Our Super Bowl Plans

As you may or may not have heard, we will not be hosting our 5:00pm evening Gathering for our Downtown church on Sunday, February 4 because of the Super Bowl. We do this in order to remind ourselves that church is more than a service you attend, and we want to give everyone an opportunity to be on mission during the big game. Since watching the Super Bowl is an event that so many people in our culture participate in, we want to free ourselves up to use that as an opportunity to watch the game alongside them. So this Sunday, attend either our 9:00am or 11:15am Gathering, and then choose one of the following:

1. Host a Super Bowl party. The bible is clear that Christians should be the most hospitable people on earth in light of the fact that Jesus welcomed all of us into his family (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9; Romans 15:7). The Super Bowl is one of the easiest times of year to be hospitable, since so many people watch it already. Buy some good food and drinks, get some friends to come and do the same, turn on the TV, and invite your neighbors over to your house for the big game.
2. Attend a Super Bowl party. Jesus was big on going to parties. He was in attendance in so many parties that he was known as the man who "came eating and drinking" with people (Matthew 11:19; Luke 15:2; Mark 2:16; Matthew 9:11). Imitate Jesus and go to a Super Bowl party (bonus points if you attend a party you were actually invited to).
3. Help us throw a Super Bowl party at Transitions. As one of our Serve the City partnerships, we're continuing our annual tradition of throwing a Super Bowl party for people transitioning out of homelessness together with Transitions. Find out more and sign up to help here.

Whatever you do for the Super Bowl, don't come to our 5:00pm Gathering. You'll be alone!

Recommended Reading for Grassroots Kingdom

On Sunday, we began our new sermon series called

Grassroots Kingdom

. In the series, we'll be discussing God's plan to change the world through his people, the church. We also know that some of you may be interested in studying further on the subject. To help out, we thought we'd provide a list of books that have been instrumental in helping us plan the series, in hopes that they'll be helpful to you too:

totalchurch

Total ChurchTim Chester & Steve Timmis "Church is not a meeting you attend or a place you enter," write pastors Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. "It's an identity that is ours in Christ. An identity that shapes the whole of life so that life and mission become 'total church.'" With that as their premise, they emphasize two overarching principles to govern the practice of church and mission: being gospel-centered and being community-centered. When these principles take precedence, say the authors, the truth of the Word is upheld, the mission of the gospel is carried out, and the priority of relationships is practiced in radical ways.

everydaychurch

Everyday Church Tim Chester & Steve Timmis We live in an increasingly post-Christian culture. More and more we find ourselves on the margins as less and less people have any intention of ever attending church. What used to work doesn’t work anymore and we need to adapt. Helping us to see the way forward, this book offers practical ideas and personal stories for engaging with Western society. Find out how to effectively reach people in the context of everyday life and take hold of the opportunity to develop missional communities focused on Jesus.

community

Community Brad House Pastor Brad House helps us to re-imagine what gospel-centered community looks like and shares from his experience leading and reproducing healthy small groups. With wisdom and candor, House challenges us to think carefully about our own groups and to take steps toward cultivating communities that are able to glorify Jesus, bless one another, and participate in the mission of God.

lifetogether

Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer In Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, renowned Christian minister, professor, and author of The Cost of Discipleship recounts his unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years in Germany. Giving practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups, Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

masterplan

The Master Plan of Evangelism Robert E.  Coleman For more than forty years this classic study has shown Christians how to minister to the people God brings into their lives. Instead of drawing on the latest popular fad or the newest selling technique, Dr. Robert E. Coleman looks to the Bible to find the answer to the question: What was Christ's strategy for evangelism? This convenient, portable format has an updated look for a new generation of readers.

mealwithjesus

A Meal with Jesus Tim Chester The meals of Jesus represent something bigger. They represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook.Tim Chester brings to light God’s purposes in the seemingly ordinary act of sharing a meal—how this everyday experience is really an opportunity for grace, community, and mission. Chester challenges contemporary understandings of hospitality as he urges us to evaluate why and who we invite to our table. Learn how you can foster grace and bless others through the rich fare being served in A Meal with Jesus.

the-big-story

The Big Story Justin Buzzard When strangers meet today they often ask not, "What do you do?," but "What is your story?" Everybody has a story. And everybody on the planet believes some larger story in order to make sense of the smaller story of their life. We want our lives to fit within a larger plot-complete with a sense of history, conflict resolution, forward movement, and future. So, the better question to ask is, "What sort of story are you in?"

Who Should I Invite to Baptism Party?

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With our Baptism Party coming up on November 17, we wanted to help our family think through who to invite to the event. We usually don't make a huge deal out of inviting people to attend Gatherings, just because in a lot of cases inviting them to experience community in the context of a LifeGroup, is just as helpful if not more.

But because of the way we do our Baptism Gatherings, we want as many people as possible to hear the message of the gospel proclaimed through lives that God has changed. In light of that, we want you to invite as many people as possible to the Baptism Party.

Here's a few people we'd recommend inviting:

1. Friends & Family. People close to you are the most likely to accept an invitation because they want to know what it is in Columbia that you're so excited about, so let 'em know.
2. People who have intellectual/philosophical/personal problems with Christianity. Sometimes the most powerful way to help people see past their objections and doubts is to let them hear about lives that Jesus is actively working in and changing. During each Gathering, we'll get to watch around 15 stories from different people who have been set free by the gospel of Jesus. In a lot of ways, that's better than any convincing philosophy or apologetics book.
3. People who think they're Christians. Because of where we live, many people consider themselves Christians without an understanding of the gospel, conviction of sin, or repentance. Witnessing the stories of people who were in similar places can be a powerful way to reframe what being a Christian means to people who aren't sure.
4. Anyone who loves celebrating. The goal for the Baptism Party is simple: we want it to be one big Jesus celebration. So if you know somebody who loves celebrating, they're likely to enjoy the Baptism Gathering.
5. Anyone who loves bacon. Since we're serving brunch and brinner after the 10:00am & 6:00pm respectively, there will most definitely be bacon involved. Tell someone you're taking them to a meal, and bring them to the Baptism Party (okay, don't actually do that since that would be lying, but you can tell them food will be included!)

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