The Eastgate Church in Walla Walla, Wash., has started a program called Free Market Groups.
"We wanted to find a way to bring people together," said Eastgate Church assistant pastor Eric Sayler. "Everyone has hobbies and interests, so we thought, why not use those interests to get to know each other better and to help connect people to the church. Many times people come into the church as a visitor but don’t stay because they don’t make many friends. This is a good way to introduce nonmembers to our church family and to help them make friends."
There are currently 13 groups, and the groups cover a broad spectrum of topics. The topics change quarterly, so members will have plenty of options. We hope members can find something that they want to learn about and enjoy with our church family members, says Sayler.
Some of the topics include: Activities for Moms, Book Study, Card Crafting, Crochet/Knitting, Women's Fitness, Horse Group, Men's Group, Prayer Group, Scrapbooking and Music Writing.
