Welcome to "fuZion lab" at designing for Philistines (on Thursdays)...Once upon a time there was a blog kingdom where freaky creative’s could share the chaos created in their minds for THE Kingdom.
Sadly, it went away. Yet the creative minds keep blogging.
Now there is a place to share all those creative elements again at the fuZion lab on Thursdays.
So here’s what you do…
1. Each Thursday YOU post on your blog on whatever creative church element sparks your passion.
2. In your blog, link back to this weeks specific creative fuZion lab.
3. Then post the link to your particular post at the Mr. Linky below. (It will pop up in a separate window)
4. Then come back and comment. If you don’t blog yet, still feel free to share your idea in the comments.
5. Then off you go. Go back to the pop up window 'Mr. Linky" and visit other people’s ideas, comment and share.
6. Ready to begin? Here we go. Let the creative fuZion begin.
Spread the Word.
Dorothy (vicar of vibe)
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Creative Elements this week at XC:This creative package should be fairly easy to recreate.
Focus: People Jesus met: in pain; compassion healing; how should we (how did Jesus) meet people with compassion.
The seed of this element was sown out of a real life person named Steve, who hangs out in front of my Starbucks. I have always wondered how people would react if Steve showed up in a church. He sleeps in the park, is dirty, smelly and his hands are beet red and swollen to double in size due to being in the last stages of severe kidney failure. We contantly have to kick him out of the store bathroom, where he shoots up and leaves his needles.
Yet we try to treat him with dignity and respect.
We used an actor (from another church) to portray a homeless man. Grubby faced, scraggly beard and wild, unkempt hair, he sat on the bench with his shopping cart outside the front door of church (we meet in a middle school) as people entered today. He purposefully wouldn’t interact with people.
We had a "handler". Like the "handlers" that work with Disney characters. He would intercept people at points, as needed.
Very interesting to see peoples reactions. It was one of those elements that would either fly or fall flat on it’s face. It flew. People where talking to him, praying for him, bringing him food, offering help; one man wouldn’t even go into the service, he didn’t want to leave him.
Our pastor, Chris Eads started his message standing in the middle of the auditorium, reading a passage from "In His Steps (What Would Jesus Do)" by Charles Sheldon, written in 1898. This is really a classic must read. The "homeless man" was sitting near him. As our pastor made his way down to the front of the auditorium; the homeless man followed with his shopping cart.
Big impact.
Later in the message Chris had a interview Of two men in our congregation who used to be homeless. Two incredible stories.
We have an amazing congregation.
How do you think you would have reacted to a homeless man sitting in front of your church?
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