Week 8: It Starts with an Invitation

As we packed up the buns and rolled up the chips, a woman turned to me and said, “Thanks for inviting us! We had a great time.” She knew the Night to Unite event at St. James was coming up, but forgot it was this week. “Thanks for thinking of us.”

An invitation goes a long way.

Consider Bishop Yehiel Curry, presiding bishop-elect of the ELCA. He didn’t grow up in the Lutheran church. When he was a public-school teacher on the south-side of Chicago, he was invited to a mentoring program at Shekinah Chapel and stayed for worship. After worship he told his wife, LaShonda, about his great experience and they went together the next week. “We came back and joined,” Curry said. “And we didn’t understand the organizations of the Lutheran church. We just saw a home, we saw a community.”

I saw community last night at St. James.

People from three generations roasted hotdogs over the fire. Neighbors from Williams Dr., Judicial Rd., and Rose Bluff Blvd. empathized about the construction. Kids from the church, preschool, and Spanish speaking congregations played together in the bounce house. All while sharing food and enjoying live music from “the Sunny Sundy Summer Singers.”

When two Burnsville police officers arrived with footballs and freebies to pass out, they saw the crowd of over 60 people and said, “Wow! You do this right!”

We do community at St. James. We welcome friends and visitors. We invite others into community that is shaped by the love of Jesus. Who will you invite to experience community and the love of God? Who knows how the Holy Spirit will move them? It starts with an invitation.

Read this: John 1:35-51

Try this: Invite someone to come to St. James with you to worship, volunteer with you, or simply enjoy music. Here are some great opportunities coming up:

August 23: The Great Give-Away (free garage sale)
September 7: God’s Work Our Hands (morning of service projects)
September 14: Rally Day and Ministry Fair
December 21: Christmas Concert

Be Curious: Read more about Bishop Curry’s story here. Ask a friend if they have a faith home and ask them more about it. If they don’t have a faith home, invite them to come with you.

Pray: Pray for those who are lonely or looking for meaning in their lives. Ask God to show you natural opportunities to invite others to experience life in God with you.