What North/Central Austin Loves and Needs
July 29th, 2013 | John Chandler
Throughout the summer, Austin Mustard Seed is hosting a series of conversations called “Cultivate”. We spend this time getting acquainted and scheming about a new church community for North/Central Austin.
Last night we discussed the context questions:
- Who lives in North/Central Austin?
- What does the gospel look like here?
The participants included new move-ins just learning the neighborhood, and life-long residents. Here are a few of the features we highlighted:
- Many residents like quality things, like craft beer, Chemex coffee and local, organic groceries.
- Many residents are creative and intellectual, but more likely to create a tech start-up than an art gallery.
- Young families make up much of the neighborhood. There are also many long-time elderly residents, a thriving blind community and international refugees.
So what does the gospel look like here?
We discussed that there is often a perception of the church as passe or anti-intellectual. There is also a deep sense loneliness and a need for a “tribe” to do life together. Presenting the good news of Jesus Christ in these neighborhoods must be done in a way that is intellectually challenging. It must be presented through a community learning how to follow Jesus teachings together.
Does this sound exciting to you? Come by Draught House on Thursday at 8pm, and we can discuss it more!