Sundaes On Sunday.

Hey.

This past Sunday, Mars Hill moved our Kamp's Gathering to the south and west just a bit to the neighborhood in and around NW 9th & McKinley for SUNDAES ON SUNDAY. This neighborhood contains individuals and families that have been largely marginalized by society and forgotten by the church.

Ice-cream sundaes were built in 32oz cups. Kids were eating sundaes that were larger than their faces. It was wonderful to see families coming out in droves for an opportunity to share life, laughs and brain freezes together. You can read more about Sundaes on Sunday at
http://5and2fish.com/2007/05/29/can-you-have-church-if-there-was-no-service/ and http://ronstale.blogspot.com/2007/05/sweet-success.html.

The church swallowed a big fat dose of "white flight" a couple of decades ago. It's amazing to watch college age students and twenty-someones (they're not somethings) move back to the center of our cities to live among the poor and in many cases sell everything and follow Him. There is a young man at Mars Hill who will most likely quit his job, sell his stuff in order to follow the person of Jesus into the most church-forsaken places in our city. It's amazing to watch young families even in our community consider what it looks to move into more urban areas of OKC.

On a somewhat random note, everybody should check out Shane Claiborne's book, "Irresistible Revolution". http://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Revolution-Living-Ordinary-Radical/dp/0310266300. I'll be trying to throw out good resources like this for you to consider.

Jesus reminds us in Luke 14… "The next time you put on a dinner (or throw an ice-cream sundae party); don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors (church-members), the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out (our neighbors at 9th & McKinley), the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks (impoverished, homeless, drug addicted). You'll BE—and experience—a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!”

The favor was returned because it is always better to give than receive.
We gave away ice-cream sundaes to kids and families for one evening.
And in return, we were given a piece of our heart back.

Jesus seemed to always be inviting the “wrong” people to the party.

I am hopeful that the Church of OKC will continue to reach beyond our traditional target audiences and demographic studies to care for people in need. There are segments of our society that the current church either cannot or will not reach. I am not sure which.

Mars Hill partnered with Cross & Crown Mission (www.CrossAndCrownMission.com) and some friends from North Church (www.NorthChurch.tv) for Sundaes on Sunday. I hope that you and your church a making Kingdom friends. We are always better together. I believe it was Teddy Roosevelt who said, "We can accomplish anything, so long as we don't mind who gets the credit."

Please jump in.
Let's get this new blog going.

Ben.