It would be great if you could give us a brief history of the kinds of neighborhood events you have hosted at your house?
The first event we did in our neighborhood was an ice cream social. This social included a water balloon toss that expanded into a full out water war with water hoses and buckets. We also had three-legged races and chubby bunny contests. Following our ice cream social, we began hosting an annual Christmas party. During this party, we had an ornament exchange, sang Christmas carols, and ate delicious appetizers. One fall, we held a Fall Fest complete with apple bobbing and scarecrow making. We even tried to have a hay ride in one of our neighbor’s truck beds, but it didn’t work out. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.
When did you start to integrate the gospel into these events? What did you do and how did people respond to what you did?
We first introduced spiritual content at our Christmas party through the singing of Christ-centered Christmas carols. People enjoyed singing so much that some of our neighbors went home and brought their stringed instruments to the party. We tried to host our socials before Guest Sundays so that we could invite individuals to come to Crossway. Following our Fall Fest, one of neighbors came to Crossway the next day after being away from church for over twenty years.
It wasn’t until our third Christmas party that we more formally integrated the gospel into an event. Using a Christ-exalting Christmas hymn we had just sung, Tim spent five minutes explaining the significance of Christmas and the Gospel. As one couple was leaving, we asked if they would like to come to Crossway. Tim’s presentation had encouraged them to come to Crossway and now they attend on a regular basis.
What kind of interaction did you have with your neighbors in-between these events?
As we built relationships with our neighbors, we began to see needs that we could try to meet. Some of those needs included visitations, providing meals, and house cleaning. We shared these needs with members from our Care Group who assisted in helping meet these needs. One of the needs we saw was for financial assistance. To help meet this need, we have contributed money towards groceries in exchange for weekly cooked meals. Danielle has really appreciated this
mutually beneficial arrangement! We also took advantage of the holidays to extend hospitality. We invited neighbors over for Easter and Thanksgiving meals. Throughout these one-on-one opportunities, we were intentional about sharing the gospel more in-depth. We were able to speak more personally to each individual knowing their spiritual history and current spiritual status. We would often use those times to pray with and for our neighbors.When did you start to see some fruit from your investment? What kinds of things started to happen?
From the very beginning of our interactions, we began to see that God had already been at work in our neighbors’ lives. It has taken various lengths of time to see fruit in our relationships. Some people responded immediately with interest in spiritual matters, while it has taken years with others. One of our neighbors came to faith within the past year and has participated in Exploring Christianity. Another neighbor has asked Danielle to be her “spiritual advisor” as she desperately desires to have the peace in her life that she sees in Danielle. Many have attended Crossway and others have wanted to come. We are especially excited about an upcoming venture we are trying this summer in our neighborhood! Return to Missio CrossWay next week to learn more...
