The Soup is on! One of the highlights of this past ministry year in Community Life has been the overwhelming response by the congregation in joining us monthly for a hot bowl of soup and meaningful conversation. Not only have we consistently fed thousands of people over the last year, but we are seeing many among us buy into creating a culture of invitation here at CrossRoads. For instance, one Sunday, a brand new couple took the risk of coming to Soups On, not knowing who they would sit with. As they walked past a table full of people, they were quickly invited to pull up a chair and share the meal together. What a gift to them to be noticed and invited.
On another Sunday, as a family waited in line, they struck up a conversation with someone behind them and realized they didn’t have anyone to eat soup with, so they invited them to join them for soup that Sunday and a great connection was made (lines are not always a bad thing!).
This is exactly how it should be! Taking risks, inviting others to join us for a meal and building connection with one another. As a church, we often say that as we grow and get bigger, we have to find ways to get smaller. If we continue to extend invitation to people around us, CrossRoads won’t feel so big!
We love seeing this culture of invitation spill over into other areas of community life. A few months ago, my phone rang and on the other end of the line was a facilitator of one of our long-term life groups (A life group is a group of people who have decided to meet regularly to invest in one another lives and spur each other on in faith). She shared with me that their group had been doing some thinking and praying and wanted to make room for another couple who could use consistent community. Within the month, their group welcomed with open arms a couple who had been longing for community but didn’t know where they might fit. It has been a perfect fit for everyone, and we are so grateful that Jesus is burdening our groups to make room for others! Let’s keep it up!
As we look forward to this coming year, we are praying that Jesus would continue the work of helping us find ways to get smaller.
We are praying that Jesus would give more of us the courage to invite others to join us for a meal and that He would help us make room in our lives for those who need community. We look forward to the day when people consistently say things like, “CrossRoads is a growing church, but it feels like a small church because we are known here.”
We are grateful for all 140 of our group/mid-size community facilitators, who are working hard to make this a reality. If you are in a group, make sure and tell your facilitator thanks for serving! We would also encourage you to begin thinking about how you, too, can personally embrace this culture of invitation and take the next step in making room for others in your life.
