Multiplication Tables

Sunday evening was different from our normal table, but a very exciting evening in that it represents the imminent multiplication of our neighborhood tables. We had 22 people at our house with new families who are wanting to get involved. It was really too many for people to be able to connect, but everyone understood and went with it. From our original group of 4 families from 3 adjacent neighborhoods, we are now clearly ready to launch at least one new group exclusively in Brittany Lakes. So this week we reviewed why neighborhood life, place-based community and the table are so important to us. It was very encouraging to hear people in the group talk about how it has changed their lives. Here are a few highlights from our gathering:

• Bev brought her parents, who were in town to visit. This is the first small group experience I've ever been in where families will bring their relatives to the group instead of cancelling on the group because relatives were visiting. This is the 3rd or 4th time this has happened with the group, and I love it.


• Bev's parents talked about their experience living in military housing, and the sense of community and mutual caring that existed on base among the families. It was a difficult transition to move into a civilian neighborhood in their retirement years, because "no one comes to the door." Wow, what an indictment and challenge. We are determined to transform our community into a place where people come to the door, help with the kids, share coffee, play together, and take care of each other. Perhaps we need a visit to a military base to learn how neighbors should treat each other!


• Two families are actually moving into new homes soon in order to reduce the fragmentation currently in their relational worlds and maximize their ability to connect with people. Their stories are like so many others: working in one town, living in another, going to church in another, kids spread out all over the place. Neighbors wouldn't attend their church because it was too far away; church friends would only see each other at church events; kids didn't go to school with church friends; living in the car, running from place to place. Their decisions to simplify this pattern so that the worlds of church, neighborhood, school, and friends all begin to converge will be life-altering for them.

If that picture of fragmentation mirrors your life, there is help and hope! We'll be getting practical about how God is leading us to change our way of living this Sunday--join us at 10 AM at the Perry Family YMCA for "Life In The Margins." Better yet, contact us for info on a neighborhood table near you and see it for yourself!