It seems, if you want to be countercultural, throw parties and do it regularly. 

According to the Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics only 4.1 percent of Americans attended or hosted social gatherings on a given weekend or holiday in 2023. 

When Christians choose to foster community –both within the church and with unbelieving neighbors –we push back the darkness. In a partyless culture, Christians have a strategic opportunity to invite our neighbors to become friends. As author Rosaria Butterfield exhorts, radically ordinary hospitality can allow “strangers to become neighbors, and, by God's power, those neighbors can become part of God's family.” 

But sometimes getting people through your front door can feel impossible. After all, Americans as a whole aren’t accustomed to invites. Hitting roadblocks can be discouraging.

Even though it is hard (like really hard), with lots of prayer and creativity, it can be done in many contexts. 

Listen in for five encouragements for making it happen.