoretical and practical knowledge of diverse scholars, students, public servants and social leaders in order to increase understanding of the ethical dimensions of individual, social, and political life. In pursuit of its interdisciplinary mission, the Centre fosters lines of inquiry such as (1) foundations of ethics, which encompasses the history of ethics and core concepts in the philosophical study of ethics; (2) ethics in action, which relates theory to practice in key domains of social life, including bioethics, business ethics, and ethics in the public sphere; and (3) ethics in translation, which draws upon the rich multiculturalism of the City of Toronto and addresses the ethics of multicultural societies, ethical discourse across religious and cultural boundaries, and the ethics of international society. The Ethics of A.I. Lab at the Centre For Ethics recently appeared on a list of 10 organizations leading the way in ethical A.I.: https://ocean.sagepub.com/blog/10-organizations-leading-the-way-in-ethical-ai

**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 **📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://tally.so/r/ZjaPO0), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 19:00-19:15 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the ‘official' start. * 19:15-19:25 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines. * 19:25-20:45 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 20:45-21:00 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo. * 21:00 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend! We just ask that if we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Some chapters rent a space for us to meet, and they may ask for donations to help contribute to the cost of rent. Donations will always be 100% voluntary though! 💛 **WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** 🗣 “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * ​What will we talk about? What's the topic? ​The topic for the week is shared every Sunday in the Whatsapp group. We try to add the topic to the comment section on this event page as well but if you don’t see it, the topic and the jump-off points will be in our [Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/ZjaPO0). * Do I need to study or read anything to attend? No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what YOU think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it, but it's not required. * Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on? The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * Is it mostly men that attend? Surprisingly, no! Although philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * Can I come alone? Of course you can, we encourage it :) * Can I be late? Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * Where do you meet? The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/ZjaPO0) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/). 🤝**POLICY** To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment. **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY - Making Philosophy Available To All.** ✨ Practical Philosophy hosts weekly, in-person meetups in over 25 countries and 50+ chapters, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ \*\*\* Join our [Whatsapp group](https://tally.so/r/ZjaPO0) 👈 Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub) 👈 Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈

Hello Everybody! Join us this Saturday at 11 AM at the Fairfax Wegmans as we continue our Bible study and discussions. Recently, we've been studying the "types" (patterns or pictures) of Jesus in the Old Testament in chronological order starting with creation. We will go all the way to David as a type of Jesus the King. As anyone who's attended before knows, we have open discussions. Our goal is always to grow in our love, knowledge, and relationship with Jesus and to have fellowship. We invite the presence of the Holy Spirit as we meet together and we've had some great conversations and revelations. Please join us as we continue our Bible study and prayers. God bless you all, Mihail

Finally, a young adult group that includes ages 25+ This is a brand new small group! We will be studying the sermon on the mount 🤗

Finally, a young adult group that includes ages 25+ This is a brand new small group! We will be studying the sermon on the mount 🤗

What does love really look like—not in theory, but in lived experience? For this gathering of **Taproom Theology**, we’re doing something intentionally different. Rather than a single speaker or teaching, **individuals and couples have been invited to share their own stories**; stories of romantic love, deep friendship, commitment, loss, singleness, and the relationships that have shaped who they are. Love is often simplified or sentimentalized, yet most of us know it’s far more complex. As Taylor Swift puts it simply and honestly, **“The best people in life are free.”** This evening invites us to explore how love grows across its many forms: * *Agape* — self‑giving love that chooses presence over perfection * *Philia* — the love of friendship, loyalty, and shared life * And the evolving ways love shows up in partnerships, seasons of singleness, and chosen communities in the 21st century Some stories will come marriages or committed relationships. Others from friendships and yet others from the courage to be single without being alone. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, **“Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too?’”** This gathering is not about offering advice, fixing relationships, or presenting “ideal” stories. It’s about **witnessing real love** as it actually unfolds: flawed, faithful, hopeful, and human. Leo Buscaglia once wrote, **“Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.”** Whether you come with a partner, a friend, or on your own, you belong here. Because love isn’t something we master, it’s something we practice, in relationship and in community. Love is a journey. And tonight, we’ll travel it together.

We will meet in the Janney parlor.

**In a time of division and isolation, come be part of the community that's rebuilding the town square, one table at a time.** In BreadBreakers, we use the common space of the dining table to have conversations where neighbors can **hear, be heard, and know one another.** If you're hungry for good discourse and deeper community, join us for a Community Dinner in Reston and help blaze the trail to a healthier, more connected society and democracy. Here’s how it works: For just two hours, multiple tables of people set aside the need to "win" and instead focus on sharing, listening, and connecting. Guided by experienced table hosts, we'll tell our stories, try to understand each other, and practice being in community with those with different views or backgrounds. **At this dinner, participants will get to choose between three different topics, including some current events.** Topics range from the political, to the spiritual, to the philosophical, to the off-the-wall - but no matter which table you choose to sit at, you can be sure it'll be like no dinner conversation you've had before! You can also **suggest a topic** by emailing us at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com. Food will be provided for free. For those who wish to provide a donation to help fund BreadBreakers, you can [give here](https://pushpay.com/g/restorationrestonumc?fnd=pO6G-N7oO7FH7Mp1u-x6mA&fndv=Lock&r=No&lang=en&src=pcgl) or at the event. We'll have vegetarian and gluten-free options available. If you have any additional dietary restrictions (Celiac Disease, vegan, etc.) please let us know at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com so that we can implement the appropriate food handling procedures. **Join us, invite a friend, and be a part of the movement to mend our fractured society and normalize a better way of talking with one another.** BreadBreakers, an initiative by [Restoration United Methodist Church](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers) in Reston, VA, is a religiously inclusive community. All faiths and all stripes are welcomed. Our leadership, volunteer team, and community include people who attend Restoration and people who don't.