In late 2013 I started a hobby of roasting coffee at home. I fell in love with it instantly, and very quickly started roasting for friends, family, and neighbors in our small community.
Perhaps somewhat hastily last year, I gave the hobby a name, Ross Street Roasting Company (the eponymous street being where my garage/crude roasting facility faced). My local hobby/unofficial business grew modestly and I thought, "Hmm...this could be something."
Earlier this year I made the leap and formed a company around the brand, adding the official "LLC" after the name. So now I'm a small business owner. Here's the website: www.RossStreetRoasting.com - I'm not yet state-licensed, so online sales are still about a month off. Check out the blog on the website for a few more details on the back-story...
Anyway, I operate the business one day a week, as I continue my 3/4-time work with Eastern Mennonite University, supporting their growing online education initiatives.
Since last summer I've also had a job as "Minister of Communications & Leadership Development" for the Northern Plains District of the Church of the Brethren. Unfortunately, for a range of reasons, that arrangement didn't quite jive well and I'm in the process of transitioning out of that work at the end of this month, and the coffee business will get yet more attention.
Meanwhile, church planting has been inching along very, very slowly due mostly to the lack of time on everyone's part to dedicate much attention to it. But we've had a small group periodically gathering for worship since last Advent and it's been good. We've done some Bible and book studies as well.
So what does all this mean to the Restorative Theology blog? Well, it's been dormant for a few months already and it will probably continue to be pretty quiet. I'm not closing it down or anything, and in fact there might be some good activity coming this fall for a book study project I've got in mind with a local friend, and I've had a post in mind honoring one of my mentors that will probably go up soon.
But it's definitely not going to have the kind of attention it received while I was in seminary/grad school!
My thanks to everyone who's read the blog over the years and engaged in discussion or helped stimulate thinking that led to posts. This has been a great outlet for my writing impulse, which seems to ebb and flow over the years and might now be entering a prolonged "ebb" phase. We'll see.
Grace and peace...
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