Update on the Ridgecrest Neighboring Initiative


We serve a God of order so this rule of physics can apply to our efforts neighboring initiative. "Significant change will occur with minimal force if applied over an extended period of time."

We are off to a good start on the neighboring initiative here at Ridgecrest but to change the cultural narrative we need to keep taking steps to emphasize neighboring. We are ready in one week to move on to the second challenge in our neighboring initiative: meet and talk with your eight closest neighbors!

I was reminded a few weeks ago that neighboring begins with prayer. I realized I had never met one of the widows living on my street. My wife and I prayed that we would have an opportunity to meet and help her. The next day, God orchestrated a moment for me to meet Harriet. Her dog Buster escaped and found my dog Otis and me on our walk. I carried Buster back, and that led to a conversation about her north-facing driveway and the danger it posed for her when snow is on the ground. My chance to scrape her driveway and share a small Valentine's Day gift came a few days later. You may think, "what is the big deal?" Harriet has lived five houses down from us for 15 years, and I had never met her until the day after we prayed. So, prayer opens the door, but we also have to notice those who we might otherwise consider "non-neighbors."

NEIGHBORING RECAP

Here at Ridgecrest, we began several years ago to talk about "loving your neighbor" as a churchwide emphasis. This year, we have tilled a lot of soil related to neighboring.

  • We have launched an initiative
  • We began the year with a five-week sermon series
  • We have reminded members to pray for their neighbors and neighborhoods.
  • We have had media coverage in Rural Missouri, The Pathway, Baptist Press, other associational newsletters, and soon, World News Group.

OUR NEXT STEP - FERTILIZE

The soil has been tilled, and now we have some upcoming opportunities to fertilize the soil.

  • The neighboring conference for our members and other pastors is on March 5. I know it is a Saturday for everyone, but it will be worth your time.
  • We Are Neighbors blog has weekly posts. If you want to write a post I would welcome it!
  • We have dozens of opportunities to talk with members and share examples of what we are doing with our neighbors. We teach out of what we know and where we have been.
  • Helping members understand that this is a lifestyle takes time. But some people might be like me when I first Pastor's first sermon on neighboring three years ago. I said, "I'm already a great neighbor because I leave my neighbors alone!"

PLANTING SEEDS

There is a survey on the RBC webpage that we need to emphasize in some way. That is our main tool for collecting member stories on neighboring. It is part of planting seed like these examples.

  • The bingo card with your invite to March 5 had several opportunities to plant seed
  • The first of six-member testimonies we will share this year airs Sunday. Then we need to be working toward recording and sharing the April testimony.
  • We discussed a Facebook Live video on March 20 (Mister Rogers birthday)
  • Lawn Art With Neighbors is at the end of April and can be a fun way to connect.
  • Working hard on Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28 to Oct. 5) with the legislature so that could provide another opportunity within the church this year.

WHAT WE SAY MATTERS

This neighboring initiative is different from the Discipleship and Life Group initiative. We do not have an on-going meeting or even a curriculum. But what we say and do as leaders matters.

For example, how many in the culture and church define a “good neighbor” is not Biblical neighboring. We must use phrases like Biblical neighbor, loving neighbor, or engaged neighbor instead to distinguish from “good neighboring.”

And we must lead by example. As individuals, every step forward in building relationships with your neighbors is important. It is not just a prayer or just a wave or just an act of kindness you are preparing the soil, but we have to be intentional -- we have to do it with a goal of doing more.

Thanks for the opportunity to partner on this important need.

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