Block Party brings community together

SIDNEY -- The Well Church in Sidney hosted the community to an evening of fun, food and fellowship July 7.

Sidney’s North Park was busy with neighborhood children and parents as The Well Church partnered with CrossPoint Church in Hays, Kan., to offer the neighborhood a fun and positive evening.

The effort is a combination of a history with the Kansas church hosting a similar program, and The Well Church’s approach of meeting people where they are. Justin Brown, pastor of The Well Church, frequently says he would rather see people meeting Jesus than “butts in seats.”

He said Friday’s event was a success with nearly 100 hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hotdogs served, in addition to an unknown amount of popcorn and cotton candy.

 

The two churches came together through mutual associates.

"A former pastor of mine and still friend actually told me about Pastor Justin (Brown) and The Well Church here, and that we were looking for kind of a new partnership if you would, somewhere in Nebraska to take a couple days' mission trip," said Micah Sanderson, pastor of CrossPoint Church in Hays, Kan.

The team did some work on the church in addition to partnering with The Well Church to host the Block Party. Pastor Brown said CrossPoint has hosted block parties in other communities, adding it fits with how The Well Church sees ministry.

"We try to really be outward-facing and try to reach out into the community. Ultimately it's this: our goal like we've said before isn't about getting people into the church. It's about getting the church into people's lives," Brown said.

He said one of the ways to do that is for the church to love on the community in real and tangible ways.