Last month I shared how much I love summer, mainly because of baseball but also because of the many opportunities to hang out with friends. One of those opportunities will be our July 18th All-Church Golf Outing. Actually, our flyer promotes it as our “First Annual Golf Outing” and someone noted on Sunday that is a real faith statement as it implies there will be others to follow!
Now I haven’t even seen my golf clubs in fifteen years (my son has them in Indiana) but I’m going to get them back soon and will make at least one trip to the driving range before our big day. After all, I’ll be golfing with Kyle Haile, Tom Radtke and Shawn Berry so I don’t want to embarrass myself too much!
And even though golf is not really my game, I’m excited to be part of this because I believe the church that plays together stays together. What I mean is “church” is about a whole lot more than worshiping together. While that is certainly at the core of our being, church is also about just plain having fun together.
What does that look like? Well, the golf outing is a great example but so is marching together in the 4th of July parade, doing a “church picnic” at Chill on the Hill on June 30th, going to a Chinooks baseball game together in August, coming to either play or cheer on our softball team. These are all great opportunities to strengthen the bonds that are first formed on Sunday mornings and are available to all of us.
Something else I really like about our golf outing is the way we are engaging our local Bay View businesses by inviting them to sponsor a hole. I believe that people really do want to help others and most business-owners see opportunities like these as a way to say “thank you” for our patronage. For example, our local Walgreens and Target stores were quick to donate materials for our Imagine No Malaria walk last month. So please, don’t be shy about asking your favorite restaurants or other businesses to support us.
Please also keep in mind you don’t have to golf to be part of this event. You can simply come for the food and fellowship! $15 is all it takes to enjoy what will be a great meal…plus you’ll get to hear everyone brag about how close to the pin they got on their first drive! So remember, South Hills Country Club, Saturday, July 18th, and bring your friends!
Pastor Andy