Give Them Something to Talk About                                                

Jamie White was riding with a friend a couple of years ago and noticed a full parking lot at Clifton. Jamie wondered what was happening at the church and why she wasn’t invited. She told her friend to pull into the parking lot so she could see what was going on. It just so happened that, unbeknownst to Jamie, a surprise birthday party awaited her arrival to celebrate her.

Although Clifton Church and Clifton Springs roads are busy thoroughfares, people note what is happening at Clifton United Methodist Church. There is a Clifton neighbor who cuts the lawn at my home. If people were leaving our church and the traffic was a little heavy because of it, he would fuss (in jest) about “my people blocking the road” whenever he saw me next. Some days, he scheduled my lawn work based on the cars parked at Clifton, assuming I would be hanging out at the church.  

People notice what’s happening at Clifton. McKenzie Parkins is a neighbor. She happened to be walking in the neighborhood and saw the garden beds. That motivated her to inquire if we would want to partner with her organization, Growing Our Gardens ATL, in community gardening.

Not all neighbors are interested in entering the church doors. Yet, they are paying attention to what’s happening in our parking lot, and we must take advantage of that.

In our meeting with Rev. Dr. Heather Jallad, she challenged Clifton to use the parking lot to reach our community. Regularly, we should have something going on. Those in attendance agreed with her. The ideas tossed about had some of us pumped up. I recall hearing things like: 1) the men having a fish fry, 2) inviting gardeners to share in a community farmers’ market,      3) cooking with a wok, using herbs from the garden and Siatta Ollison sharing ethnic dishes from her family recipes, 4) a community festival or block party, 5) breakfast sandwiches for the hungry with tables set up to share table fellowship, 6) movie nights with snacks, 7) Vacation Bible School, all happening in the Clifton parking lot.

Spring is here, and this is the perfect time to get started. Call up neighbors, converse with those walking or driving by, and invite them to come hang out with us in the parking lot or under a shade tree. It may take many events in the parking lot before some people are willing to step onto the tarred pavement. But we must keep inviting. We could have something happening twice a month in the spring, summer, and fall.

People along Clifton Springs and Clifton Church Road are paying attention to us. Let’s not miss opportunities to give them something to talk about.

Love,

Pastor Candy