"I have come to believe that, as followers of Jesus, one of the worthiest endeavors we can undertake is to take the Great Commandment seriously and learn to be in relationship with our literal neighbors."

This quote from Jay Pathak in his book, "The Art of Neighboring," has been a motivation for many of our friends at Spectrum Church. We don't want this to be a catchy phrase, but instead, we want to live it out and see its impact in our lives and in the lives others. The picture above is from a recent event at Spectrum, "Dogs and Dogs," where several families came together to invite others in their neighborhood to the park for a grill-out and some "dog time" (both the food ones and the furry ones). The event helped create new friendships and new opportunities to show and share the love of Jesus through our church to those around us. When we break bread together, intimacy is created, and people open up, giving us a chance to pray for them, serve them, and share the good news of the gospel with them.

Others are planning to host upcoming events around their homes as well. Kathy Z. has invited some women on her cul de sac for an evening together; Susan C. is planning a dinner with her neighbors; Dorothy and Ros B. regularly host block parties on their street; and Ed N. is hoping to have a grill-out in his front yard in the near future. As we live out our faith by connecting with neighbors, we trust that they will see God's love for them, and as God brings opportunities to share, to hear the gospel.

How is God calling you to love your neighbor? If God is prompting you to consider hosting an event or to connect with a neighbor in some other way, start to pray. And if you want some ideas and support, contact Dorothy Bregozzo, dbregozzo@me.com or Jennifer Dietz, jenniferpwdietz@gmail.com. They would love to coach you and help get you started.