Third Places Ministry

 

Third Places Ministry

1:Peter 4:8-10

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

I remember one Saturday in 2018, I prayed the Mission Prayer.

Mission Prayer

God, where will your Spirit lead today?

Help me be fully awake and ready to respond.

Grant me courage to risk something new

and become a blessing of your love and peace.

Amen

I looked at the handwritten reminder notes on my refrigerator. One said "Breathing in the Spaces" and another "Third Place Ministry." Our “First Place” is our home. Our “Second Place” is our work or school. And “Third Places” are places we occupy in community: grocery stores, coffee shops, libraries, etc. I went to a Starbucks a couple of miles from my church to practice Third Place(s) Ministry. I entered with attention to breath and offering prayer. After a while spent observing and praying, smiling, greeting people and hoping to be engaged,  a  homeless man from my congregation who I hadn’t seen in 3 months walked in and I talked to him about some guilt he had been feeling. Then a while later a Coptic Christian refugee who had been attending my congregation walked in later and we talked about the crisis he was experiencing. Later in the day, I noticed a woman struggling to manage two children as she tried to study. I could see she was worried that her children were being too noisy and mischievous, and I assured her that no one was bothered, her children only brought smiles from those around. I told her I was a Pastor and invited her to our nearby church and she was so grateful. The Holy Spirit invites us to align our will with God's will so that we may Invite People to Christ.

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