In my little over a month tenure on the Plaza, I have learned how easy it is to stay focused completely on church affairs. . . for there is always something INSIDE the building to be done. Newsletter articles to be written, bulletins to put together, phone calls to be made to church members, and of course the ever pressing need of sermons to be written.
I could spend all my time doing these things and still not get everything done. And, not to say that all of these things aren't important organizational tasks.
But, the faith that excites me is not always about being inside a building. And, Jesus, who the Christian faith professes, had a lot to say about getting out too. Maybe it was something like "Love your neighbors as yourself..."
This is why I am trying to discipline myself to find as many opportunities as I can to meet neighbors, to get to know the community in which I work and connect with people who know more about neighborhood than me.
What I am finding is that there are a lot of people in the Lake Anne community who want to cheer us on! Just today, I attended the monthly Lake Anne Merchant Association Meeting at Jasmine Cafe (who provides great coffee by the way). When I provided an update to all the business owners about our upcoming concerts and our desire to open up our space to the community through our rental policies, they were so excited! They gave me some really interesting and doable ideas about how the church and the community can work together even more in the future.
I came back to the church this morning with a spring in my step knowing that our time is now to really open the pages of a new day here at Washington Plaza.
Wanta chat with me about how you can get involved in my "meeting neighbors" project, Washington Plaza folks? Let me know.
So, if you don't find me in the church during my office hours, you know where I'll be .
