Granola Bars for Jesus!
Jun 17
While in New York recently, Jill and I were able to have dinner with a couple of friends from our NorthStar Church and IMPACT Camp days. It was a blast to spend time with Adam and Morgan! Adam is the small groups pastor for Journey Church in Manhattan, NY.
I asked Adam what he and his church did to get the word out about The Journey Church in a unique and different culture from what we both have grown up in. He told me that I might laugh, but one of the most effective ways of simply getting the word out and inviting people to The Journey was having groups and teams gather on busy street corners (is there anything other than a busy streetcorner in NY?) and handing out “Granola Bars” with small invite cards from the church taped to the outside wrapper.
Adam shared that at a recent baptism that many of the people getting baptized referred to receiving a granola bar on a streetcorner in Manhattan as the beginning of a journey that has led them to a personal relationship with Jesus.
It makes me ask the question, “What is our “granola bar” here in Walton County, Metro Atlanta for Church at the Grove? Not in the literal sense that we are looking for a tangible item to hand out with something taped to it. (Although that may be something to consider)
I mean what is “THAT THING” that we engage people with in this local community that they will refer to when they share their story at their baptism? What is “IT”?
What do you think?
Russ,
I think people, my self included, would say that our granola is just a genuine interest in the welfare of people. OUTREACH. However, the fact that people can point to something as simple as a granola bar is amazing. We do need something that awesome, and simple. Something exactly like “Love Loganville Day”. I saw first hand how people respond to stuff like that…it works. Even though nobody I gave a coke to ended up coming to church, they felt something positive and compassionate coming from God and His church. It may have been something in a series of events in someone’s life that helped change their heart toward the church community…or even toward God Himself. I’ll be happy to pass out granola bars at a grocery store or gas station…as a matter of fact, I am going to call Kroger tomorrow and ask if we can do it!