new gathering

Yo,

We will be cooking dinner together for our initial gathering tonight at The Mansion. If you or anyone you know isn’t connected into a life group and would like to come out as we begin this new community we will get going at 7. If you can email me if you are coming it would be helpful in planning the meal.

God’s really been stirring a couple things on my heart lately.

Ø First, I’ve had a real craving for community that goes beyond a Bible study where we all spout off our opinions on a passage only to leave at the end of night unchanged and not really understanding the state of each others hearts.

Ø Second, I’ve desired for sometime to be part of a gathering that would be welcoming for long time Christians, beginning Christians, returning Christians, and non Christians. It may seem like a wide gap to bridge, but I believe it can be done and is the healthiest way to live.

So, beginning tonight I’m going to be hosting a gathering at my house along with a few good friends on Tuesday nights. It is going to look different than most other groups you may have been a part of in the past. Each week of the month will have its own unique feel. Here are my thoughts so far, they’ve been shaped by conversations with each of you and I hope they continue to be shaped by our desires as we grow together.

The first Tuesday of each month we’ll actually cook and eat a meal together and well, that’s it. Just spend time together concocting brilliant recipes, slaving over the stove, feasting, and cleaning up. I believe there is real value in serving and eating with one another. It creates an easy place to connect and invite in folks who might be new to the journey or new to our crew of friends.

The second week would consist of asking questions of one another. Guys and girls will be split so that we can really get into the depths of our hearts. The idea here is that we will each bring our experiences, walk with God, and questions to the table and delve into each others worlds.

The third week we’ll go out, sometimes it might be doing something spiritual together, other times it could be something fun, the idea will be that we get to experience something new together and build memories which we couldn’t sitting around in the living room.

Finally, the last Tuesday of each month we’ll come together for worship, prayer, lectio divina, and confession. This night we’ll also spend substantial time apart as guys and girls to focus on matters of the heart.

So there’s that…if you feel like this is a gathering you’d like to be a part of we’ll be coming together at THE MANSION tonight at 7.