It's all worth it...

We have had our preview services, made adjustments with every service...and probably will continue to do so. We don't have a road map. Other services around the country have church at tables but don't have the 5-10 minutes of quite time. Other services I know of have 30-60 minutes of contemplation time but no tables. Still others have all the elements except the secular music (we don't use traditional Christian music.) Very few I know of have a service outreach element right in the service. We are starting a new thing here. Spread the word. If you know people that "don't do church" or were burned by church, tell them about it. It might be their thing. If you have a church community, good for you! This might seem very different to you. It might not even seem like church...for some people, that is a good thing!
We have had enough success to make us happy, enough challenges to keep us humble. Great turn out. Maybe people just want to see what all the fuss is about but that's o.k. I think people dug the vibe. What I know is that our service project (making sack lunches for day laborers) fed over 100 people the NEXT day. THAT made the whole service worth it. Anyway, if you came by to experiance it last Sunday I would love to hear your thoughts...even if it hurts. Thanks to all for the support. Next service will be Sunday @ 5pm. Hope to see ya then. For people that don't want to go to the website, the services are at St. Andrew Untied Methodist Church 3350 White Bay Dr. Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 ( on University Blvd. a few miles south of C-470 on the right)

What are folks looking for....

So here is the deal- I am hoping AfterHours fills a void for people that think you have to "do church" a certain way. It is about appealing to people that think they "know" church people because...well...they, "knew a guy once who was a racist and he said he was a Christian." What do we need to do not to be painted with the same brush stroke (and no, you can't say, "don't be a racist"...that is a given) In short: WHAT ARE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR??? Here's hoping we can create a "third place" for people (Home and Work being one and two). A place where people look forward to coming to all week long. A place of connections...no not the sleazy, Hollywood, "have your people call my people" kinda connections. More like the "connnect to others/connect to God" kinda connections. We are making connections Sundays @ 5:00pm...See you AfterHours

Hoping the cops don't show...

I have been at this gig for about a year and a half. Almost two years of full time God work. Whew! I didn't break anything (to the best of my knowledge.) They have let me stay...so far. Now we are starting this new thing. A new service. Sorta church for people that don't like church. How do we prep for welcoming people (and God) in, and, at the same time, not be so polished that it looks slick and well...slick. I wanna do enough work but not so much that EVERY...SINGLE...THING is timed out and choreographed perfectly. Who wants to worship in perfection? I get the idea that Jesus focused on the relationships...you know...the love thing. I don't know how much he cared who sang out of tune. He was just glad they came to the party. That's kinda how I hope Afterhours is. I want people to know we are just glad they came to the party. I have thrown a lot of great parties in my life....I just hope this one doesn't end with the cops showing up. Here's hoping I make it to my second anniversary!

[NOTE: I was going to tag this with some sort of clever "Afterhours" tag line...but I am already tired of that...that means you were tired of it WAY before me]

And let's welcome to the service....God!

I was telling my wife Laura that back in my previous life, I opened for all kinda big shots...now I am opening for the ultimate big shot...I am opening for God! I am thinking our job is to create an environment that makes it...well...easy for the Holy Spirit for the come on in. We are to create an environment of joy. I believe this is where the spirit lives. If you are enjoying yourself...well...I think that is an open invite for the spirit. It is never about the opener or the venue. It is about creating a space that makes it easy for the main act to shine. Here is hoping that we are able to create that space...keep us in your thoughts...pray for us...send us good vibes....toast us...whatever works in your world. Know we are going to do our best to create a space of joy....here's to joy...laughter...and the spirit...and doing it all Afterhours...

doin it different...

Well, lets give this a try. Let's TRY to do something different with church. But not just to "do" something different. Can we begin to listen to the voices that say, "church just isn't for me" and instead of trying to convince them that it is, listen to them. Maybe the church they don't like is the same church you and I don't like. Judgemental, holier than thou, hypocritical...mean. Don't blame them a bit. Maybe we can show folks a different way to do church. Keep the things that we think are really important...and lose the stuff we don't quite understand why they are there. Does a service HAVE to be one hour? Does the preacher HAVE to preach 20-25 minutes (dear sweet God say no). Do we HAVE to sit in rows, all facing forward? Let's find out...

After all, things are always a little bit different afterhours...

Bringin' the happy...

Tonight we talked about how it seems every book in the world right now is about happiness. In fact, I read that in 2000, there were 50 book published about happiness. Do you know how many were published in 2008? 4,000! Clearly, we want to get happy...and we are looking to Harvard Ph.D.'s to give us the answers. The bible actually has very little to say about what will make you happy. Has a TON to say about what will bring you joy. Happiness starts on the outside. Joy begins on the inside. Joy is an attitude, Happiness is a response. We talked about the fact that, in my book, it is o.k. to believe that money buys happiness...it is when we think that money (and, as a result, things)will bring us joy that we will be deeply disappointed. Personally, a whopper with cheese, minus pickle, a double double (for you In-and-Out fans), a full wine rack, and some cool new shoes make me happy...I don't feel guilty about it...I just KNOW they won't bring lasting JOY. Too many people I think, believe things will bring them joy when the truth is, thing just bring you happiness (and even then, it is a crap shoot.) So I ask the questions...
1) What makes you happy? (things) and 2)Who is the most joyous person you have ever met...The sermon and more stuff is on the website at www.afterhourschurch.com. Come check us out. Love and Laughs, jerry

Where do you belong?

Last night we talked about belonging. What does it mean and why is it important? Abraham Maslov was famous for his levels of needs and how important they are for people to become "fully human". After health and safety, BELONGING was next on the list. I talked about how much Jr. High was torture for me early on until I found a group to belong in. We talked about when we were in a relationship with people that just clicked. We talked about who gets kicked to the curb in society now. We are a little light on lepers and tax collectors these days so society found immigrants and the GLBT community to push out of the circle. We talked about a God that is so big that the circle is large enough that EVERYONE is in it. In God's house there are MANY rooms. Those from other lands and the gay community are not the only ones pushed out by society. I ask you: Who else is pushed out of the larger community and ends up on the margins? Hope to see you soon. Love and laughs, jerry

Annnnnnd we're off....

Going to be doing our first weekly AfterHours in about an hour. Hoping to reach out to any and all, but specifically those that just can't "do church". We believe in connecting to others, connecting to God and reaching outside our doors. God only know how much of this we will get right...but God knows what we are tryin to do here. Drop by when you can...Sundays @ 5pm 3350 White Bay Dr. Highlands Ranch, CO. Wish us luck!