Please join us on November 4th after liturgy for our third East Side Walk. We will be walking to and/or from our lunch location, which will be in the neighborhood a short distance from Space12.
Most of us probably drive to and from church, at least I do. It’s more time efficient, more convenient, especially for families with children, and it’s just plain easier. I am not criticizing this decision. I plan to drive to church on Sunday. But there is something we miss when we are in our cars. We miss the feel of the neighborhoods, the sights, sounds, and smells of the streets. We miss the opportunities for conversation and connection with our neighbors. If we’re not paying attention, we can miss the neighborhood completely.
As a church community in East Austin, we want to know and be known by the actual physical community in which we meet. We believe it is important to know our neighbors and know what is going on around us, particularly in the neighborhood immediately surrounding Space12. However, this is an incredibly difficult task if we never leave our cars.
This is why Vox has decided to create time to walk through the neighborhood as a community. Twice this summer and now again this fall we have had events called East Side Walks. Led by members of the Missions Team at Vox, we have walked the streets together with the hope of learning more from our neighbors and learning more about the neighborhood in which we gather on Sundays. At each walk, we split into small groups and set out with a focus question or thought to take with us and guide us as we walk. Then after the walk, all the groups gather to spend some time talking about our experiences.
The purpose of these walks is, in part, to simply observe and get to know the physical neighborhood – i.e. what the streets and houses look like, what parks or churches or shopping centers are available. As we observe, we pray that God would give us eyes to see the neighborhood as God sees it. We want to notice assets in the neighborhood as well as needs so that we, as a church, can better understand how we can partner with and encourage what God is already doing in the neighborhood, as well as sensing places that God might be calling us to start start something new. In addition to observation, our hope is that conversation might be sparked through these walks, because we want to know the people around us and learn from our neighbors. Finally, as we walk we pray – for our neighbors, ourselves, our church, the Church in Austin.
Ultimately, we believe that as we walk together as a church community we become more in tune with God’s heart for the neighborhood around Space12.
Please join us on November 4th after liturgy for our third East Side Walk. We will be walking to and/or from our lunch location, which will be in the neighborhood a short distance from Space12.
[written by Kelly Cefalu]
Email Local Missions for more details
[Photo by Stephan Georg Hauptmann @ Flickr]