“The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood” http://bible.us/John1.14.MSG. Two of our Core Practices at Bridge Church are Proximity and Responsiveness to the Needs of Others. We often overlook the mission field that is our neighborhood, subdivision, people right around us, etc. Check out Alan Roxburgh’s new book and this helpful list of 30 Ways to Join God in the Neighborhood. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Commit to walking your neighborhood at different times of the day. What is going on? Who are you seeing or not seeing? Keep a journal about what you see, hear and learn as you continue to pay attention to your local rhythms.
• Find and join local social media people/groups that keep you connected with what’s going on near to home: twitter, facebook, blogs, etc.
• Join a club, class or group in your community around something that interests you. Commit to getting to know some different people in your community.
• Co-plan a street garage sale. Give the $$ to a local charity. End the day with a BBQ on your front lawn.
• Local police stations will often take you for a night ride and tell you about your community after dark.
• Go visit some local real estate agents and ask how you could welcome neighbors into your area.
• There are probably immigrants coming into your community from other countries. How about welcoming them to your country. Offer some tutoring for young children or conversational English for parents.
• Become a regular – if you are not a regular already, commit to a local coffee shop, breakfast spot, family diner, etc. and show up on a regular basis.

Other Ideas?