Impromptu Pizza Party

One of the nice things about going to an urban church in which many people hail from the immediate neighborhood is the prospect of, either formally or informally, having contact with fellow congregants outside of actual church functions. Since church, of all entities, is an organism and not just a set of meetings and services, these human touches are important to fostering community and camaraderie.

So it's nice to criss-cross on the street or in the store, or to set up play dates to popular kid hangouts without having to hire a professional event planner. And when a long afternoon looks ominous on account of two too-hyper kids and two too-tired parents, you call a few friends who are in the same plight and see if they won't all come over and allow for some safety in numbers. Eight adults, nine kids, and four pizzas later, the kids had fun being with other kids, the adults had fun being with other adults, and the pizza place down the street was happy to see me quadruple my usual order. Everyone wins!