What if ministry is all (gasp) relational?

I live in a terrace apartment. I live with 5 great guys. There are 6 great guys on the other side of the building. We are considered the equivalent of one "hall." Much like when asking a measure of distance you can answer "3" (unspecified units) and get away with it being correct - we get away with being considered a hall. I only know 2 of the guys on the other side of the building. We had to have a hall picture for the year book. I asked not to be in it. I don't like being in pictures a whole lot and I think it's pretty dumb to be in a "hall photo" with 4 guys I've never talked to. (I don't even know one guy's name.)

My RA made me be in the picture. I love the idea of Christian Community. I think that the 6 guys on my side of the building pull it off pretty well. We all talk to each other and have gotten to know each other. It's a shame that we couldn't have two group photos.

I think about my evangelism classes and pastors who tell people that they should hand out tracks - and I think about relational evangelism. I'm a pretty outgoing guy - and I don't even knwo the guys in my building. My friend John wants to be a missionary, but he's never talked to most of the people in his apartment building. I just think that there's something missing here.

My friends and I went to the house of a couple from the Methodist Church. Ed and Susan were marvelous. We talked for a while and then had cake. Ed offered us Beer and Susan offered Rachel cooking lessons. We felt so at home - and I felt so proud to be a Methodist! I think that Christian Community should look a lot more like that. I don't know anyone who doesn't like being invited over for dinner.

I want an apartment.