Community is only a nice idea if it is not made up of real people. Real people have a hard time skipping the small talk and being vulnerable with each other. One way you can invest in your community is to invite another family into an activity.
Meals are great, and this invitation can include a meal, but it should not be the main focus of your evening together. Make sure that the focus is on having fun. Fun removes conversational barriers and can bond people together. Bonding can also happen over competition. Here are some creative ideas for get-togethers that can double as friendship-boosters.
- Sporting Events: College, professional, or little league all provide opportunities for conversation and bonding without awkward silences
- Board Game Night: Competition, teamwork, and common suffering are all ingredients for community growth
- Mini Golf: It’s cheap, it’s fun, it’s weird if you take it too seriously
- Cooking Classes: Mistakes can be delicious
- Local Live Music: Good or bad, you will at least have something to talk about
- Hiking: Did I already mention common suffering? … At least there is a cool view at the end.
- Visit an Arcade: It’s simple math…
Plastic lazer gun + unending supply of cartoon aliens – $10 in quarters = FUN
- S’mores: Because…they are delicious… and deceptively hard to get just* right
Use your imagination. There is always something that two families can do together without breaking the bank. In fact, most of my favorite friendship memories did not include a big price tag. Sometimes desperation is the mother of invention, so even if you are at a stable place financially, challenge yourself to find creative ways to make fun without spending a lot of dough.
Don’t worry about vulnerability and authenticity and real conversations. Build a friendship on fun first and trust that God will provide time to get into the real stuff eventually. Remember that most people just want someone that they can know, like, and trust in their life. Focus your efforts on being available to be known and likable first and they will soon learn to trust you too.
* if you are new here and want to join in the Bootcamp, visit jasonhundley.com to sign up!
Jason Hundley 