I never expected to be there. I never would have chosen to go there. If you see some footage of the wild New Year’s Eve bash in downtown San Antonio, you may be able to spot me in the boogying mosh pit in front of the main stage.
Why was I there? Because I’m a dad. My daughter’s boyfriend was playing in the band. It was a great gig and he’s a good guy. I just never anticipated standing in the midst of 250,000 people who were gyrating, drinking, and cussing on New Year’s Eve 2008.
I’m more of the stay-at-home-and-avoid-the-crowds-and-danger type of guy.
As I stood in the throng of screaming teens and swaying adults, decibels of sounds slamming into my torso and thumping my thorax, I began to wonder how many of these people go to church. Yes, I’m a pastor. Those are the things I wonder about.
The statistics tell me that less than 20% of the people there attend worship at least once each month. If worship attendance is an indicator of faith life, roughly 200,000 of those people around me did not know that Jesus walked the earth, went to the cross, and defeated death so they could have certain hope instead of simply a New Year’s wish.
As I stood there, I realized that this is where we need to be. Out here! Out there! Doing something!
A friend of mine, Alex, leads a vibrant ministry in the Chicago area. He was mentored by a go-getter pastor: Juan Martin. Alex was describing his ministry to me and mentioned his mentor’s advice: “Keep moving!” Get out there! Do something! See what the Holy Spirit will do.
It’s great advice. How can you reach the people who will party hardy on New Year’s Eve, but are not inclined to mosey into your church?
One idea may be exactly what you’re planning in these initial weeks of 2009: your summer schedule. You’ve probably already noticed that the community loves Vacation Bible School. Is it because of the Bible teaching, the great songs, and the cool crafts? Probably not. It’s most likely for the free babysitting for a week during the summer! But that’s okay! The people who might not ever darken the door of your church will gladly allow you to tell their kids about Jesus and may even come to an evening family program because you are giving them a break over the summer. Have you ever thought about building on this amazing outreach phenomenon?
As our little mission congregation grew, we added summer camps to our VBS outreach. A woman in our church loved art, so she organized an art camp. She had one-hour sessions for each age group throughout the morning. It was very manageable and didn’t demand too many volunteers. On Thursday evening she had a family art show so the kids could display their creations. Every session taught about Jesus, and the Thursday evening show was Christ-centered with an invitation to all to come back and join us.
We added a basketball camp for Kindergarten through 8th grade, too. We had several age groups rotate in throughout the day. Each session started with devotion and prayer. Friday was family day when parents could stop by, take pictures, and watch their kids compete for some trophies. Once again, it didn’t take too many volunteers, but attracted loads of people who never went to church.
There are many possibilities. The key is to get out there, to keep moving. It’s a matter of life and death!
1 comment:
Good for you Mike! My experience has been that no matter how old, geeky and out of place you are in such a situation, that no matter what the "others" think of you, inside they actually do respect you for being out there and doing something with/for them.
I ran a concert venue out of the basement of our church in Michigan and had many such situations.
Richard Mittwede
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