Thursday, June 26, 2014

Live a life that leads to "Why?" Giving away 300 BBQ chicken quarters (& some Ribs!) at the Civic Center this Saturday

Last night I had a great time sharing the intro to "The Summer of Friendmaking and Neighboring" at the rockin' Mount Olive Baptist Church. I'll share more about that in a bit.

The end of the evening I rolled out this week's hangout time of Modeling such a whimsical life: We are going to the Civic Center seawall on Saturday, June 28, with the HUGE BBQ Pit trailer pictured below, lighting up the pit and putting on a few racks of SpareRibs and about 320 chicken leg quarters, and giving all that away to our neighbors there that day.

Why?

Why not!!  It's fun. It's whimsical. I'm getting pretty good at BBQ, so this is fun stuff, and very tasty!

We'll be there to start conversations and meet our neighbors. No Strings. No Catch.

Why? There's a lot to that question, but we will start at the beginning: We want to life a whimsical life that leads people to ask, Why?  


Because God have loved me, I'm here to love you.

Because serving people is where it's at! We did this same thing, bring this trailer and cook BBQ for a few hundred people (we had never attempted to cook for so many before, but that didn't stop us!) to serve at T. H. Watkins Elementary School this year. We got the 5th graders at the school engaged in helping put on the day, serving their parents for the PTO meeting and school training happening that night.


Because BBQ is tasty, we're getting good at cooking it, and sharing is fun!

Because this whole city, from #Goosport2Graywood, is our home, and all it's inhabitants are our neighbors.


Because everyone here needs a legitimate shot at seeing who Jesus really is. And we think that building relationships is how to see this happen. NOT relationships with an angle, where we are contingent-friends (so long as you come to my church, or so long believe like I believe.)

Because #theCityShouldBeDifferent

See you there.  
Paul Pettefer, 337-794-9891, @paulpettefer, paul@theCityChurch.us



Friday, June 6, 2014

What is the purpose of theCityShouldBeDifferent.com?

theCityShouldBeDifferent.com
     a move to 
          Unite theChurchatLakeCharles.us
     and 
          Transform the city
     through 
          Building Capacity for Engagement
So That 
     John 17:20-23 can happen here, now.

OK, that sounds good, but what does that mean? So here is an Example: We have this enormous industrial expansion headed to SWLA, bringing 25,000+ new construction jobs. There are lots of, say, young men in our area who are not meaningfully participating in the workforce, but who could certainly fulfill the unskilled helper jobs that will be a small portion of this large construction workforce needed. What they need to be ready for these jobs is some hope. We, church, are charter members in the hope trade. So, via relational engagement, we let the young men borrow some hope from us, inspiring some to begin working on improving their character and soft skills, getting ready for this meaningful work opportunity. There are a bunch of kickers in this real-life scenario. 1.) The industrial construction helpers can make $15 an hour, and typically have lots of overtime. This scenario really stomps on the gas pedal in this way: a new entrant into the workforce in this situation can save enough to buy a reliable car in 1-2 months! 2.) If we are going to see a thousand young men (that's my vision) pass through this opportunity, we will need a whole-bunch of support systems, meaning mentors, encouragers, soft-skills instructors, rides to work and more. 3.) When we engage with our real-life neighbors, in real-life serving, everyone's character, everyone's faith in Jesus gets a real shot at growing! It's what you call, Discipleship. 4.) When a young man gets a job that can pay $40k a year, they have real options! They can get more education and training. They can inspire those around them to follow them. They can be inspired by those who invested in their life for free and set them up for this situation, and they can help the next group of young men who aren't working get on board. 5.) ...

Are you getting a little glimpse at the picture?

The people who follow Jesus are carrier's of the Hope of the World. We, in the Lake Charles area, have a beautiful opportunity to engage with our community, building relationships and helping lots of people see who Jesus is more clearly.

There is lots more to say, so stay tuned and, if you are intrigued, lean your voice into the mix. Contact Paul Pettefer at 337-794-9891, paul@theCityChurch.us, @paulpettefer, or stop by the InterGalactic Offices of theCityShouldBeDifferent.com located inside Laundry World, 2712 Lake St, Lake Charles.

Since #JesusIsAlive, then from #Goosport2Graywood #theCityShouldBeDifferent