About a year ago I was fortunate to be a part of the first ever Fort Worth Dish Out (website, facebook, twitter). It was crazy fun to be associated with such an event and I am blown away at where the board is taking it these days. Frankly, it is a source of great personal pride.
For those who do not know what the Fort Worth Dish Out is, it works like this:
The next Fort Worth Dish Out will be held on November 4th at 809 @ Vickery (809 W. Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth, 76104) from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
- Everyone puts in $20 to get access, a meal, booze, fellowship and the ability to hear about 3 local non-profits.
- Everyone hears the non-profits speak for 5-7 minutes to tell what they do.
- Everyone votes on the non-profit they would like to support.
- The winner of the vote gets 60% of the funds, the other two split the remaining 40%.
We can talk about this as an event or a function or a fundraiser or even as a non-profit in its own right.
But I call it an expression of Church I want to be apart of.
When we gather for a common cause, break bread, learn, share, have fun, fellowship, encounter new people and new ideas, give, grow and support those around us - I call that Church.
So for those of us who want the Church to continue into the future and ensure that it remains relevant, I would submit that we look at the essence of what is done on a Sunday morning, take those core elements and see what expression of church you will get.
What can you create with some combination of these elements:
- Learning new things
- Meal
- Meeting people (old and new)
- Giving of resources
- Celebration
- Sharing
- Group participation
- Music
- Dance
- Wine
Sounds like a recipe for Church to me.
The next Fort Worth Dish Out will be held on November 4th at 809 @ Vickery (809 W. Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth, 76104) from 5:30 to 8 p.m.