A Chance to Connect

Since arriving at City Church in 2011, I’ve watched our church grow and grown with it. Over the last 14 years, I’ve gone from a very single and young professional to a not-so-young, married mother of three kids. I’ve gone from knowing just about everyone in the congregation to constantly meeting new people because our church has grown so much.

I have attended many events that we no longer put on — some because we didn’t have enough attendees, and some because we had too many. I have enjoyed so many activities our church has done, and I’ve mourned the loss of events we no longer do as our congregation has grown, and we’ve had to shift our approach to caring for our members and reaching folks in our community. 

I have been one of the people most vocally sad about the loss of the all-church harvest party two years ago. It is a loss I will feel for a long time. But in my sadness, I’ve also lost the chance to see something really beautiful happening in its place. 

Two years ago, Erik charged us to throw our own Harvest Parties for our neighborhoods. Ben MacKinnon was one of the people who answered that call. Since then, Ben has worked hard to be the bridge between City Church and his neighborhood in Bryan Park. He’s worked with his neighborhood association to create a party reminiscent of the old Harvest Parties some of us took part in: a space to give our neighbors a glimpse of the rich community we get to experience all year long.

So often, we become so comfortable in our church community that we forget what it’s like to live outside of it. We forget that not all new parents have weeks of meals provided for them when they get home from the hospital. We forget that not everyone has a place to mourn the loss of dreams not realized or loved ones called home before we are ready. We take for granted what it feels like to walk into a space, to be greeted by name, and to be seen and known.

I’ve been helping Ben with this party for the last two years, and I can attest to the fruit of it. People in his neighborhood are changing their view of Christians and the church because of how City Church has partnered with the neighborhood to throw a party. We live in a time when people are increasingly lonely and isolated. We have lost the ability to make friends, and it’s become all too easy to not show up and try to know people. This neighborhood party pushes against that. It’s creating a space for friends and neighbors to connect and be known. And we get to be part of that. Our church has an amazing opportunity to show the beautiful and deeply rich community that comes from knowing Christ by helping to make this party happen.

So come. Help set up. Bring a dish. Bring a friend. Make new friends and be the light of Christ in such an important way.

Email me at briannebaudean@gmail.com if you’d like to join us. 

And see you on October 25th at Essex Triangle Park.