Church...rethunk
We made a decision at the very beginning of TXC that we wouldn't be confined by "what has always been done". We made a choice tonight that we would do something that only a church that meets in a theatre can do with true authenticity...watch a movie for church! The week after easter we are going to be showing a movie (which one is in the process of being discussed right now). Here's why:
#1 - Dave the worship guy is going to be away that week. This isn't the end of the world but it does create a challenge. The problem is that he's just so stinkin' good that it's hard to replace him. However, this isn't the true reason for showing the movie. What Dave's absence has forced us to do is rethink why we feel the need to have singing and a message every week. Those aren't bad by any means and we love doing what we do every week. The reality is that what we do on Sunday isn't "church". It's a gathering of the "the church" and so that gathering doesn't always have to be the same thing.
#2 - Having fun and 'letting your hair down' is a good thing. It's a good thing for us to actually enjoy being around each other. Sometimes we can get so caught up in making sure we "go to church" that we can forget that God wants us to enjoy being with each other. We also hope that with us showing the movie that those who came as guests on Easter will feel excited about joining us for the movie as well. We are also going to be trying to get the theatre to let us serve lunch of some sort. Possibly a BBQ outside if we're lucky. (We have two chefs in our midst: Our drummer and one of our pastors - Donovan. But don't tell them I told you!)
So for some of us this could be a huge stretch because we have been entrenched in the idea that we "have" to "go to church" every week and it has to be in the format that we are used to. I understand this as I'm in that boat too! But we've got to see church as something we are rather than something we do or go to and that we can still be the church and watch a movie! It's gonna be a really fun time and I don't have a clue what to expect as this is the first time I've ever done this!
We are going to be doing this for the kid's festival that is happening on Sunday, June 24th. When I heard about the festival last year I was stoked until I heard that it was on Sunday. But after thinking, talking and praying about it, we decided way back when that we would also "be the church" on this day and go to where the people were instead of wondering why they would go to the children's festival instead of "going to church". We have yet to hear back from them, but our plan is to participate in it as much as we can as a faith community. Whether it's passing out free water (cause we heard it was super hot and not much shade last year), volunteering with set up/tear down or anything else that we can be a part of, we'll do it. Because the church is called to the world and if we just sit in our comfy theatre and expect people to show up with encountering who we really are in real life, I think we're kidding ourselves. It doesn't work and it's being proven all over the world week in and week out. We have to engage with people where they are at! In conjunction with this festival we are also going to be volunteering at the Soap Box Derby on Saturday June 23. We're gonna make this a weekend deal and we invade the city with TXCers. We're hoping to get a team of people together that can make a soap box and have one of our preteens drive it in the race too!
I'm just amped about what the possibilities are for TXC in this area. On Sunday we announced that we are in the advanced dreaming phase for something huge that has to do with some crazy long term outreach in this area. We actually aren't even sure if it can happen but as when the time is right, we'll release more details. But I just love the fact that we can dream about this stuff and that we can actually be the church and bring Jesus to people instead of waiting for people to 'come to us and find Jesus'.
This really is The CrossCurrent...the place where life is meant to be lived!
#1 - Dave the worship guy is going to be away that week. This isn't the end of the world but it does create a challenge. The problem is that he's just so stinkin' good that it's hard to replace him. However, this isn't the true reason for showing the movie. What Dave's absence has forced us to do is rethink why we feel the need to have singing and a message every week. Those aren't bad by any means and we love doing what we do every week. The reality is that what we do on Sunday isn't "church". It's a gathering of the "the church" and so that gathering doesn't always have to be the same thing.
#2 - Having fun and 'letting your hair down' is a good thing. It's a good thing for us to actually enjoy being around each other. Sometimes we can get so caught up in making sure we "go to church" that we can forget that God wants us to enjoy being with each other. We also hope that with us showing the movie that those who came as guests on Easter will feel excited about joining us for the movie as well. We are also going to be trying to get the theatre to let us serve lunch of some sort. Possibly a BBQ outside if we're lucky. (We have two chefs in our midst: Our drummer and one of our pastors - Donovan. But don't tell them I told you!)
So for some of us this could be a huge stretch because we have been entrenched in the idea that we "have" to "go to church" every week and it has to be in the format that we are used to. I understand this as I'm in that boat too! But we've got to see church as something we are rather than something we do or go to and that we can still be the church and watch a movie! It's gonna be a really fun time and I don't have a clue what to expect as this is the first time I've ever done this!
We are going to be doing this for the kid's festival that is happening on Sunday, June 24th. When I heard about the festival last year I was stoked until I heard that it was on Sunday. But after thinking, talking and praying about it, we decided way back when that we would also "be the church" on this day and go to where the people were instead of wondering why they would go to the children's festival instead of "going to church". We have yet to hear back from them, but our plan is to participate in it as much as we can as a faith community. Whether it's passing out free water (cause we heard it was super hot and not much shade last year), volunteering with set up/tear down or anything else that we can be a part of, we'll do it. Because the church is called to the world and if we just sit in our comfy theatre and expect people to show up with encountering who we really are in real life, I think we're kidding ourselves. It doesn't work and it's being proven all over the world week in and week out. We have to engage with people where they are at! In conjunction with this festival we are also going to be volunteering at the Soap Box Derby on Saturday June 23. We're gonna make this a weekend deal and we invade the city with TXCers. We're hoping to get a team of people together that can make a soap box and have one of our preteens drive it in the race too!
I'm just amped about what the possibilities are for TXC in this area. On Sunday we announced that we are in the advanced dreaming phase for something huge that has to do with some crazy long term outreach in this area. We actually aren't even sure if it can happen but as when the time is right, we'll release more details. But I just love the fact that we can dream about this stuff and that we can actually be the church and bring Jesus to people instead of waiting for people to 'come to us and find Jesus'.
This really is The CrossCurrent...the place where life is meant to be lived!
