Thursday Theology and Barchurch

In this past week I met with a couple of different people that were familiar with the original or first modification to Downtown Venues, later referred to as Barchurch -- back when it was actually held in a bar and still brought a simple form of church with it.

Over the years, The Venues' Thursday night gathering has gone through many changes -- leadership, location, lesson format, and community. We won't be meeting tonight. Our current leader said the most holy thing you can do this week is stay home and pass out candy to those that come to your house on Thursday night. Making others (especially children) feel as a welcomed part of our community is a pretty Jesus thing to do.

My early barchurch friends miss the vibe and energy of that generation of what was Downtown Venues. So do I. But when I think of clinging to things of the past I sometimes chastise myself for being a selfish conservative, unwilling to change and adapt to the needs of others.
Maybe we need a support group for us old school barchurch people.
Or maybe we just need to adapt and change with the community around us.
Is there any reason why we can't have both?

That original, organic form of barchurch was such a rare find for me (and apparently several others) that I doubt it could be duplicated. What made it strange was that it was a gathering of people that fed my energy rather than drained it. I could sit at the back bar and just observe and absorb the positive energy of the place. The only thing I ever had to contribute was my presence. 
I'm just realizing that others may have felt that same kind of vibe -- that just being there was enough.

I felt that way about one of the shelters where I volunteered. It also had that good welcoming kind of energy. I wish I knew the formula to bring that feeling about. 
How do you create a place that has such a positive energy that it reaches out and welcomes everybody to enter and offer their presence to the community?

I wish I knew.

John