Vision For the Community

I met with my visioning group yesterday -- the ones who want family ministry -- and really began to sense a vision emerging from this group. Very simply, it's community centered -- a community center on the church grounds. The idea would be to have a building through which to provide classes of every kind FOR the community -- shared ideas included crafting classes, art-based classes, GED classes, foster care classes, health care classes, senior classes, exercise classes, get out of debt classes, healthy cooking classes, wi-fi computer lab, etc. But these aren't spiritual! I'll probably hear. And yet, how "spiritual" can we be if we don't even interact with the real people in our community? How can we make God's love known to those who don't wish to sit through a 1 hour and 10 minute service? One way we can do that is simply by making space for them. I'm considering the possibility of writing grants since we will be serving the community. There is no library or wi-fi out in our neck of the woods . . . people have to drive into town to go to the library. The school system in FL doesn't provide for the public education of those who are not school-aged so this would provide continuing education in many ways. In addition to that, being on church grounds, we could freely offer classes that invite people into theological conversation. To quote my daughter's favorite musician: You get the best of both worlds. -- education and the ability to talk about God freely and openly. Those who are not wanting to be Christian are free to join in educational experiences without worry that they will be accosted.

Now, as I'm looking at this and dreaming about this, I'm aware of 2 things: 1) that right now there is a community center maybe 1 mile away that is not meeting the educational needs of the community; and 2) that right now the Spring Lake community is not quite big enough to be the "center of community" unless community is defined in terms of our neighborhood. But I also know that the public schools are planning to build a new school here in the next year, and in so doing will bring in more people to the community. If the church can be a community center that enhances education, I feel it will also help the neighborhood school to thrive.

So this is what's going on in my little pea brain today. And Im exhausted -- could be that Pepsi I drank last night that kept me up until 1 AM.