Funky Friday night church

Are you a kind of person who thinks a Friday night in a night club is too secular for you to attend? No more boredom; go to the Friday night church base camp to worship and have fun at the same time.

Fridays are light, fun days. It is then that we unwind, hang out with friends, dance or drink the night away. In fact, most people stop working at about 3pm if not physically at least mentally. From then on, they go on a quest for what to do in the evening.

Those who want to sound funky call it “plot” or “proggie”. As such, prior to Friday, the streets, social networks and media are flooded with fun events to usher in the weekend, from music concerts, club theme nights to karaoke.

However, except for an occasional Christian music show or overnight prayer, majority of the events fronted are secular ,leaving out Christians.

But starting today, with the introduction of Friday night church base camp, Christians have just gotten “clean plot”.

Targeting professionals and married people, the Friday night church concept is fresh and promises an opportunity for professionals to hang out together and talk about what is dear to them. It is an avenue to talk about your week with God.

From an art exhibition, dance performance by Country Lights dancers to a touching message from the leader, the lineup of events looks good.

It should be fun. And there’s nothing uptight as all this will be done over free popcorn and soda. Roasted meat and sausages will also be on sale at Shs3,000 and Shs1,500 a stick respectively.

The nitty gritties
Today is the launch of the Friday night church concept dubbed a Fire place. It is set to start at 7pm till 10pm. Given the traffic on Fridays, you will need at least 40 minutes to get there.

And you do not have to leave your car behind as there is ample parking space just outside the premises and there will be guards to watch over it.

There will only be service every first Friday of the month. However, starting June, service will be on every Friday. You do not need anything to attend.

Also, there are nearby retail shops and kiosks where you can buy airtime, chewing gum among other things. But you will need to carry a sweater, scarf or anything to wear when it gets chilly which is bound to happen given that it is an outdoor event. There will be a fire in a corner but that might not generate enough heat to warm up the entire place.

The core
But despite the packaging, Todd Gilliland, the founder says, “it will not be just any other worship service and a feel good message. You will be shocked in a good way about the vulnerable revelations from personal experience that makes each one of us real.”

So you do not have to clad in your Sunday best and cover up what you really are during the week.

People seem to cover up as they go to church on Sunday so as not be judged. Gilliland says because of that, some people who find church on Sunday intimidating opt not to go to church. And it is based on such a background Gilliland came up with the Friday night church idea. He says, the objective is to provide a safe place for the people in the coporate world to come to open up and find hope.

The founder together with his team, hopes they will provide a place where the professionals do not have to lead double lives – one when at work and another when at home.