This past week I attended one of SFC’s gateway events, Spiritually Thirsty. We started way back in our first year having drinks and discussion at a local bar once a month. As our community evolved one of our leaders took over the event, renamed it, and started advertising on meetup.com. I attend when I can, partially to support the leader and partially because it is wonderful to discuss everything from substance abuse to the nature of God with a diverse array of people. This past spring my attendance has been hit and miss. During that time the group has grown and there is now a core group of regulars who attend the twice monthly gatherings.
Last week as I arrived late I walked up to a table covered with my tablecloth, surrounded by strangers. Sure I had met some of the folks and knew the leaders, but the majority of people were new to me. They all had met together several times on nights when I hadn’t attended. I was the newbie and it was wonderful. The discussion was enlightening, challenging, funny, and interesting. I was made to feel welcome by the other folks, an amazing experience of hospitality and humility. Afterwards I reflected on my experience with the leader, and he told me that sometimes he sits at the table before anyone else comes, alone in a bar with a tablecloth and wonders how he got here. He has found his ministry, but it’s something he never would have begun without the support and challenge of his commitment to SFC. This is discipleship at work and it is fabulous.
At SFC we are purposefully engaging in new models of how to create community and be together as spiritual people. Our discipleship model is network, gateway, commit. We are all empowered to create networks of folks with whom we are in relationship with be that our friends, co-workers, or folks online. We then invite people to gateway events like Spiritually Thirsty, the Meditation Hike, Taize Worship, and Service Project. We build relationships in these places. Then we invite folks who want a deep experience to commit by attending weekly dinners, taking on their own gateway events, participating in book studies, or working for justice with our other initiatives.
We are not financially stable. We do not have a huge Sunday morning crowd. What we have is something beautiful that continues to grow and to be important in the lives of ever more people. I cannot wait to watch and encourage as more growth, more life, and more discipleship emerge.
-Eilidh
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| It’s not a real summer party until someone has a Moscow Mule! |
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