ASSEMBLYFAITH · FAMILY · HOSPITALITY

AN ADVANCE INVITATION · READ BEFORE YOU DECIDE

Before you join.
Come with a thoughtful question.

Discover what The Assembly is preparing, who each program welcomes, and what you can read today. Give yourself time to study, ask questions and consider your place at the Table.

An illustrated table prepared for guests beside the lake
A vision of hospitality; dates and venues will be announced separately.

TAKE YOUR TIME. THERE IS ROOM TO LEARN.

A prepared welcome begins before the gathering.

Relationship before argument. Hospitality before distinction. Understanding without compulsory agreement. All of us or none of us.

You may explore freely, disagree respectfully and decide which activities fit your convictions and household. Public hospitality does not require participation in prayer or agreement with a political position. Free Assembly study does not require ARKTIK Education enrollment.

Advance notice: these are program previews. Available reading is linked below. Hosted activities, dates and registration have their own status. This page will link to confirmed invitations as they become available.

Download the prospectus & question guide

A printable reading pack for your own preparation.

Explore your interests

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 01

Hebrew: read, understand, converse

Beginners, families and readers of scripture. Biblical reading and modern conversation will be identified as distinct learning goals.

The experience being prepared

The planned free pathway starts with letters, vowel signs and careful sound practice, then moves through roots, sentence patterns, guided Torah passages and useful everyday conversation. Expect short practice sessions between lessons and a gradual increase in independent reading. Your tradition and prior language experience can inform your questions; neither is a condition of entry.

Prepare now

Try copying three letters from the introduction, identify a repeated word in a passage, and write what you want to understand without depending on a translation.

Read the Hebrew introduction ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 02

Ge’ez: an entrance to classical reading

Curious beginners and readers interested in Ethiopian textual and liturgical traditions.

The experience being prepared

The planned free course introduces the Ethiopic writing system, reading practice, foundational grammar and guided passages. It will emphasize classical textual comprehension. Assembly commentary, translation choices and explanations from religious traditions will be visibly identified so a learner can compare them responsibly.

Prepare now

Begin with the writing-system introduction. In the Enoch reader, note the edition used and ask what a translation lets you see and what it may leave unresolved. Keep script practice and interpretation questions on separate lines in your notes.

Read the Ge’ez introduction ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 03

Amharic: language, family and everyday connection

Beginners, families and people seeking respectful practical conversation.

The experience being prepared

The free pathway is planned around script, sound distinctions, greetings, family vocabulary, everyday exchanges and listening. Reading and speaking exercises will build together. Cultural notes will identify their sources and acknowledge that one lesson cannot represent every household or community.

Prepare now

Use the introduction to make a personal vocabulary list for greeting a guest and introducing your family. Practice recognizing the script before trying to memorize a long phrase.

Read the Amharic introduction ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 04

Ladino: heritage, reading and conversation

Beginners and people interested in Judeo-Spanish language and Sephardic heritage.

The experience being prepared

The planned free course introduces pronunciation, useful expressions, reading and writing systems, then develops guided cultural and historical reading. Songs and oral histories are part of the intended program when permissions and appropriate context are established. The course will make its chosen spelling conventions explicit.

Prepare now

Read the introduction, list the expressions you want to learn, and identify what you already know from another language without assuming every similar word has the same meaning.

Read the Ladino introduction ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 05

Yiddish: letters, daily life and literature

Beginners, families and readers interested in language and Ashkenazi heritage.

The experience being prepared

The planned free sequence moves from letters and sounds to everyday phrases, short readings and guided literary or historical passages. Lessons will name spelling and pronunciation choices. Heritage questions are welcome; personal identity or religious affiliation will not be an enrollment requirement.

Prepare now

Start with the alphabet introduction and choose a small set of words to recognize reliably. Write one question about a text or expression you want to understand in context.

Read the Yiddish introduction ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 06

Sacred texts, difficult questions and careful interpretation

Readers of every experience level, including visitors who are questioning or unfamiliar with religious study.

The experience being prepared

The program includes Torah with Rashi and Rambam references, Bible study, Qur’anic literacy, Enoch, Mishnah and Talmud, Kabbalah, the Dead Sea Scrolls and related literature. A session will say whether it offers instruction within a tradition, comparative study or Assembly commentary. Readings will identify editions, translators and sources. Participants can ask what a passage means without being required to adopt an interpretation.

Prepare now

Begin with the shared reading method: identify a passage and edition; read it; name the commentator; distinguish evidence from inference; record a genuine disagreement; formulate one question you can support with a reference.

Explore the sacred-text reading guide ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 07

Discussion rooms: Read → Listen → Examine → Act

Visitors ready to discuss seriously, listen carefully and contribute without demanding agreement.

The experience being prepared

Ten rooms are prepared around hospitality, scripture, questions of faith, fathers and families, men’s fellowship, mothers and families, justice and mercy, civic conscience, evidence and service. The intended format begins with a reading, gives each person space to speak, examines differences and ends with one voluntary useful action. Future public rooms will name their facilitators, posting rules, reporting route and appeal process.

