In this week's newsletter, we want to share what it's been like living in the Reunion area for the first time. Below is a short update from Chris the Outreach Pastor writing on behalf of the Reunion Church team.
To be local is a process. I’ve heard that to be truly rooted in a community, it may take 2 - 3 years of being in a place. Living and knowing the needs of the neighborhood. Being a part of a community is to be aware of all the intricacies of the area. For us as a team, we’ve just started that process.
Having been over a month now since some of us have moved here, it’s been a learning curve knowing who’s who and what’s where in this side of Commerce City. Best place to eat? State House is pretty good, but so is G’s Tacos or even Yum Asian Fusion if you’re looking for some fine sushi.
Best place to hang? Well, we’re biased towards the Reunion Coffee Shop of course, but Heartland Park is a neat spot for young families and the Buffalo Run Golf Course if you’re willing to test your drive. Best place to be? Reunion, Colorado.
So what does this mean for the mission at hand? How is Reunion Church meeting the needs of the neighborhood? Well, the first step is just being present and being here with everybody else. Our aim as always is to redeem, restore, and reunite all people to God.
But with that said, how do you redeem what you don’t know needs redeeming? How do you restore unless you know what’s broken and in need of renovating? How do you reunite people who don’t even know they’re lost? You live life with them just like Jesus did.
Jesus didn’t start the “real ministry” until he had a true understanding of the people around him. He knew the culture. The crowds that chased him around hoping to be healed. He knew them before they knew him.
As N.T. Wright puts it, "Justice and peace are about putting things right in the world. But, from whatever angle you look at Jesus, he was concerned not just with outward structures, but with realities that would involve the entire person, the entire community. No point putting the world right if the people are still broken." | Simply Jesus, P. 70
We seek to emulate that kingdom-minded approach to ministry with our new church on the block. One way we plan on doing this is with our new series starting on September 19th called Grace Talk. In this next series, we'll go over what grace is and how to apply it in our local living. It's going to be a collection of conversations and we cannot wait to host those grace talks.
To be present before we ever preach is the current conviction and so far it’s been incredibly exciting. We can’t wait to watch God use us to help the people of Reunion. One local at a time.
