At Christ Lutheran Church in Hickory, N.C., what began as a sermon series on community broke out of the sanctuary and spilled into the neighborhood. Last month CLC took part in a community block party. It was a combined effort between CLC, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, the Kenworth neighborhood association, emergency services, and area nonprofits. By the end of a sweltering Saturday in June, all involved got a glimpse of what it looks like to be a community that invites community.
“So often the Christian church in our American context has fallen into an institutional way of thinking and talking and then we wonder why people don’t seem to want to be part of it,” Pastor Alec Fisher said. “This series highlights the fact that we are a living, breathing community and that there is something powerful and profound happening here. It’s beyond worthwhile to be part of God’s community and his work therein.”
This wasn’t the first time CLC has participated in a neighborhood block party. CLC and Mt. Zion, which occupies the building CLC used to be in, used to team up to host the parties. Deaconess Robie Hillhouse, a congregant-leader at CLC, said that “the parties were a regular occurrence until a few years prior to the beginning of the pandemic.” Hillhouse thinks the event ended largely because of changes to the neighborhood and the culture; block parties were not as popular.
But the churches decided to give it a go again.
Planning for this year’s block party began in November of 2023. The event, which was free to the public, featured food trucks, a bounce house, kids’ crafts, and a duck pond. There were also nonprofits on site to offer information on area resources and social services. Hillhouse said about 150 people attended the event.
For CLC and Mt. Zion, both of which are located in the Kenworth area of Hickory, the block party is just the first step in community intentionality. During the block party, the churches collected the names of kids so that they could be invited to the Vacation Bible Schools that take place this month. CLC holds its VBS in the morning, and Mt. Zion holds its in the evening; kids will receive invitations to both. Hillhouse said that the two churches are already talking about other ways to partner.
And they have already begun to think about next year’s block party.
Pastor Fisher said, “It was so nice to see different groups working together toward the common goal of the block party. We had a chance to work with a neighboring congregation and our neighborhood association. In conversations like that, you see how we all face similar struggles in ministry and that there are people who care for the community and are looking for ways to bring people together.”
These outreach spotlights are designed to encourage and inspire congregations to serve and love those who God has placed in their community. Got a story to share? Please email Robin Domeier.