Issue #41
World-Changing Kindness Projects
Living In The Outflow
Ask Dr. Savant
Deep Thoughts
Outward Focused Living
Servant Evangelism: Advice From a Pro
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An interesting thing happened in 2009, but went unnoticed by most media outlets: Las Vegas, Nevada surpassed Mecca as the most visited location in the world. Think about that for a moment. What does that have to say about our culture with respects to traveling? Keep in mind that Vegas is no longer sequin and glitter. It is not the town of your father's rat pack any longer. It is no longer decadence served as honey for the gambler. It is sophisticated social decadence. Since 2002, food and service revenue has made more profit than gaming. the market for foodservice industry in Las Vegas alone is valued at SIX BILLION DOLLARS. In 2009, the proceeds from restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues were more than double the take from the gaming floors. It is now more about the varied experience of indulgence than the gambling. It has taken what is unique to every city, condensed it, and then re-hydrated it into packaged experiences. No matter how you feel about that town, you would be a fool not to realize that you can learn a great deal about people from observing the reinvention that town goes through every four to six years. It is a town with more travelers than residents--every day. Keep in mind folks even go there to take part in the most intimate of sacraments: they do over 100,000 Elvis weddings each year. If you want to serve a tourist, take a look at Vegas. A few months ago, I challenged our readers to begin thinking about traveling mercies--the reaching out to strangers during travel. I had ZERO responses from you the reader. Sadly, I even had an awesome prize for the best idea for SE on the road, but not a soul took advantage of the opportunity. I really do think it is an important, but neglected area of ministry. Perhaps this is because most folks still regard outreach as a mode church growth, and while they may not admit it, they still tend to focus on investing on the potential member of their congregation rather than a stranger. You do remember the story Jesus told about "The Good Samaritan" don't you? That was a story about two travelers. I just saw a very interesting, but very sad movie about this dynamic this week. It was George Clooney's "Up In the Air." It made me think about outreach to travelers not as a different area of ministry, but rather the emerging area of ministry. Think about this. People are at the worst when traveling. Sounds like a job for kindness. Let's try this again. Each month, I would like to highlight an SE activity that focuses on a traveler or some person that has little or no opportunity to actually attend or join your church. Each monthly winner will receive a special prize along with a feature article here.
 Ken Glassmeyer is the Editor of Serve! Magazine. He has been doing SE outreach in the midwest for over twenty years. Ken is the author of a number of PDF guides available at Kindness Resources including the latest: "Tactical Kindness." You can contact Kindness Resources LLC for more information on having him come to your church to coach, speak or consult. To learn more about Ken, visit his site: SERVACITY | |
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