"What's the endgame?" a pastor asks as a workshop on hosting inter-religious bar-based communities comes to a close. "What's the point? Are they going to start coming to church? Are they going to become Christians?"

"Well the truth is," Piper, our instructor, says, "they might not ever walk into your church, they might not ever become Christians. That doesn't make the work we do any less valuable though. What if "the point" was simply to love people? To build community where people feel safe, seen, and heard?"

This interaction happened this past week as I and church folk from around the country spent 3 days in Charlotte, North Carolina at Providence United Methodist Church for the first ever Fresh Expressions Conference. Fresh Expressions are how we do church differently in this changing world, reaching out especially to those people who've been hurt or neglected by the church. New Christian communities that might look nothing like the churches we're used to, but that are still filled with the same love and grace and Holy Spirit that we know.

"What's the endgame?" This particular question hit me hard because it's a question I've heard here at Lamar Wesley time and time again.

"Yeah okay we'll feed your students, but when are they coming to our church?"

"Why do you spend so much time working with foreign students? They're not Christian, are they?"

A few of the many pastors from Texas that spent the week discussing ways to do church different.

The reality is church in 2024 and beyond is going to look vastly different than it has in the past for a lot of young people. Only 27% of young adults reports going to church every week. 1 out of every 3 adults has experienced some form of religious trauma. This means we can't just spend our time, energy, and money on lights, guitars, cool youth rooms, smoke machines, preaching, and all the other ways church has typically been done.

Lamar Wesley and Fresh Expressions seek to create a loving community for the folks that feel left out, who don't feel welcome at a "normal" church, who are seeking to find a place where they can be loved and known. Because these folks are just as deserving of knowing and experiencing God's love and grace as the rest of us.

I left this conference feeling inspired and with a heart relit with passion for building a new community here in Southeast Texas! I cannot wait to find out how God moves with us and how each of y'all can be a part of it!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyle Tremblay

Not just for college students! All churches of all ages and sizes can be part of this movement!

Hanging out and playing Uno, a tradition like no other!

Pastor Emmanuel Echols and members of Salem UMC after serving a fantastic lunch of vegetable soup

The show must go on! Student Intern, Julian Zurita, leads our Wesley Lunch and discussion.