Dear Friends,
First of all, to all of you who took the time to write such thoughtful responses to last month’s letters, a big fat thank you! Your combined wisdom and encouragement—excepting a few very serious cranks among you—are the makings of a good book about coping with hard-to-love people. As for you very serious cranks, well, thanks to the others, I should have you well in hand any time now.
In the meantime, below is the copy of a letter I recently hand-delivered (and explained) to everyone in our fellowship, which signals a significant shift in our Monday night dinner plans for this year. The bottom line is that while our little core group doesn’t mind throwing the occasional ‘light and airy’ party for lots of our neighbors, we’re no longer up for doing that every week. On the contrary, we’d rather increase the relational and spiritual intensity of our fellowship, go deeper with a few, and see what happens.
You’ll see too, of course, whether or not it’s pretty. That’s what you get for giving me your e-mail address in a vulnerable moment. Next time, do what smart people do when they pass through the ‘hood: Hand the needy-looking guy some cash and keep on moving.
Keep the faith,
Bart
PS – I have been asked to reiterate that you can donate online to support our fellowship, which is conveniently registered as a 501c3 non-profit organization. Consider it done.
Dear Members and Friends of the Walnut Hills Fellowship,
If you are wondering if we will ever restart our regular Monday night dinners, the answer is yes…and no. Yes, we’ll be eating together again, beginning this coming Monday. But no, Monday night dinners won’t be exactly like they used to be. Hopefully, they’ll be better!
Last year’s Chicago trip really brought our group together, but this year things were different. While almost everybody had a great time, our relationships with one another didn’t get much stronger as a result. Instead, after the trip our fellowship seemed to be running out of gas. Maybe that’s natural, but it didn’t feel good, especially to the people working hardest to keep us together. So then, we took a break and came up with a new plan.
Beginning in September, our first Monday dinner of every month will be a kind of celebration of friendliness, where we not only get to reconnect with our familiar circle of friends, but also get to bring with us other Walnut Hills people we think might enjoy being part of that circle. It won’t be open to all comers, of course – in this neighborhood that would be totally unpredictable! Instead, those who want to come will need to RSVP for themselves and their guests by Sunday night, so the cooks know how much food to prepare.
Those first Monday dinners will be aimed at making everyone feel welcome, before, during, and after the meal. If we play games, they will be optional and fun to watch or play, but we may also bring in some musicians or a comedian once in a while, just to keep things interesting and energized. The only goal will be for us to be really positive all together, so everyone feels good about themselves and one another.
Our second, third, and fourth Monday dinners of every month, however, will be smaller, more intimate gatherings for those of us who want to deepen our relationships in order to help ourselves and each other live better lives. Instead of games and music after dinner, we will send the little ones off to child-care and settle down for some good, old-fashioned adult (or youth-level) conversation about things that matter: Parenting, the parables of Jesus, making healthy meals, being a giver even when you’re broke, and similar topics.
You shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t want to participate in that kind of conversation, but you shouldn’t RSVP to come to those dinners either, because everyone there will be expected to ‘pull their own weight,’ either by speaking up or by listening with interest. Otherwise, you can just save your appetite for those first Monday nights of each month, which will be lots of no-pressure fun.
As you all know, I love the Walnut Hills Fellowship and, as I hope you know, I love each one of you. I feel blessed to be part of a group like ours, where I can be myself without fear. My prayer is that God gives us even more life this year, by giving us even more love.
Keep the faith,
Bart