I was reading an entry on a blog called A Triple Venti Life written by Steve Rose, the Executive Pastor of Hope Community Church in Lawrencburg. The blog post is called Life as I Know It…. In the post, he mentions the fact that he had just started training to work at Starbucks that week. Then he lists three reasons for working at Starbucks:
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wants to get out of debt except for the house,
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wants to plant a church and realizes that most church planters are bivocational, and
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most importantly needs to be in touch with our culture on a more regular basis.
Wow! What are you doing to be on mission for God? What are you doing to free up finanical resources to be able to give in service to God? And more importantly, what are you doing to meet and get to know the unchurched? In the words of Rose, what are you doing to awaken “passion for people, passion for community, passion for Christ?” As a Sunday School leader, what are you doing to personally model what you are asking your class to do? And how have you challenged the members of your group?
What are ways you or members of your group could connect with our culture? Use some of the following list to brainstorm. Lead your class to do the same. Then don’t just think about it; pray about and do it! Put one or more items on the list into action! Prayerfully consider the following:
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get a seasonal part-time job;
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volunteer on a regular basis at a food or clothing ministry, a homeless shelter, a pregnancy support center, or a hospital;
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join a fitness center;
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serve as an aid in a school or assist with a school club;
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coach a sports team;
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serve as a Big Brother/Big Sister;
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help in an English as a Second Language ministry;
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frequent the same restaurant, gas station, and stores to get to know the service personnel;
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take (or teach) a class at the community college;
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introduce yourself to all your neighbors, ask for prayer requests, and invite them to periodic fellowship times;
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give out water all season long one day each week at a soccer park;
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volunteer to serve as a chaplain for the fire or police department;
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and so many more!
What would you add? Which of the list could you do to connect with culture? You don’t have to ask God if he wants you to reach out. He has already commanded us to do so (Matthew 28:19-20). Pray for passion. Pray for courage. Pray for impact. Take a step. Reach out. Get in touch with our culture. Care. Love. And don’t forget to invite them to Sunday School! Be revolutionary!
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