Is this you or do you let someone else take on this role
Do you like doing it or would you just rather it was all organised (and paid for) by someone else? what social events do you like to organise, if you do them?
It is a lot - parties, events, get togethers, dates, shopping for food, organising catering, decorations, outfits, photography, activities, workshops, classes, meetings, icebreakers, networking, birthdays, funerals, weddings...trips, outings, dinners, lunches, venue bookings, transport, tickets, write ups about the event, quizzes, dances, sports tournaments, galas, parades, bbq, gig, invitations...
Its exhausting really, to think about having a 'social life' after the pandemic although its part of being human I guess, to meet each other.
I dunno...I mean if you get a bunch of CCers together, what exactly are we gonna do? Stare at our smartphones and send messages to each other? How boring...
I was thinking of doing an escape room thing. It would be like Paul being locked in jail and figuring out how to get out, except you are locked in church building and have to figure out, using only the clues in Bible, how to break free
Yeah we've already got that covered. A few of us long-time CCers have been in a chat room for a good few years now and we decided to have a meetup. (Actually we started planning it TWO YEARS AGO, but then covid hit.) We're gonna hit an escape room, make banana bread, hit the redneck comedy bus tour, make chocolate chip cookies, see an aquarium, grill burgers, go on a hike to a pretty waterfall, play some games, make a pot of chili...
Notice the emphasis on food?
At the end of April we'll let you know how it went.
Believe it or not, several years ago, there was talk of an official CC-wide meetup. I can't remember exactly which year -- I got here around 2009 so maybe it was in the next year or two after that. I hope any old, OLD time CC'ers will correct anything about it that my memory isn't getting right. Back then, the live chats were very active and the mods were talking about a 3-day meetup with things like a live praise and worship band. For whatever reasons, it fell through, and without the community we used to have in those live chats, I doubt anything like that will ever be put on the table again. Personally, I can't imagine the liability that could come from an event like that anyone. What if some people came just to stalk someone they were crushing on, etc.?
You are right, Lanolin, in that organizing a get-together, even a small one, is a huge ordeal. I've been to 2 "meetups" over the years and will be headed to a 3rd very soon. As Lynx said, they are a BEAR to plan, even in small numbers. Everything has to line up -- you have to find a time when everyone can get off work, has enough time to save up the money, is able to travel, and then coordinate how you will share and manage food and entertainment costs so that everyone doesn't go broke. Covid definitely broke our stride for a while, as every state here in the US seemed to have its own set of rules, and some states/airports were requiring tests and vaccinations.
The other thing is that the very rapport it took to even think about discussing a meetup usually takes years. I've known Lynx since around 2014, so it's not something that happens overnight. I know a lot of people come to the site and ask, "Why can't I find any friends?", and all I can say is that in my experience, it takes MASS amounts of work and time. This is just my experience, but if one really wants to make friends, they will basically have to substitute at least one hobby's worth of time (like gaming or watching TV) for writing/communicating with people here on this forum. I've met a lot of people here by posting and answering a lot of threads, then got to know people individually through countless hours of PM's and chats. It's a very slow process that I know most people would feel they don't have the time for. Life ebbs and flows -- and most of the time, those I met and I were in each other's lives for a short time and a season -- but I'm very thankful to have found a handful of people who seem to be part of a very long (hopefully indefinite) season of my life.
The length of time that people have known each other can be important for everyone's safety. Our group is lucky because almost everyone has met someone else in the group in person already, so it really is like old friends meeting, rather than a group of strangers. We're also not worried about anyone being stalked, harassed, or acting up.
The other thing that seems crucial is that you get a group of people who are looking out for other people and not just their own needs or wants. One of the things I've enjoyed about the group I'm a part of is that everyone is concerned about each other's welfare and not just their own. Some of the big discussions we've had in order to set up a meeting include allergies, sensitivities, different waking/sleeping schedules, and trying to choose enough things that will be of interest to everyone, even if everyone doesn't participate in everything. I also appreciate the care being given to introverted vs. extroverted personalities, and how some of us (including me) might need personal quiet and/or alone time without offending the rest of the group. We are also all putting in our share of the costs and looking out for each other. No one will be left holding the bag, nor will they be left out.
One thing I can say is that I've NEVER been bored at a meetup. At the first one I attended, we scoured a huge shopping mall (we didn't really do any shopping, but it sure was fun to look, as they had stores I'd never been to before,) went to see Les Miserables, investigated local antique shops, took turns cooking for each other, prayed together, and played board games together every evening (which turned out to be my favorite part.)
At the last meetup I went to, we went to an awesome apple orchard, a historical mansion, and I got to spend time helping a few CC friends with their business right before the busy season (having been in retail all my life, I had an idea of what they were up against.) The things they needed done just happened to be one of my favorite kinds of work, and because I'm very task-oriented, it was pure joy to me to see all our hard work pile up everyday in a series of completed orders.
I've also met a few other CC'ers in one-to-one "meetups" and I've been very lucky -- everyone has been wonderful and a joy to meet. And we were never bored (well at least I wasn't, maybe the other person was!), nor did the conversations ever lag.
One of the best things about meeting CC friends is talking to them about their own walks of faith and experiences. Cinder somehow got roped into accepting a visit from me twice in less than 6 months, and one of my favorite memories from that time was sitting and talking about her experiences in mission work around the world vs. how Christianity is defined by the churches we grew up in.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that just the friendships themselves, let alone a meetup that might follow, take a ton of time and effort to build, and there's no shortcut (at least that I know of) or easy way around that.
But what if God brings it all together and it actually does happen?
So far I have to say that it is very well more than worth it.
And seeing as none of us are getting any younger, we have even talked about someday moving closer to each other to form our own little singles network that would help look after on another in our everyday lives.
In the meantime, we'll see what God has planned.
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