New Initiatives

Having had six months or so to settle in we decided that it was time to do something which would build and strengthen the new contacts and relationships that have been forming in the shop. We've started opening late on Thursdays, and on 11 June we started our Book Group, which will meet on 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month for the moment.
I couldn't be there for the first meeting, but it apparently went well, with seven folks there - three from what we would consider the core planting group, two new people who have been joining us for worship, and two customers from the shop.
We're reading The 19th Wife as our first book. I'm planning to be at the group this week, so I've made sure to catch up with my reading.
Our other new venture is the Soul Clinic, which is on the 3rd Thursday of the month. We had the first event last week, and only one person was there who wouldn't normally be at our main worship event, but I think it was an overall positive experience. What I did ask myself at the end of the evening is whether it will have a more evangelistic role, or whether it will provide an alternative worship space to the main Sunday service, for those with a more reflective, contemplative spiritual temperament. I think it will definitely be more of a 'slow burner' than the book group, but we shall see what unfolds in the coming months.