Hey, Doxology Family!
We have some exciting news to share with you about the neighborhood vision that we are pursuing as a church! Love Where You Live means being intentional to know and love your neighbors – and that’s for all of us whether you are in an apartment, a house, or a dorm. And what we are learning is that neighboring gets especially effective when you work together with other Doxology members near you. That is one powerful reason why it is our goal to have at least one Community Group in every neighborhood in SW Fort Worth. Just imagine the impact if within walking distance of each person there was a group of people who love Jesus, love each other, and love their neighbors.
SO HOW ARE WE DOING WITH THAT GOAL? Right now we have over 75 groups in the SW quadrant of Fort Worth, and we are in 33% of the neighborhoods. That is a great start, but we still have plenty of neighborhoods where we would love to see a group. So the key question is how will we reach those other neighborhoods. Well we just discovered that we already have 1 or more group members in 106 of the 140 neighborhoods! That creates a real possibility of a Christ-centered community within walking distance of every person in 76% of all of the neighborhoods in our area! Doesn’t that make our goal seem possible? And can you imagine what God could do when those group members work together to know, and love and serve their neighbors?
WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THE GOSPEL INFLUENCE in neighborhoods with community groups. Almost every week, we hear stories of hurting neighbors who get prayed for or served by Christ-followers. And we hear about meals that are shared between unlikely dinner partners. Think about the stories that could happen in the other 2/3 of the neighborhoods! And think about what God could do in your neighborhood.
If you are interested in being a part of what God may want to do in on your street, then please reply and let me know. We would love to help you take some small steps toward a big vision that could make this an unforgettable summer.
The vision of DOXOLOGY is “To display and declare who God is and what He’s like everywhere we go.”
Let’s encourage each other to live out that vision! What if for the next 10 weeks, we were all intentional about looking for opportunities to display and declare who God is? We are asking each person to commit for 10 weeks to find at least one way each week to BLESS someone who does not know Christ.
If we do this together, this could be “The Summer of 10,000 BLESSings.”
Imagine the cumulative impact of that many blessings right here in Fort Worth! 10,000 blessings might seem like a big goal, but it would only take 1000 of us commiting to a single BLESSing per week. If all of us are intentional with our summer, we might find that 10,000 BLESSings is too small a goal.
Sign up by texting BLESS to 33222
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
My favorite kind of gathering to throw this time of year is a Soup Night. Soup makes the perfect meal for a casual crowd -- it requires little fuss, it can be made well in advance, and neighbors can ladle it up themselves.
We plan it for a weekend, usually a Sunday evening. We invite everyone on the street, and we say that the party will be from 4-7pm so that people can show up whenever they want during that time. Guests tend to arrive and leave in waves, grabbing a bowl of soup or two and then moving on with their evening.
Here are a few other tips to help you organize your very own soup party.
Find a partner-in-crime. Recruit a neighbor or friend to help you plan and prepare.
Set a date. You will want to give people 1 to 2 weeks notice. Weekends usually work best.
Distribute invitations. Hand them out personally or leave them at the door. Invite everyone!
On the day, set it up buffet-style. Let guests serve themselves in the kitchen. Leave the pot on the stove over super-low heat or use your slow cooker on its low setting. Use disposable bowls—just make sure they are strong enough to hold hot soup, and set out spoons and napkins in a cup next to the bowls so people can grab them easily.
Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. And you can build friendships one ladle at a time! You can pick up a stacks of 10 “Soup Night” invitations at the Next Step Center. And for some inspiration and recipes, I recommend this book: Soup Night: Recipes for Creating Community Around a Pot of Soup bit.ly/SoupNight
