diff --git a/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/Context.java b/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/Context.java
index b15a74d..887805f 100644
--- a/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/Context.java
+++ b/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/Context.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.UUID;
+import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
 
 /**
  * A data context for events.  Contexts can be stacked.  Data can be stored
@@ -139,6 +140,44 @@ public Context start() {
         return this;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Starts a context and calls the Callable within it and returns the result.  The context will
+     * be finished or failed as appropriate.  If an exception bubbles out of the Callable, an
+     * InContextException runtime exception will be thrown.
+     *
+     * @param callable
+     * @return
+     */
+    public <V> V start(Callable<V> callable) {
+        try {
+            start();
+            V result = callable.call();
+            finish();
+            return result;
+        } catch (Exception exception) {
+            fail(exception);
+            throw new InContextException(exception);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Starts a context and calls the VoidCallable within it.  The context will be finished or
+     * failed as appropriate.  If an exception bubbles out of the Callable, an InContextException
+     * runtime exception will be thrown.
+     *
+     * @param callable
+     */
+    public void start(VoidCallable callable) {
+        try {
+            start();
+            callable.call();
+            finish();
+        } catch (Exception exception) {
+            fail(exception);
+            throw new InContextException(exception);
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Emits an event within the current context
      *
diff --git a/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/InContextException.java b/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/InContextException.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdf4d21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/InContextException.java
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package com.bazaarvoice.gumshoe;
+
+/**
+ * Exception raised when an exception happens within a context.
+ *
+ * @author lance.woodson
+ *
+ */
+public class InContextException extends RuntimeException {
+    public InContextException(Exception cause) {
+        super(cause);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/VoidCallable.java b/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/VoidCallable.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ca43c14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/src/main/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/VoidCallable.java
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+package com.bazaarvoice.gumshoe;
+
+/**
+ * Interface of objects that can be invoked within a context
+ *
+ * @author lance.woodson
+ *
+ */
+public interface VoidCallable {
+    void call() throws Exception;
+}
diff --git a/java/src/test/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/ContextTest.java b/java/src/test/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/ContextTest.java
index 0704d03..47fe2e7 100644
--- a/java/src/test/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/ContextTest.java
+++ b/java/src/test/java/com/bazaarvoice/gumshoe/ContextTest.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
 
 public class ContextTest extends Assert {
     private EventFactory eventFactory;
@@ -97,6 +98,85 @@ public void ensureStartLoadsEventFactorysDataStack() {
         assertEquals(eventFactory.getDataStack().get("foo"), "bar");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void ensureStartWithCallableReturnsCallableResult() {
+        String result = context.start(new Callable<String>() {
+            @Override
+            public String call() {
+                return "test";
+            }
+        });
+        assertEquals(result, "test");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void ensureStartWithCallableFinishesStatus() {
+        context.start(new Callable<String>() {
+            @Override
+            public String call() {
+                return "test";
+            }
+        });
+        assertEquals(Context.Status.FINISHED, context.getStatus());
+    }
+
+    @Test(expectedExceptions={InContextException.class})
+    public void ensureStartWithCallableThrowingExceptionPropagatesException() {
+        context.start(new Callable<String>() {
+            @Override
+            public String call() {
+                throw new RuntimeException("Ooops, I did it again");
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void ensureStartWithCallableThrowingExceptionFinishesContext() {
+        try {
+            context.start(new Callable<String>() {
+                @Override
+                public String call() {
+                    throw new RuntimeException("Ooops, I did it again");
+                }
+            });
+        } catch (Exception e) { }
+        assertEquals(Context.Status.FINISHED, context.getStatus());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void ensureStartWithVoidCallableFinishesContext() {
+        context.start(new VoidCallable() {
+            @Override
+            public void call() {
+               // do something
+            }
+        });
+        assertEquals(Context.Status.FINISHED, context.getStatus());
+    }
+
+    @Test(expectedExceptions={InContextException.class})
+    public void ensureStartWithVoidCallableThrowingExceptionPropagatesException() {
+        context.start(new VoidCallable() {
+            @Override
+            public void call() {
+                throw new RuntimeException("Ooops, I did it again");
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void ensureStartWithVoidCallableThrowingExceptionFinishesContext() {
+        try {
+            context.start(new VoidCallable() {
+                @Override
+                public void call() {
+                    throw new RuntimeException("Ooops, I did it again");
+                }
+            });
+        } catch (Exception e) { }
+        assertEquals(Context.Status.FINISHED, context.getStatus());
+    }
+
     @Test(expectedExceptions={IllegalStateException.class})
     public void ensureEmitFailsIfContextNotStarted() {
         context.emit("test");