Take Church to a Friend Day - December 6

On Sunday, December 6, there will be no music from the Church Keys at the Westside JCC. There will be no muffins, no sweet tea and no preaching. There will be no Thadito's, no Tiny Thad's - nada.

On Sunday, December 6, we're attempting something completely counter-cultural to the religious establishment, revolutionary, even. The results will be some love spread and some differences made and there will be some great stories to tell.

On Sunday, December 6, we're taking church to a friend.

We're not going to meet at our regularly scheduled time of ten o'clock. Instead, we're going to put our love where our mouths are and take the love of Jesus to the streets!

A common practice in the wider church has always been to designate one Sunday a year, or month, as the day when we bring a friend to church. The idea was that if you bring a friend, perhaps they'll like church and want to join. Well, at Thad's there are no 'members' per se, so one can't 'join' since we're all of us, already 'in.' And, the point is not to add numbers to the Thad's community, just for the sake of adding numbers.

The point is to reach out to someone you haven't seen in a while, maybe even someone with whom you've had a falling-out. The point is to connect with the folks you love. The point is to take some of the love-spreading, difference-making we do at Thad's out into the world, in the spirit of being Monday - Saturday followers of Jesus who worship on Sunday.

And, the point is to start in your own life, in your own relationships, with those you love.

We've been talking about this 'Homework' for the last two weeks now, and the discussion around the HW has been deep and good. Folks have been offering their ideas, their advice on what NOT to do (like proselytizing or preaching) and telling their stories.

Folks have talked about going to lunch with a friend they haven't seen in a while, or going to visit a relative in a nursing home. Someone mentioned that they're going to spend much-needed play time with their kids.

There are no rules. The only thing to remember is to share some of the love you experience at Thad's with someone 'out there.' You may not even utter the words "Jesus" or "God" at all in the conversations you have.

This post is an opportunity to share your ideas, your thoughts and maybe even fears about this adventure in love-spreading, difference-making.

Good luck!