“We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the road once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might indeed become neighbours.”
Henri Nouwen
Who is actually my neighbour and what does it look like to love them well?
Spiritual practices help us know Jesus and become like him. One of the ways that we become like Jesus is that we reach out and care for those around us. Many of us love to practice hospitality in our homes, and yet that is not possible at the moment. However, we believe that we still can love and serve our neighbours – it just might look a little different in this season. Below are some stories and resources to get you started on some creative neighbouring!
The Resources
Weekly Teaching
What does it take to love our neighbour well? In this talk Alan Carson introduces us to the last of our practices, neighbouring.
Who Is My Neighbour?
In this video Alan chats with the Storehouse staff team about their experiences of connecting with people from different backgrounds and demographics. They also discuss how widening the scope of who we see as our “neighbour” has impacted their lives and relationships with Jesus.
If you’d like to be involved in the Storehouse Christmas hamper delivery you can sign up here.
How Do I Connect With My Neighbour?
Join us as Alan chats with Johnny and Aimee about their experiences of moving in to a new neighbourhood and some of the ways they’ve been trying to connect with those around them.
Practical Neighbouring – Meal Trains
Making a meal for someone who is in need is one of the most simple and caring ways that we can love others in our community.
Life events such as births, deaths and illnesses come to us all in different seasons and this simple act of hospitality can have a huge impact when life gets challenging.
If you would like to cook a meal for someone in our community, email us at info@belfastcityvineyard and we would be delighted to help you sign up.
In this video Katie talks to Sharon about meal trains and the heart behind this practical way of neighbouring
Receiving our Neighbours
What kind of community might we create if broken people were received well? How do we love others beyond our own preconceptions and subconscious bias? In this blog Alan Carson shares his heart on learning to receive our neighbours.
Neighbourhood Prayers
This colouring page is a way to help your children think about how God is moving in the area where you live. Chat to your children about how God knows and deeply loves the people who live around you.
When you are out for a walk or to play, look for opportunities to meet and say hello to your neighbours. When you get home, your child can colour in a little house and write the name of the person or family underneath. Then you can pray together for that household.
You could write anything you feel God saying around the picture and think of ways to encourage your neighbours, like drawing them a picture or popping a card through their letter box. Have fun!
Passing on the Blessing
More than ever before many of us have been getting to know our neighbours in the last few months and many of them are moving towards Jesus. We have an exciting invitation to pass on the blessing that many of us have received to welcome God’s presence in our homes. Check out this short video and if you want to be involved feel free to sign up here.
