What is the value hosting the community? Why open our doors to our community for events? Is there a value to it? What if the speakers say things we don’t totally agree with? Does that make it a bad event?
Answers to these questions are subject to personal opinions. Because this is my blog, I’ll offer my opinion!
I see lots of value in hosting the community even if it means having some provocative discussions. I believe NAPC has a large asset in our location. We have been blessed with a very strategic location in the city. However, it is not that strategic if we remain isolated from the community. We steward our location regularly in being a location that the community can come together in. Why is that valuable? Because we are hospitable to the community with our location we earn credibility in discussions. We earn the right to be heard in the community. We have demonstrated a willingness to listen to many different viewpoints and decide to agree or disagree but still be respected regardless of our answer. That is not something to take for granted.
Sometimes church consultants and conference speakers will pose a question to pastors that goes something like this: “Would your community miss you if you went away tomorrow?” The point of this question is to have church leaders really determine whether they are impacting their community. Are they meeting as a holy huddle with no care for the outside world or are they in tune with their community in such a way that the community would truly miss them if the church went away. I believe that if NAPC disappeared it would be a devastating loss to our community and I think many leaders in our community would agree. I believe that because of the way we host our community for gatherings. Just the other day, Habitat for Humanity used the BMC for an retreat meeting. They appreciated our hospitality and we were able to contribute to a great organization’s mission of helping literally billions of people seeking shelter.
I think we should keep opening our doors as much as possible for groups in our community to meet. Being known as a church that cares about our community seems right in line with our vision of knowing Jesus and making Him known.
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The Georgia Tech Chinese community has hosted many of its events here at North Avenue for 12 years.. This has become a rich blessing for us!
We have a relationship with this Chinese community through radical hospitality shown over the last 12 years. As a result we have seen more than 30 Chinese baptized at North Avenue Church and witnessed to countless others. . In Beijing China Neale and I met over 45 of the scholars who had come here and visited at North Avenue. with about that many more in 5 other cities.
This is one way that North Avenue has global impact that began with “secular” use of the facility!
Problems? Most groups that want to use the church’s facilities would be just fine. Certainly there are some things that just aren’t even close and with which we wouldn’t want North Avenue associated, but most of them probably wouldn’t want to use our facility anyway. But for most of those that do, it can work well if we are clear about the relationship and NAPC’s boundaries with everyone involved. We should seek every opportunity to build relationships in the community. Using the facility is one of those ways.
Carol and Neale Hightower
Very well said.