June Worship in the Park

It's June, and that means being outdoors. That's why Watershed is meeting outdoors this Thursday, June 28, at Bever Pavilion in Bever Park. That's the pavilion by the east entrance to Bever Park--so if you're coming from First Ave, driving on Bever Ave, it'll be the second entrance to the park.

Now, you can come at 7:30 and worship with us. But better yet, come at 6:30 and eat with us! There will be a potluck, starting at 6:30. The hot dogs, buns, plates, napkins, and plastic-ware will be provided. Your job is to bring a side dish to share, and your own beverage. We do have electricity available, so crock pots are welcome. Someone suggested (very cleverly) that y'all could post the side dish you plan to bring so not everyone brings the same thing, because really, who wants 30 platters of lutefisk(*)?

Lutefisk aside, I'm really bummed that I can't be there. But you can make up for it by inviting a friend to come with. And let me know how cool everything I missed was.

The short version:
Thursday, June 28, 6:30PM, potluck at Bever Pavilion in Bever Park.
Thursday, June 28, 7:30PM, worship at/near Bever Pavilion in Bever Park.
Come, and feel free to invite a friend!

(Disclaimer: Not that there's anything wrong with lutefisk. If "fish jello" offends you, please imagine I said "Baked Beans", "Potato Salad", or "Great-Aunt Millie's Roast Asparagus Poppers", whichever is most palatable. Further disclaimer: The author of this post hereby disclaims all knowledge of any great-aunts that may be named Millie, whether they roast asparagus or not.)

Winning

In our staff meeting last Thursday, we talked about winning and Watershed. A win is any time a young adult goes deeper with Christ, be it coming to a Thursday night gathering for the first time, or coming to Christ, or getting involved in their church. We discussed ways that we've seen "wins" occur at Watershed, and some of the things we need to do to continue seeing wins in the future. Here are some of the things you brought up...

• Organized small groups/mentorship groups (possibly meet on Thursdays)
• Bring back the group that met after Thurs night gatherings to discuss the message
• Social events geared toward deepening relationships
• Once a month organized events that might be more comfortable for seekers
• Give people an outlet for their Spiritual Pathways
• Calendar on website for anyone to post events on
• White board in the entry-way to the gathering that lists upcoming activities
• Have someone available after each service for prayer
• Greeting team
• Everyone is a greeter!
• Identify the target audience? Are we trying to reach the churched or the unchurched?

Looking over that list, 3 areas stand out to me: welcoming new attenders (ankle deep), fellowship (knee deep), and small groups/iron-sharpens-iron activities (waist deep).

We also discussed some ways to get the word about Watershed out to the community...

• Letter to area churches
• Vision partner of 89.1 The Spirit
• Ads in the Gazette, Penny Saver, Christian Business Directory
• Contact Christian businesses
• Community service outreaches and events
• Laundromat bulletin boards
• Personal invites
• College campuses (beginning of the year fairs)
• Location (be where we want to minister)

Please discuss the ideas listed above. Are there any other things you believe we need to to do in order to see more wins? Can we focus on all these or are there certain ones that stand out as more urgent than others? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Summer Activities Survey Results

Many of you took a "Watershed Summer Activities Survey" in May before we took a break for the summer. I have compiled the results of that survey, and you can download the Excel spreadsheet by clicking the title link.

We'll try to organize some informal favorites from this list during the "off" weeks of Watershed in July and August, so... stay tuned.

Marion by Moonlight -- Jun 14

As mentioned briefly at our last Watershed meeting in May, we are going to try and arrange some informal activities on the "off" weeks during the summer.

For this week, I'd like to invite everyone to "Marion by Moonlight" at the Marion square this Thursday night. The music goes from 6:30 - 9:30 pm. Let's plan to meet at the square at 6:30.

Hope to see you there. If you have comments on this, feel free to leave them below.

Thursdays and Texting

I must admit, it felt a bit strange not having a Worship Gathering tonight. Instead, I was hanging out with John, Matt, Amber, and Bill working on the June 21 staff meeting, the June 28 Worship Gathering (we almost have a park secured!), and the new location (several good options, I must say!). While I missed worshipping and hanging with all of you, I am excited about this summer and gearing up for next fall.

The main reason I am posting is that I just read a blog about text messaging among young adults. You can read it here. I don't even own a cell phone, so I am obviously not contributing to any of these numbers, but I'm curious how many of you text someone daily? While in your car? And how is your life different because of text messaging? And would you say life is better because of texting?

Comments are open!