My Impromptu Block Party
These days are difficult for leaders making plans. Whether it’s in business or education or government or ministry, every strategy must be layered and nuanced with caveats and articulated assumptions:
Plan A if things somehow return to “normal” within the foreseeable future.
But we know that it’s highly unlikely that we will return to “normal” anytime soon, so here’s Plan B for the time being.
But if it turns out that we’re going to be in this phase for an extended period of time, here’s what Plan C looks like for a long-term strategy in pandemic protocol.
And all of that has to be layered with more contingencies because no one actually knows what “normal” will look like when we get there.
What will childcare look like in a church setting, and how soon can we begin to provide it?
We’re meeting now in a large-group setting in our largest venue for weekly worship, but what will adult classes look like in smaller rooms?
And we all know the most important ministry question: will we ever have a coffee bar again?
We’ve been beating the drum of Christian hospitality in these pages for months now. We believe that the best way for our neighbors and co-workers to see the difference that Jesus has made in our lives is for us to invite them into our lives.
All of that is still true, but with everyone hunkered down in their homes in the middle of a global pandemic, how can we practice hospitality? The prospect of inviting neighbors into our homes now has a decidedly different cast than it did this time last year.
How can we practice of the spiritual discipline of hospitality in these uncertain days?
We’ve lived in our neighborhood for almost three years now. Over the past years, we’ve gotten to know our neighbors on a casual basis, mostly when I’m out working in the front yard or when I’m out with my grandson as he rides his bike in the cul-de-sac.
But thanks to a thoughtful gesture from my daughter, we had a block party of sorts on my birthday.
My daughter Sarah arranged for a shaved ice truck to come to our neighborhood for a half hour. We printed fliers and went door to door giving them to our neighbors a few days in advance, accompanied not only by my six-year old grandson Roman but also by his six-week old Beagle puppy Daisy. (An irresistible combination, don’t you think?)
And when the truck came a few days later, the neighbors streamed out of their houses and congregated in our front yard. The kids (five of them) scurried around playing with Roman’s remote controlled car, playing tag, drawing on our driveway with sidewalk chalk. All the while, my neighbors stood around and chatted. And we got to know them and they got to know one another.
After the truck left, we stood around talking for another hour. I think we were all glad to be outside and to be getting to know one another.
All told, there were more than fifteen adults there in addition to the children. Not a bad turn out for a party in a pandemic. (And, in case you’re wondering, since we were standing outside, we could practice good physical distancing.)
As we walked back into the house afterward, I was so grateful for my daughter’s thoughtful gift. She had no way of knowing that the presence of a shaved ice truck in our neighborhood for 45 minutes gave me a gift I had been longing for: a way to get together with our neighbors.
We all know that the traditional block party format won’t work: we can’t do potlucks with everyone sharing the same serving utensils. So we’re going to need to think outside the box. But if we love our neighbors, and if we want to get to know them, we’re going to look for ways to create those venues and opportunities to cultivate relationships with the people God has placed in our lives.
So let’s commit ourselves to praying for our neighbors, by name if you know them. And let’s look for opportunities to create the space and time to get to know one another better so that God can use us to bless the people who are near us.
And if you need the phone number for the Kona Shaved Ice Truck, here it is: (937) 985-2215.
Persevere,
Paul Pyle
Discipleship Pastor
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