Three Days To Great Parties — Day Two

Yesterday I shared some of Nehemiah’s story with you, which we will unpack much more this Sunday at Sojourn Gathered.  Among the many things we can learn from Nehemiah, he teaches us:

• We are a people of the Word. This fact — that we have the Word of God — should lead us to celebrate.

So remember, no one has reason to party like the bride of Christ.  With that in mind, I shared some “how to throw a party on a budget” advice from our sister Hilary Noltemeyer yesterday.  Today, let’s talk Block Party with the Ems (Daniel and Amy) and the Eubanks (Jesse and Lindsey) families.  These couples are rock solid torch-bearers in the community of Sojourn and also in their neighborhood communities: the Ems, in New Albany; the Eubanks, in Smoketown.

Check out what they have to say on hosting a block party in your neighborhood.  Then, do it!  Celebrating with your neighbors is a great way to get to know them, develop trust and demonstrate Christ’s work in your life.

Tips For Hosting A Block Party, by Daniel Ems, Amy Ems, Jesse Eubanks, Lindsey Eubanks

• Have the party at a time that is good for the people on your street.  Look around and see when they are home.  Sunday afternoon is probably a good time.  Remember that weeknights are difficult for your neighbors with school-aged children.
• You may want to have the party outside if you don’t feel comfortable having people inside your home.  This also makes cleanup a little easier.
• Definitely have friends or family help out.  Assign them specific jobs, e.g. take care of food, trash, drinks, ice, etc.  This frees you up to spend time with your neighbors.
• For the best turnout, go door-to-door and invite your neighbors personally.  Experience has shown that people are unlikely to come to your party if they weren’t personally invited.
• Have a man and woman invite people together so that if a man answers the door, he can talk to a man and vice-versa.  This will make people feel more comfortable.
• Have a printed invitation to hand out – it doesn’t have to be fancy.
• Accept offers to bring something to the party – it will make someone much more likely to show up.  Consider having a list of things that people could bring in case they ask.
• Be prepared for children – have toys and blankets if the party is outside.
• Don’t expect anyone to show up on time!  No one wants to be the first one there.
• Unless you are tremendously outgoing, expect to be uncomfortable.  Persevere!
• If you meet another Christian at the party, be bold in sharing your own faith.
• Offer to pray for a neighbor who shares a burden, difficult decision or pain.  This is a good way to show them love.
• We recommend NOT having planned activities during the party.  Just spend the time talking to your neighbors.
• Consider having an email sign-up list to announce future parties.
• Measure the success of the party, but be reasonable.
• Finally, take all this with a grain of salt.  Your neighbors may be completely different than we expect, so go with what you know/think about them.