That All-American pastime, the BBQ. It is a great way to spend time and build relationships with your neighbors. Too often our best connection with a neighbor is a friendly wave and a smile as we pull out of the driveway and drive off!

As Bethel prepares to launch the West Pasco Campus I encourage you to host a BBQ. Invite a neighbor, or some friends, maybe some relatives, anyone you have been praying for. It is a great opportunity to connect with them, hear their story and reflect Christ’s love for them by being a real neighbor.

If you will host a BBQ in the West Pasco area give me a call or email me and I’ll send you some info to help you get started.

Saturday July 26 | 9:30a Everyone is invited to this weekend’s Prayer Walk in West Pasco! We will meet at the South end of the Fairchild Cinemas parking lot and then hit the neighborhood streets to pray for Bethel’s ministry to the families of West Pasco. (Bring a water bottle.)

Prepare for the warm day and bring a water bottle! We’ll have maps and some prayer items to get you started on the right foot.

…and don’t forget…

Sunday July 27 | 11:00a Pasco Prayer & Preview in the Desert View Room. This is an opportunity to find out more about the West Pasco Campus and find out how you can be a part! Come see if it was just a rumor that popcorn, red vines and soda is being served - just to get us in the theater mode!

Tomorrow evening, July 15th, the West Pasco Campus teams will be together for the first time! The response to being involved in a team has been amazing and the phrase heard most often is (I’ll paraphrase), “How can I get involved? I know God wants me to help reach the families of West Pasco”.

Tomorrow we’ll find out how we will do it as a team…together! Join us, even if you haven’t yet figured out just where God wants to use you. We’ll meet in the Desert View room at 7pm.

You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it ~ I Corinthians 12

We’ve all heard that the West Pasco Campus will launch on September 7 at 9am at the Fairchild Cinemas! Time is ticking away and here are several other dates I’d like you to know about.

July 15 - 7p | Team Training in the Desert View Room (Not a part of a team yet? Leave a comment or joins us for this training event!)

July 26 - 9:30a | West Pasco Prayer Walk Meet in the South end of the Fairchild Cinemas parking lot.

July 27 - 11a | Prayer and Preview Service in the Desert View Room

August 24 & 31 - 9a | Pre-launch Services at the Fairchild Cinemas. Come check out an actual service before we open to the public.

September 6 - 8:30p | Prayer in the Fairchild Cinemas parking lot. Join us in praying for Bethel’s new Campus as it reaches into the neighborhoods in West Pasco!

The BIG DATE!  September 7 - 9a | Opening Service at the Fairchild Cinemas. Share the morning with an unchurched friend or neighbor!

On a recent shopping trip to the local Costco Karen and I encountered community in an unlikely spot. Huddled around the milk cooler was a small group of people peering through the glass checking out Costco’s newest imporvement on the milk container. Goodbye to the familiar white and pink box (if your a non-fat consumer) containing two 1-gallon jugs of milk, hello to the plastic wrapped pair of newly  designed milk jugs. You may be thinking, “Tim needs to spend more time in a grocery store”, but what struck me was this group of people were laughing and discussing the new design in great detail. One lady added as she picked up her milk, “I think I’ll need to go home and take a nap now, this excitement has tired me out!” People connected for a few moments in the day. It really was a great moment.

All of this made me think about Bethel’s West Pasco campus being located in a theater. Community can be caught ANYWHERE! A familiar spot. A place to connect. An event that causes people to talk…laugh…share in a moment. A Samaritan woman’s life was altered at a place where community happened. The interchange at a well brought about great change her life. She had a moment with Jesus.

Where do you find community? Are you ready to find it in West Pasco?! Post a comment and share with us your experience of life changing community.