For those of you who folded paper cranes and wrote prayers for peace…thank you!  And for those of you who didn’t, you’re in for a fantastic surprise next week!

Mary Louise Ott, a Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church member, organized the art installation/peace project for which the cranes and prayers will be used.  A table inviting both church and community members to fold cranes on pretty sheets of handmade paper was set up in the Sanctuary for about a week.  People were also asked to “write messages, prayers, and/or blessings” focused on how we can be “Peacemakers, Reconcilers, Community Builders, Collaborators, and bring Shalom to the world.”

The birds and blessings will first be displayed in the Sanctuary for Pentecost, which is on Sunday May 19th.  This is a day when Christians reflect on the Holy Spirit empowering believers to “speak a bold message of Love, Joy, Peace, Justice, Patience, Compassion, Generosity, and Faithfulness.”  Christians believe that on Pentecost, Jesus descended upon his apostles in the form of a dove and filled each with the flame of his love and wisdom.  Correspondingly, the origami birds have been folded from warm-hued papers.

After Pentecost, the birds will move to the Commons for all to enjoy!  No matter what our religious beliefs, Mary Louise believes that “peace, reconciliation, community, [and] collaboration are all words we should ponder in these days of constant conflict.  Mt. Tabor is a community that can bridge the differences between people of all backgrounds and can be a healing presence in the larger community.”

We hope to see you all at our second Gathering, which will take place Thursday May 16th from 6:30-8pm in the Commons.  Refreshments will be provided.

We are excited to announce that starting this Thursday we will be serving delectable pastries from Northeast Portland’s Bakeshop!

TaborSpace staffers have been hard at work doing rigorous taste testing, and we know you’re going to be starry-eyed over their Strawberry Peach Rhubarb Pie (served with fresh whipped cream)!  Amazed by their Almond Frangipane Puffs!  And in raptures over their Raspberry Streusel Muffins!

We can’t wait till Thursday, and we know you probably can’t either…but we’ll have to. In the meantime, check out their site http://www.bakeshoppdx.com/ and GET PUMPED!

It is with sadness that we say goodbye to our Nuvrei scones. With despondency, our danishes. And with mournfulness, our muffins.

We received a call from Marius, owner of Nuvrei, today…he told us that with a heavy heart, the bakery had decided to no longer provide delivery service.

We’ve been in love with their pastries since we opened several years ago, and we are sad to see this chapter of TaborSpace history end. Saturday will be the last day for Nuvrei pastries in our Coffeehouse.

BUT…there’s confectionery excitement in the air!

We will be deciding on a new pastry vendor by this Friday. We’ve gotten some great recommendations, and have some ideas, but we want YOUR input!

What’s your favorite Portland bakery? Let us know by emailing our Program Director Lauren at lauren@taborspace.org…and you just may see their goods here on Monday morning!

is back for its second year at TaborSpace!

Portland’s 5th annual “Dia do Choro”.  A celebration of CHORO music, early jazz from Brazil, or Brazil’s first “urban pop” music.  In this unique show you will experience a wide range of Brazil’s most important 20th century composers.  Pixinguinha, Nazareth, Jacob do Bandolim, Jobim, Villa-Lobos, and many more.  6 acts in one show! (All musicians hail from the Pacific Northwest).  A variety of instruments including Cavaquinho, 7-string Guitar, Pandeiro, Mandolin, Classical Guitar, Clarinet, and Flute will bring to life the intricate and sultry melodies of classic Choro, edgy syncopation of modern Choro, and various other forms of Brazilian music.  This event is proudly held to coincide with Pixinguinha’s birthday (the godfather of Choro), which is National Choro Day in Brazil - Dia Nacional do Choro!!! Performances by: The Brazillionaires Choro da Alegria Rio Con Brio Choro Loco Sergio Botelho Choro Tocando

Tickets and more information are available at http://choropdx2013.brownpapertickets.com/

TaborSpace will be switching from our old cash register to a bright shiny new iPad and Square…the future is now!

The switch will happen in the next couple weeks, and we wanted to give you a heads up.

Due to the limitations of Square software, we will have to change the way we handle credit/debit transactions, though there will still be several payment options. Cash transactions will remain completely “pay what you are able,” and the wooden box will keep its place on the counter.

We’ll keep you updated!

Our community gatherings are in place to increase connections and unity between individuals and groups involved with TaborSpace, Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church and the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood.

We aim to share announcements, hear ideas and concerns, organize more involvement and provide networking opportunities. We invite you to attend! Refreshments provided.

EVERY 3RD THURSDAY // 6:30 – 8:00 pm

With a little sadness and a lot of excitement, we are announcing our NEW COFFEEHOUSE HOURS!

We’ll still be open from 7:30am – 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.
But we’ll now be closing earlier on Saturdays, and will be open from 8:30am-1:30pm then.

It was a difficult decision, but we’ve been experiencing an increasingly low volume of Coffeehouse sales on Saturday afternoons which happened to coincide with an increased interest in the Commons for Saturday afternoon weddings and memorial services.

We will miss those of you that did visit us on Saturday afternoons, and look forward to seeing you during the week or on Saturday mornings!

And we also look forward to hosting important life cycle events for members of our community!

This Saturday, March 2nd at 7pm!

A concert of mutual inspiration!  Bring your sketchbook or journal and let the passion of the music move you to write or draw during the concert.  At intermission, Craig and Tim will come around to see what we’ve created, and the second set will include their improvisations inspired by our poems, prose and art.  Bring your art class or writing group for an unforgettable evening.

Craig Bidondo, pianist and composer,has a fresh jazz sound influenced by his years of playing not only jazz but also classical, rock, new age, and gospel music. His CD is “The Homecoming.”

Tim Gilson, bassist and composer, plays regularly with Mel Brown at Salty’s and with Craig on Sunday nights at the Riverview Restaurant.  His CDs include “Live at Salty’s” and “Ukiah’s Lullaby.”

Craig and Tim love to improvise together and have entertained groups of writers who come to the Riverview to trade inspiration with them.  This is their first concert at TaborSpace and the first one to intentionally welcome those of us who like to draw on the program at concerts or write in our journals when we hear inspiring music.

Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance at musictoinspire.brownpapertickets.com

A cozy corner,

a sleepy lampshade,

furniture at rest,

a sign that’s only right from the outside,

a staircase leading to a darkened belltower,

an empty but glowing pastry case…Goodnight TaborSpace!