I drove by a church yesterday and noticed the marquee. It said: "Free Ticket to Heaven. Details Inside." As I thought about someone who may take a serious interest, I couldn't help but also notice that there were no cars in the parking lot and the doors were more than likely locked - being a Friday morning. I guess the person(s) who put up the letters imagined someone looking at the service times on Sunday and writing it down in their calendar?
Barna wrote an article in 2006: "Spirituality May Be Hot in America, But 76 Million Adults Never Attend Church." In the article he presents statistics from various people with differing spiritual backgrounds. Despite the variety, the main point is that a majority of people are going about their day on Sunday as if it were any other day of the week.
This fuels the passion we want to communicate as we challenge the churches where we are sharing the vision of Java Journey. We are not in a westernized "competition" with local parishes (sp?) or even coffee shops. We hope to compliment both endeavors, espcially the former.
In short, ministry opportunities have a daily - even hourly frequency. One building on one day at one location for an hour or so will not satisfy the demand presented with such a frequency.
Which would you rather say when you have an opportunity on a certain Wednesday of the week: "I'll pray for you and I'll like to encourage you to come with me to my church this Sunday. I'll pick you up." Or: "You have time for a cup of coffee right now? I'm buying." Which scenario do you think has a beater chance?
That's part of what we want to provide through Java Journey. We'll be there "any other day of the week."
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