Most of us have a gap between our best intentions and our actual lives and ministries. How do I reach the people right in my neighborhood who are desperate for the gospel but aren’t going to be joining us on Sunday anytime soon? Jesus spent his time with sinners around the table and told his disciples to do the same. My heart was not broken for the people living close to our church. But, when I started sitting at the table and spending real time with them, God began to teach me His heart for individuals facing all kinds of life issues and needing the love of Christ, one by one and person after person.
We are bringing the light of Jesus straight into the place we’re called (rather than expecting the lost to come to us). This is the gospel alive in a city space with believers gathered, the strong presence of Jesus, abundant and colorful food, real koinonia, the stories of Christ being told and experienced, and the lost and broken present.
I am not the only one who has been changed. Church people who used to only serve inside the church walls now have a regular place to do street-level missional work. We have seen people, who have been far from God for many years, weeping right during dinner. They come to The Neighborhood, and they are honored, loved, and nurtured in spirit and body. We regularly hear, “Thank you for seeing us.” People who are afraid to venture into a church building know they belong and are like family to us at the table.