Bring It To Bethania. - February 25, 2016
Why, good day to you. A snapmark (snapshot + landmark) from this week will be described below. You see, it was a clear Saturday afternoon just turning to the coolness of evening when we arrived at the Salon Comunal in Bethania. We met with group of 15ish folks from Iglesia Reforma, set up the room with tables and chairs, and all was ready. For what?
We had asked the Global Soccer Ministries (GSM) coaches to invite the kids from their soccer academy in Bethania to come to this event with up to 4 folks from their family. Around 60 folks from the community did come, and we had a night sharing time around tables with some of the families from Bethania. Abdiel made a great MC as we played some group games, got to know people we were sitting by, made giant balloon bunches, ate some hot dogs, and shared what we were doing there. Well, what were we doing there?
Saturday night was the start of what we hope will be a meaningful, two-way connection between some folks at Iglesia Reforma and some folks in Bethania. The church needs to invest outside its own walls, and in that investment we have a lot to learn from the people of the community.
GSM does a really good job with coaching and discipling the kids in their program. But that's twice a week, and doesn't include their families. So we're hopeful that by engaging in intentional relationships with the families who are willing to open their doors, there's meaningful connections, growth, discipleship, community, discovering of gifts and sharing of needs that can go on. Meanwhile, my friend Abdiel and I (AJ) have been and will be doing more listening and learning in the soccer academies and throughout the community to find the goodness and the existing leaders in Bethania, the needs and desires of the community, and work to link those things together to build a stronger community in terms of faith, justice, economy, trust...whatever we might find. This is slow work but good work, and it is good to not be in it alone (especially when being alone means often misunderstanding the responses to questions you ask...haha). How will the Gospel move in this community? Not really sure, but hopin' for some front row seats baby!
We had asked the Global Soccer Ministries (GSM) coaches to invite the kids from their soccer academy in Bethania to come to this event with up to 4 folks from their family. Around 60 folks from the community did come, and we had a night sharing time around tables with some of the families from Bethania. Abdiel made a great MC as we played some group games, got to know people we were sitting by, made giant balloon bunches, ate some hot dogs, and shared what we were doing there. Well, what were we doing there?
Saturday night was the start of what we hope will be a meaningful, two-way connection between some folks at Iglesia Reforma and some folks in Bethania. The church needs to invest outside its own walls, and in that investment we have a lot to learn from the people of the community.
GSM does a really good job with coaching and discipling the kids in their program. But that's twice a week, and doesn't include their families. So we're hopeful that by engaging in intentional relationships with the families who are willing to open their doors, there's meaningful connections, growth, discipleship, community, discovering of gifts and sharing of needs that can go on. Meanwhile, my friend Abdiel and I (AJ) have been and will be doing more listening and learning in the soccer academies and throughout the community to find the goodness and the existing leaders in Bethania, the needs and desires of the community, and work to link those things together to build a stronger community in terms of faith, justice, economy, trust...whatever we might find. This is slow work but good work, and it is good to not be in it alone (especially when being alone means often misunderstanding the responses to questions you ask...haha). How will the Gospel move in this community? Not really sure, but hopin' for some front row seats baby!