Prepare now

Choose an existing discussion guide. Write a fair summary of a position you disagree with, one source-supported question, and one practical action that would benefit someone outside the discussion.

Read the ten discussion guides ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 08

The Table and Saturday Shoreside Service

Neighbors, families and guests interested in hospitality, fellowship and cooperative service.

The experience being prepared

The Table is planned as a shared meal followed by a source-based conversation and a voluntary service commitment. Saturday Shoreside Service is the lakeside vision: a snack or meal, fellowship and clearly described prayer, reflection or teaching. Each invitation will name the religious format so guests can decide freely which elements to join. Dietary arrangements will be stated specifically; a meal will not be called kosher or halal without the corresponding arrangements.

Prepare now

Read the Table format and the hospitality essay. Consider Genesis 18:1–8 through the linked study guide. Prepare an introduction that tells a guest what to expect and leaves room for a respectful decline.

Read the Table host and guest guide ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 09

The Tent, family stewardship and Assembly Abrahim

Families and elders seeking practical fellowship; Assembly Abrahim is a conservative men’s fellowship for faith, fatherhood, compassion, accountability and service.

The experience being prepared

The planned family rhythm combines shared meals, intergenerational learning, parent mentoring, recreation and practical mutual support. Assembly Abrahim gives its intended audience a clear place to discuss conviction and responsibility. Each gathering will state its audience. Children’s supervision arrangements and the responsibilities of parents and hosts will be published before attendance opens.

Prepare now

Use the Tent practices to hold a family check-in: name one joy, one difficulty, one responsibility and one realistic act of care for the coming week. Read the fatherhood essay before discussing leadership and stewardship.

Read the Tent family practices ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 10

Around the Table and the original series

Readers, writers, interview guests, researchers and people who want to contribute community stories.

The experience being prepared

Around the Table is the planned quarterly journal in digital and print-on-demand editions. Its nine departments connect scripture, history, family, civic responsibility, language and service. Five series are planned: At Abraham’s Table, Before the Argument, The Ancient Library, Fathers of the Assembly and One Useful Thing. Invitations will describe editorial scope, consent, source requirements and the status of publication or production.

Prepare now

Read the founding editorial and an essay that interests you. Sketch a contribution with a clear question, intended reader, sources, what it adds and any permissions needed. Community stories should respect the people whose lives they describe.

Read the journal’s founding editorial ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 11

The research program and Living Record

Readers who want to follow a question across sources, discussion, learning and practical action.

The experience being prepared

Twelve collections organize the 48-topic research program. Future publications will follow the common editorial structure: question, primary sources, language, history, interpretations, academic evidence, disagreements, Assembly commentary, discussion questions and revision history. The Living Record is intended to connect approved public work over time while protecting private conversations and family circumstances.

Prepare now

Choose a collection in the Library, read an available essay and use the Living Record worksheet to record its question, sources and possible action. A topic in the research queue is an invitation to inquiry, not proof that a finished article exists.

Explore the collections and available essays ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 12

Volunteering, local chapters and service

People who can offer reliable time, practical skills, facilitation, translation, scholarship or hospitality.

The experience being prepared

The intended participation pathways include hosting, editorial review, language review, accessible materials, chapter development and practical service. Role invitations will state duties, supervision, expected commitment and any screening appropriate to the work. A local chapter will need named leadership and published standards before representing The Assembly.

Prepare now

Read the participation covenant and safeguarding expectations. Identify one useful contribution you can sustain and the support you would need. Consider a modest first project with a clear scope and a way to confirm its outcome.

Read the participation covenant ↗

PROGRAM PREVIEW · 13

My Assembly: a future personal learning space

Readers who want to organize learning and choose their level of participation.

The experience being prepared

The planned optional account will connect course progress, selected reading, event participation and chosen updates. Public reading and free study will remain available without an account. Visitors should receive a clear explanation of what is collected, who can access it, how it can be removed and which notifications are optional before accounts open.

Prepare now

Try the available reading checklist and decide what information you would want a future learning space to remember. Keep private family, medical and case details out of study notes.

Try the optional reading checklist ↗

YOUR QUESTIONS BELONG IN THE PREPARATION

Prepare a question that opens a conversation.

  1. Name the program or passage you are considering.
  2. Describe what you understand so far, in your own words.
  3. Identify the exact uncertainty, difference or practical concern.
  4. Include the reading reference or source that prompted it.
  5. Say what would help you decide whether to participate.
  6. Leave room for an answer that clarifies the issue without requiring agreement.

Example: “I read the Table guide and would like to attend a meal. Which parts of a Shoreside gathering are religious instruction, which are shared discussion, and can I join the meal while choosing not to participate in prayer?”

Keep your questions in the downloaded guide. A monitored public question and interest channel is still being established. No question, application or registration is submitted through this page. When a verified channel opens, its response expectations will be published here.

What a confirmed invitation will tell you

The host, intended audience, date, start and end times, approved venue or online link, religious format, preparation reading, accessibility, dietary arrangements, family supervision, weather alternative and attendance instructions. Courses will also state the lesson sequence and review status; contributor invitations will state editorial terms; discussions will name their moderation arrangements.

Follow the gathering program board ↗