Each Tuesday morning, as the Mariners staff gathers for our weekly staff meeting, we take a few moments to capture what has happened in the past week of ministry. We call this time (not all that cleverly) “storytime.” In it we recall to each other the things we’ve been a part of that God is doing in our midst. This past Tuesday, we spent time telling stories of our own “Neighborday” weekend experiences (the holiday formerly known as Labor Day). We heard the stories of multiple generations of people participating in a neighborhood chalk-art expo. We heard the stories of community barbecues and pool parties, ice cream socials and breakfasts together.

Here were the consistent themes: First, people who do the inviting are generally uncomfortable to do so. Some talked about how the fear of rejection in inviting people from their neighborhood to a community event almost paralyzed them. Secondly, to a person, the response from all those invited was that they were incredibly grateful–that the pulling together of everyone in the neighborhood for little more than an informal get together made their community safer, more friendly, more enjoyable. Third, people are longing for the “next” time to get everyone together again. It turns out, everyone is longing to be connected to the people around them. They just need a courageous person to create a reason to gather.

We were all created for relationships. There’s a reason why people who hosted NEIGHBORDAY events kept repeating to us how they had received so much gratitude from the invitees. In some ways, it’s our longing for meaningful relationships that unites us. The church is no different. In fact, on September 18th, we’ll launch the fall session of Life Groups–our pathway to meaningful relationships. There has already been a huge response from people looking to find deeper connection here at Mariners. For some of you, not yet connected in a Life Group, your first session will start with ROOTED. ROOTED is the safe place to wrestle with the big issues we all face: God, purpose, relationships. Sign up online or this Sunday on the patio at church.

In keeping with the spirit of NEIGHBORDAY, Doug Fields will kick off our fall series, called “NEIGHBORGOOD.” In it we’ll look at one of the most radical statements of Jesus. It’s the phrase that, if you grew up in the church, you’ve heard a million times. In a lot of ways, it’s the phrase that may have lost a little of its power in all its repetition. But, it’s the way the church is most beautifully expressed outside the walls of the worship center:

“Love your neighbor…”

It’s a loaded expression that has any number of questions to accompany it: What does it mean to love? Who qualifies as my neighbor? What happens if I’m not comfortable with my neighbors trying to love me? Throughout our NEIGHBORGOOD series, wrestle honestly with the questions: “Who is my neighbor?” and “What would it look like to love them?”

See you on Sunday,
Jeff