missio

This past Thursday night, there was a city council meeting to determine the fate of all restaurants in Greenville, including the one we meet in, Dr. Unk’s. Here’s the story:

Background

Earlier this year, Dr. Unk’s received a complaint (about food vs. alcohol sales), and they were audited by the city. As it turns out, Dr. Unk’s sales $370,000 in food. That’s a lot of money. But not enough compared to their total sales (the rest comes in alcohol sales). In the city of Greenville, it takes 51% in order to be classified as a restaurant, which presents a problem to Dr. Unk’s because a bar/nightclub cannot exist in their current zoning district. But city law flies in the face of state law (30%) and other similar cities (eg: Chapel Hill, Wilmington). So, Jeremy (the owner of Dr. Unk’s) made an amendment to city law to amend the current law to 30%, compliant with state law. The meeting on Thursday night was to vote on the amendment.

The Meeting

Over 30 people turned out on Dr. Unk’s behalf, including 7 members of our church. We got a mention in the newspaper. I spoke on Dr. Unk’s behalf as well, before the council. The meeting looked to be going to a vote, where it would have been in a 3-3 tie. The mayor would have then voted against the amendment, I think primarily because Dr. Unk’s very openly and avidly supported Chip Little, the current mayor’s recent opponent in a very tight mayoral race. Instead, a substitute amendment was made to gather more information, including why the state law is at 30%, why Greenville law is at 51%, how many restaurants would close if audited, and what other cities do with regard to zoning restaurants. When all was said and done (after 2 hours), the discussion was continued until (at least) August.
The Outlook

I think it looks good for Dr. Unk’s (and therefore, us). Dr. Unk’s has a lot of neighborhood support, including a church .  They also have other options besides this amendment being passed. A special use permit could be enacted, or the area could be rezoned as general commercial, among other less desirable, but effective, methods. There are tons of options, legally. Regardless, Jeremy informed me that as it turns out [randomly ] he owns the building that Dr. Unk’s is currently in, and that we would probably have a place to meet no matter what happens. Which is great.

Thanks for the prayers!

Church was awesome yesterday!

• We had Matthew Lilley and the 6:22 Band in yesterday leading worship (link), and they played an awesome set. Those guys are so talented. Here’s the setlist:
  • Shine by Collective Soul
  • Behold the Lamb by Brandon Willett (a new fav)
  • Salvation is Here by Hillsong United
  • Reward of His Suffering by Jonathan David Helser
  • Mighty to Save by Hillsong
• Great stuff. I preached on Jonah 2: the prayer of Jonah from the belly of the whale. He moves from the recognition of God into a passion for others, which is where the 2:9 project will hopefully take us as a church.
• We saw quite a few new people yesterday, which was exciting. Our Echo Group last night reflected that as well. We even had a guy come because of a doorhanger he had received the day before! Awesome.
• Speaking of Echo Group, last night’s discussion on Mark 10 was incredible: we had great discussions on marriage as a picture of the Gospel, incorporating children into our community, what the real meaning of the “rich young ruler” passage was, and how we can learn from all of that as Christians in today’s society. Great stuff.
• I get to hang out with a couple of the new guys tonight at Buffalo Wild Wings. We’re headed to watch the hockey game. I’m stoked. Go Penguins.
• Miranda took the day and took her sister and some friends to the beach. So excited she got to do that. Equally as exciting was the fact that I slept until 1pm. You really don’t understand how tired I was. I’ve been running practically nonstop since last Wednesday. Whew!
• Praying for lots of things…pray for me and us as a church. I’m so pumped about what God is going to do through us as a church! I can’t believe I get to do this…

Ed sat down in the car, and I asked him what he wanted to eat. He responded with “a hamburger.” Alright, and so we headed towards the nearest McDonald’s. We walk in, Ed’s limping on his prosthetic leg and carrying his crutch, and we head to the cash registers. He says “I’ll just take a hamburger”, and I ask him what he really wants.

“Man, I haven’t had a Big Mac in years.”

So I buy him a Big Mac combo, I order a Big and Tasty (no tomato, no mayo, of course), and we sit down to eat. As I’m talking to Ed, I find out something peculiar: this man knows the Gospel better than most Christians. He knows that he can do nothing in and of himself, and that in fact, without God, he is utterly useless. He describes his relationship with his parents, his addiction to alcohol, and his incarceration for disorderly conduct all in terms of God’s grace and providence. This man is definitely saved…yet struggling. He’s been clean from alcohol since January, and I encouraged him in that, and invited him out to church when he got a chance.

We conclude our lunch with a promise to try to meet once a week for lunch. I give him my phone number (he has a cell phone), and I take him back to the shelter and we part ways.

We are thinking as a church to pair up our people with homeless people for “lunch dates” in the fall. Any ideas?